8: Conformity and Deviance Flashcards
Behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards
Conformity
The anticipated behavior to follow and refers to the design to go along with the norms of a group of people, so you will be accepted as an in-group person and not rejected an an out-group undesirable person
Conformity
Departing from usual or accepted standards, especially in social or sexual behavior
Deviance
Behavior that violates expected rules and norms
Deviance
The study of why people violates laws and norms and how society reacts to this violations
Deviance
An Italian criminologist and physician who founded the Italian School of Positivist Criminology
Cesare Lombroso
Father of Criminology
Cesare Lombroso
Theory stating that criminality was inherited and that someone “born criminal” could be identified by physical or congenital defects
Theory of Anthropological Criminology
7 Anthropological Features that criminals have said to possess
- Less sensibility to pain and touch.
- More acute sight
- A lack of moral sense, including an absence or remorse.
- More vanity
- Impulsiveness
- Vindictiveness and cruelty
- Other manifestations such as criminal argot and excessive use of tattooing
Deviance promotes unity, serves as a moral compass, and provides opportunities where there are none
Structural Functionalism
Deviance performs important functions in the overall operations of society
Structural Functionalism
Deviance is a result of unequal distribution of social desirables and life chances
Historical Conflict
Deviance is a form of civic action that aims to rectify the unfair and unjust syndromes of social inequality
Historical Conflict
Deviance is a result of the exercise of power
Critical Interpretivism
States that symbols and ideas are manipulated by powerful people in the society in order to protect their economic and political interest
Critical Interpretivism
We are helping these entities maintain their privileged positions in the society
Critical Interpretivism
Offered a “side-by-side” formulation of conformity and deviance
Robert Merton
Developed the structural strain theory
Robert Merton
Refers to the discrepancies between culturally defined goals and the institutionalized means available to achieve these goals
Strain
Traces the origins of deviance to the tensions that are caused by the gap between cultural goals and the means people have available to achieve those goals
Structural Strain Theory
Establishes goals for people
Culture
Provides (or fails to provide) the means for the people to achieve those goals
Social Structure
Acceptance of both the means and goals
Conformity
Rejection of means but acceptance of goals
Innovation
Acceptance of means but rejection of goals
Ritualism
Rejection of both means and goals
Retreatism
Rejection of existing social goals and means but substituting new ones to create a new society
Rebellion
5 GENERAL CATEGORIES
Conformist Ritualist Innovators Retreatists Rebels
A person who conforms to accepted behavior or established practices
Conformist
Person who do not believe in the established cultural goals of society but abide by the means for attaining those goals
Ritualist
Individuals that accept the cultural goals but reject the conventional methods of attaining those goals
Innovators
People who reject both the cultural goals and accepted means
Retreatists
Explains why people’s behavior clashes with social norms
Labeling Theory
Holds that deviance is not inherent to an act, but instead focuses on the tendency of majorities to negatively label minorities or those seen as deviant from standard cultural norms
Labeling Theory
States that deviance is not inherent to an act, but instead the result of the externally-imposed label of “deviant”
Labeling Theory
Takes the view that people become criminals when labeled as such and when they accept the label as a personal identity
Labeling Theory
Theory stating that people care about what others think of them and conform to social expectations because of their attachments to others and what others expect of them
Social Control Theory
Who developed the social control theory
Travis Hirschi
Theory suggesting that most people probably feel some impulse towards deviant behavior at some time, but their attachment to social norms prevents them from actually participating in it
Social Control Theory
Makes conformity an internally driven motivation
Effective socialization
Engages the mechanisms of social control
Externally driven conformity
The idea that a person has the innate right to be valued, respected, and treated well
Dignity
Human Dignity
Legal, social, and ethical principles that consider the human person as deserving of liberties and protection
Human Rights
Founded on natural rights which are universal and inalienable, and are not contingent on laws, customs, beliefs, or values
Human Rights
