Which criminological approach focuses on the misbehavior of lower-class youths and sees delinquency primarily as the result of social disorganization?

• A. Social disorganization
• B. Concentric zone theory
• C. Social ecology
• D. Chicago School

Answer: (C)

This item tests how delinquency is understood through the environment or ecosystem in which people live. Social ecology treats crime as something produced by the urban context itself—the places, neighbor networks, opportunities, and social controls (or lack thereof) that shape how youths behave. When lower-class neighborhoods experience poverty, instability, rapid turnover, and weak informal institutions, conventional forms of social control fray and opportunities for delinquent behavior rise. In this view, misbehavior among youths is not just an individual problem but a response to the ecological conditions surrounding them.

This focus distinguishes social ecology from alternatives. Social disorganization highlights the breakdown of neighborhood institutions but is more about the mechanism than the broader ecological approach. Concentric zone theory explains urban layout and how different zones relate to development, not delinquency as an ecological process. The Chicago School is the broad tradition that first linked place to crime, but social ecology is the specific framework that emphasizes the environmental context and its influence on youth behavior.