Marvin E. Wolfgang

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Marvin Eugene Wolfgang (born November 14, 1924 in Millersburg ( Pennsylvania ), † April 12, 1998 in Philadelphia ) was an American criminologist and sociologist.

Career

Wolfgang was a soldier in World War II and took part in the US invasion of Sicily. After the war he studied at the University of Pennsylvania , his most important teacher was Thorsten Sellin . Wolfgang acquired the academic titles MA (1950) and Ph.D. (1955). Until his death in 1998 he taught as a professor of criminology at the University of Pennsylvania.

He was considered one of the most important criminologists in the English-speaking world. His cohort studies , his investigation of the perpetrator-victim interaction and his research on violent crime became particularly well known .

Wolfgang received various awards, including the Beccaria Medal . He was a member of the American Philosophical Society since 1975 and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1976 .

Subculture of violence

Together with the Italian psychiatrist Franco Feracutti , Wolfgang developed an integrative theoretical approach to the subculture of violence , in which they trace violent crime back to the existence of a system of values ​​and norms.

With recourse to Edward Shils' concept of culture , Wolfgang and Feracutti assume that there is a difference between the totality of value systems in a society and a central value system. According to this, not all values ​​and norms have the same status, in subcultures some of the central values ​​are accepted, others hardly taken into account, others rejected, which leads to counter-constructions. In the subculture of violence , psychological aggression is of great importance. It permeates socialization processes, interpersonal relationships and the lifestyle of individuals.

As an indicator for the existence of a subculture of violence , Wolfgang and Feracutti use the relative accumulation of homicides without express intention to kill ( manslaughter ), with certain social groups, age groups and ethnic groups being overrepresented.

In his interpretation of the theoretical approach, Siegfried Lamnek summarizes:

  • Violence also occurs outside of subcultures, but it is normatively anchored in subcultures of violence.
  • The normative structure of the subculture requires the use of force for certain (not all) situations.
  • The number of situations in which violence is normatively required determines the violent manifestation of the subculture.
  • The use of force in such subcultures is psychologically determined.
  • The use of force is learned.
  • Violent behavior in such subcultures is amplified by rewards such as the pain of the victim or material booty. Social prestige is acquired through the use of force.
  • The use of force does not appear to be illegal in the subculture. Therefore, no guilt is created.

Fonts (selection)

  • Patterns in Criminal Homicide , Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1958; second edition Montclair: Patterson Smith, 1975, ISBN 0875852114
  • with Franco Feracutti: The Subculture of Violence: Towards an Integrated Theory in Criminology , London: Tavistock Publications, 1967; second edition Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1982, ISBN 0803918089
  • with Bernard Cohen: Crime and race. Conceptions and misconceptions , New York: Institute of Human Relations Press, 1979
  • with Robert Figlio and Johan Thorsten Sellin : Delinquency in a Birth Cohort , Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1972, ISBN 0226905535 .

literature

  • Hans Joachim Schneider : Laudation to Marvin E. Wolfgang . In: Rössner / Jehle, Beccaria as a trailblazer in criminology. Mönchengladbach: Forum Verlag Godesberg, 2000, pp. 37-41
  • Elmar Weitekamp: In memorium Marvin E. Wolfgang , in: Rössner / Jehle, Beccaria as a trailblazer in criminology. Mönchengladbach: Forum Verlag Godesberg, 2000, pp. 43-46

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Marvin E. Wolfgang and Franco Feracutti: The Subculture of Violence: Towards an Integrated Theory in Criminology , London 1967
  2. ↑ The presentation follows Siegfried Lamnek : Theories of deviating behavior, 7th edition, Munich 2001, pp. 181-184.
  3. ^ Siegfried Lamnek: Theories of deviating behavior, 7th edition, Munich 2001, p. 184.
personal data
SURNAME Wolfgang, Marvin E.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wolfgang, Marvin Eugene
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American sociologist
DATE OF BIRTH November 14, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Millersburg, Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH April 12, 1998
Place of death Philadelphia