Danny Horne
University of Mount Olive
April 15, 2015
CJC421
Abstract This paper is going to go over the traditions of all four perspectives dealing with prostitution. The first theory social conflict theory is a really a tradition of social vision of social order. Utilitarianism and Tradition is a Rational Choice theory that came about in the 1970s and 1980s. This theory look at the world making choices and decisions that affect themselves and exchanges that will have a good outcome for everybody.
This is going to be a paper on all four of the traditions perspectives dealing with prostitution. The four perspectives are Conflict and Utilitarianism traditions, social phenomena and the Conflict perspective and Durkheim perspective. The first theory conflict theory it is often look at as, Society is characterized by pervasive inequality based on social class, gender, and other factors. Far-reaching social change is needed to reduce or eliminate social inequality and to create an egalitarian society. Conflict theory is a macro theory is a really a tradition of social vision of social order. They are groups of people who are trying to advance their interests over others. In this case the groups of people are prostitutes(Collins, 1994).
Also the conflict theory is going to look at it as a way of making women stand out because they have not had an opportunity in the economic world because of the men. And they look at sex as a way to have control because exchanging sexually favors is something that men cannot control or support. Also that prostitution supports the status quo dealing with inequity groups and subordinate groups.
They are not looking at prostitution like we are looking at prostitution. They look at it as a job and as a way of earning money which is how they are trying to advance their interests over us. We look at it as a crime and as a way of belittling yourself. This is ok to them but a shame to us. Also some have nothing else to turn to they see it as easy money so they continue to abide by it. The conflict theory also look at it as a way of your social class which could mean that less money because you are in a lower social class could lead to drastic measures as in prostitution. Whether than being wealthy you don’t have to worry about money problems but on the other hand people who are in poverty and see this as an easy way to make a living will quickly jump on the job and not care about the consequences.
Some of the conflict theorists looked at prostitution as an issue with the economic and that it should be looked at as dealing with labor while some of the other theorists think that it affects more of the poor mainly poor African American women who are more likely to be poor. Which refers back to what I said before when I said it was dealing with the social class that you are in and how your social class can affect your decisions and your thoughts.
I found an article dealing with an author name William Thomas and he explained his views on a girl who was a prostitute and I put a little part of it in the paper and it reads, “ the female prisoner as a product of innate instincts in conjunction with influences within the social environment. Thomas developed a dyadic goals-means conflict theory in which he proposed that every human (particularly prostitutes), had four basic desires: security, recognition, new experience, and response. It was the desire for new experience and response which Thomas believed most influenced female criminality. Thomas states "A woman enters prostitution to satisfy and desire for excitement and response: as a woman, prostitution in one form or another, was the most likely avenue to satisfy these needs: However, critics of Thomas indicated that this sociologist was sexist because he identified females as offenders through their sexual behavior. (Sociologist William Thomas in "The Unadjusted Girl", (1923)
Utilitarianism and Tradition is a