What is social disorganization?
                     WHAT IS SOCIAL 
DISORGANIZATION?
INTRODUCTION
Social disorganization consists of the 
coordination of individual responses 
as a result of the operation of 
consensus and control. 
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SOCIAL 
DISORGANIZATION 
THEORY
Shaw & McKay (1969)  – Social disorganization, 
defined as a sudden influx of a large number of 
people in and out of a neighborhood, creates a 
pathological environment that contributes 
more to crime than the deviant behavior of 
abnormal individuals. 
Robert E. Lee Faris (1955)  – Social 
Disorganization is the “weakening or 
destruction of the relationships which hold 
together a social organization” .
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EXPLANATION
The social disorganization theory is a theory 
that applies the principles and methods of 
sociology to understand the prevalence of 
high crime rates especially among juveniles 
of working-class communities.
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WHY – DISORGANIZATION
The social disorganization theory holds that 
traditional societies were organized 
according to certain rules and norms that 
have been nurtured and strengthened over 
time.
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ORIGINS
The social disorganization theory grew from 
the work of a group of University of Chicago 
researchers in the 1920s and 30s who are 
credited with founding the Chicago School of 
Sociology.
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 GROUNDED IN 
EMPIRICISM
The social disorganization theory was one of 
the earliest projects that marked the 
empirical turn in sociology from a theoretical 
perspective. The Polish Peasant in America, 
for instance, was based on thousands of 
personal documents, interviews, and case 
histories, resulting in a 5-volume magnum 
opus. 
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DURABILITY
In the second decade of the 21st century, 
the theory has now been around for a little 
over a century. 
Unlike many other premises of the social 
and natural sciences, the theory, however, 
continues to stay relevant, even though it 
has been modified and adapted several 
times from the time of its first formulation. 
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ACCURACY
Within its limited scope, the mathematical 
models derived from social disorganization 
theory worked remarkably well in predicting 
delinquency.
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PROVIDES ACTIONABLE 
POLICY INSIGHTS
The theory is useful in drawing our attention 
to what works and what does not when it 
comes to tackling crime. 
For instance, by pointing to the roots of 
delinquency, the theory helps explain why 
incarceration and the penal justice system 
are futile in reducing crime. 
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THANK YOU