Quiz 4: Why Do People Use Drugs

In the social sciences, a theory is: A) an incorrect assertion. B) a reasoned, empirically based explanation for a set of events or condition. C) a denial that something took place. D) a guess. E) none of the above.

Which of the following sociological theories of deviance-and hence illicit drug use and abuse-has been disconfirmed, that is, evidence has demonstrated more or less conclusively and definitively that it is false? A) social learning and subculture theory B) social disorganization theory C) the social control and self-control theories D) the selective interaction/socialization theory E) none of the above; all explain at least some part of the drug use/abuse picture.

Anomie theory argues that drug addicts use which of the following adaptations to society's strain? A) innovation B) conformity C) retreatism D) rebellion E) ritualism

Anomie theory argues that drug dealers and sellers make use of the following adaptation to society's means to achieve the goal or success: A) innovation B) conformity C) retreatism D) rebellion E) ritualism

The social control theory of deviance, crime, and illicit drug use focuses on the following factor to explain conformity: A) socialization into deviant values B) hegemony by the powerful to shape laws and social control to their advantage C) the actor's stake in conventional values D) the disjunction between the goal of success and the legitimacy of the means to achieve that success E) the recent decay of the American economic structure, which reduces the likelihood of social mobility for people at the bottom of the socioeconomic hierarchy

Hundreds of years ago, the dominant or most popular explanation of wrongdoing or untoward behavior was: A) genetic factors. B) social causes. C) an aberrant personality. D) the overconsumption of alcohol. E) demonology-possession by the devil or evil spirits.

Which of the following is a "kinds of people" theory? A) biological theories B) conflict theory C) social disorganization theory D) anomie theory E) subculture theory

Metabolic imbalance theory most commonly attempts to account for one particular type of drug use-________. A) marijuana use B) cocaine abuse C) narcotic addiction D) alcoholism E) methamphetamine abuse

Reinforcement theories of drug use and abuse focus: A) entirely on positive reinforcement. B) entirely on negative reinforcement. C) on both positive and negative reinforcement. D) neither on positive nor on negative reinforcement. E) none of the above.

Which of the following theories of deviance, crime, delinquency, and drug abuse bills itself as the "general theory of crime"? A) social disorganization theory B) anomie theory C) social control theory D) self-control theory E) learning theory

Routine activities theory emphasizes a motivated offender, a suitable target, and: A) the anomic conditions of modern industrial society. B) a deviant subculture. C) the inherent reinforcement of the deviant act. D) negative reinforcement in the form of punishment. E) the absence of a capable guardian.

Which of the following theories emphasizes a disjunction between means and ends as the major explanation for deviance, crime, delinquency, and drug abuse? A) social control theory B) self-control theory C) anomie theory D) social learning and subculture theory E) social disorganization theory

Which of the following theories emphasizes the deteriorated conditions of the community or neighborhood as the major explanation for deviance, crime, delinquency, and drug abuse? A) social control theory B) self-control theory C) social learning and subculture theory D) anomie theory E) social disorganization theory

Which of the following theories emphasizes deviant socialization as the major explanation for deviance, crime, delinquency, and drug abuse? A) social control theory B) self-control theory C) social learning and subculture theory D) anomie theory E) social disorganization theory

Which of the following theories emphasizes inadequate parenting as the major explanation for deviance, crime, delinquency, and drug abuse? A) social control theory B) self-control theory C) social learning and subculture theory D) anomie theory E) social disorganization theory

Which of the following theories emphasizes the absence of bonds to conventional society as a major explanation for deviance, crime, delinquency, and drug abuse? A) self-control theory B) social control theory C) social learning and subculture theory D) anomie theory E) social disorganization theory

Conflict theory emphasizes which of the following factors in explaining deviance, crime, delinquency, and drug abuse? A) community or neighborhood disorganization B) the influence of unconventional peer groups C) differences in power among socioeconomic strata D) the absence of bonds to conventional society E) inadequate parenting

According to social control theory, what is one of the major causes of illicit drug use? A) an aberrant personality structure B) the absence of a stake in conformity to the norms of conventional society C) an attempt at self-medication D) the anomie that prevails in modern, industrial society E) reinforcement of the administration of a psychoactive substance

Which of the following theories hold(s) that deviant, criminal, and delinquent behavior (such as drug abuse) are simply "doing what comes naturally" and do not require an explanation; what needs explaining is why people do not deviate from society's norms, rules, and laws? A) social learning and subculture theories B) social disorganization theory C) the social control and self-control theories D) problem-behavior proneness E) anomie theory

Anomie theory regards the drug addict as a: A) "single failure." B) "double failure." C) "triple failure." D) "quadruple failure." E) none of the above.

"Why should people conform? After all, it's so much more fun and rewarding to deviate from society's norms and laws." An advocate of which of the following theories would agree most strongly with this statement? A) anomie theory B) control theory C) subculture theory D) problem-behavior proneness E) social disorganization theory

In the United States, over the past four decades, income inequality-according to some theories, a major factor associated with deviance, crime, and drug abuse-has: A) increased. B) decreased. C) remained the same. D) fluctuated wildly and erratically from year to year. E) none of the above.

All theories attempting to explain a general phenomenon are partial in scope. Which theory of drug use do you believe is most adequate? Which one covers the most ground, explains more about drug use than any other? Why do you feel this way?

Do you feel that any of the theories discussed in this chapter are sexist, racist, or politically unacceptable in some way? If so, why?

Are there reasons why some theories address only certain kinds of drug use-for instance, only alcohol, or narcotics, or marijuana? Can any of them be expanded beyond its originally formulated scope?

Do you believe that any of these explanations is wrong, invalid, and/or empirically falsifiable? If so, why?

Detail some of the interconnections between theories of crime and deviance and theories of drug use and abuse. Are they identical? How do they differ? Do some apply to deviance and crime but not drug use, or vice versa?

If any of these theories or explanations of drug use are right, what sort of policy implications does that imply or demand? What societal or political changes should take place as a result of the validity of one or more of these explanations of drug use? What should the society do about drug use or abuse?

Do any of these personality or social characterizations describe someone you know? Is that person a drug user? Do you have any reactions to this revelation?

How does routine activities theory fit in with drug use? Can the likelihood of using illicit substances really boil down to a motivated offender acting in reaction to a suitable target in the absence of a capable guardian? Can routine activity theory be retrofitted to apply to drug use? If so, how?

As the author indicates, cigarettes aside, marijuana is the psychoactive substance that racks up the most use-days among its last-year users. What explains how these theories or explanations address this basic fact-for instance, how is it possible that alcohol, a freely available substance, is used less often used by its last-year users than marijuana, a not-quite-so-freely available substance?

And what about methamphetamine? If its last-year users took it almost as often as marijuana's last-year users smoked cannabis, what does this say about the consequences of the use of each substance?