Ch 6 Flashcards
deviance
any behavior, belief, or condition that violates significant social norms in the society or group in which it occurs
- in sociology, it is related to social situations and social structures rather than to the behavior of individual actors
characteristics of deviance
- relative (changes depending on how it is socially defined)
- varies in degrees of seriousness
crime
behavior that violates criminal law and is punishable with fines, jail terms, and/or other negative sanctions.
juvenile delinquency
a violation of law or the commission of a status offense by young people.
status offenses
illegal acts only when committed by younger people
(Ex: cutting school or running away from home)
social control
systematic practices that social groups develop in order to encourage conformity to norms, rules, and laws and to discourage deviance.
Internal social control
internalization of
- societal norms and values on behavior
- people begin to follow norms through the socialization process
external social control
uses negative sanctions that proscribe certain behaviors and set forth the punishments for rule breakers and nonconformists
(police, jail, courts)
criminology
the systematic study of crime and the criminal justice system, including the police, courts, and prisons.
How does sociology view criminology?
does not focus on good or bad but rather focus on the who, what and why of types of deviant behavior
functionalist perspective on deviance
focus on societal stability and the ways in which various parts of society contribute to the whole
- certain amount of deviance contributes to the functioning of society
Three functions of deviance (functionalist theory)
- deviance clarifies rules
- deviance unites a group (work against the deviance)
- deviance promotes change (violate norms for change)
Strain theory
developed by Robert K. Merton
the proposition that people feel strain when they are exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to obtain because they do not have access to culturally approved means of achieving those goals.
Merton’s five modes of adaption to goals
conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion
conformity
when people accept culturally approved goals and pursue them through approved means
(Ex: saving money, go to school)
- seeks cultural goals and follows cultural approved ways
innovation
when people accept society’s goals but adopt disapproved means of achieving them
- seeks cultural goals, DOES NOT follow approved ways
Ritualism
when people give up on societal goals but still adhere to the socially approved means of achieving them
- opposite of innovation
- DOES NOT seek cultural goals, follows approved ways
Retreatism
when people abandon both the approved goals and the approved means of achieving them
- drug addicts, alcoholics or people who don’t adhere to conventional ways
Rebellion
when people challenge both the approved goals and the approved means for achieving them and advocate an alternative set of goals or means
- rioting, protests
illegitimate opportunity structures
developed by Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin
circumstances that provide an opportunity for people to acquire through illegitimate activities what they cannot achieve through legitimate channels
What did studies on gang behavior show?
- gang membership was linked to the members’ belief that they might reach their aspirations by transforming the gang into a business enterprise
- gangs stick together in income-generating business organizations
- the close association between certain forms of deviance and social class position
Three types of gangs?
criminal, conflict and retreatist
criminal gangs
devoted to theft, extortion, and other illegal means of securing an income
conflict gangs
emerge in communities that do not provide either legitimate or illegitimate opportunities
Members of conflict gangs seek to acquire a “rep” by fighting over “turf” (territory) and adopting a value system of toughness, courage, and similar qualities
retreatist gangs
unable to gain success through legitimate means and are unwilling to do so through illegal ones
- addiction and consumption of drugs is prevalent
conflict theorists (focused on power relations)
norms and laws are established for the benefit of those in power and do not reflect any absolute standard of right and wrong
Ex: the activities of poor and lower-income individuals are more likely to be defined as criminal than those of persons from middle- and upper-income backgrounds
What were the results of conflict theorists studies?
- Black Americans sentences that are almost 10 percent longer than those received by white Americans for the same offenses
- young, single, urban males are more likely to be perceived as criminals and receive stricter sentences in courts
Marxist/critical theory
views deviance and crime as a function of the capitalist economic system
- based on the assumption that the laws and the criminal justice system protect the power and privilege of the capitalist class
- the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor
liberal feminist approach
suggests that women’s deviance and crime are a rational response to the gender discrimination that women experience in families and the workplace
radical feminist approach
views the cause of women’s crime as originating in patriarchy (male domination over females)
- Ex: arrests for prosecution show a double standard
because men can pay for sex but it’s unacceptable for a woman to accept money for such service
Marxist (socialist) feminist approach
suggests that women are exploited by both capitalism and patriarchy
Multiracial feminist approaches
examined how the intersecting systems of race, class, and gender act as “structuring forces” that affect how people act, what opportunities they have available, and how their behavior is socially defined
symbolic interactionist theory
focus on social processes
- Ex: how people develop a self-concept and learn conforming behavior through socialization
What are the four major types of symbolic interactionist approaches?
differential association and differential reinforcement theories, rational choice theory, control theory, and labeling theory
differential association theory
the proposition that people have a greater tendency to deviate from societal norms when they frequently associate with persons who are more favorable toward deviance than conformity
criminal behavior is learned from family and peer groups
differential reinforcement theory
developed by Ronald Akers
- suggests that both deviant behavior and conventional behavior are learned through the same social processes
rational choice theory of deviance
the proposition that deviant behavior occurs when a person weighs the costs and benefits of nonconventional or criminal behavior and determines that the benefits will outweigh the risks involved in such an action
-suggest that most people who commit crimes do not engage in random acts of antisocial behavior
control theory
developed by Walter Reckless
suggests that conformity is often associated with a person’s bonds to other people
-suggests that many people do not resort to deviance because of inner containment ( self-control, a sense of responsibility and resistance to diversions) and outer containment (reasonable social expectations and supervision from family and supportive friends)
social bond theory
developed by Travis Hirschi
- the proposition that the probability of deviant behavior increases when a person’s ties to society are weakened or broken.
What does social bonding consist of?
attachment to other people
commitment to conformity
involvement in conventional activities
belief in the legitimacy of conventional values and norms
What did Gottfredson and Hirschi say about high self-control?
high self-control is related to an individual’s likelihood of conforming to norms and laws; low self-control can help explain a person’s propensity to commit or refrain from committing crimes
labeling theory
developed by Howard Becker
the proposition that deviance is a socially constructed process in which social control agencies designate certain people as deviants and they, in turn, come to accept the label placed upon them and begin to act accordingly
-Behavior is not deviant in and of itself; it is defined as such by a social audience
labeling theory’s stages of deviance
primary deviance, secondary deviance, tertiary deviance
primary deviance
the initial act of rule breaking
secondary deviance
the process that occurs when a person who has been labeled a deviant accepts that new identity and continues the deviant behavior
tertiary deviance
deviance that occurs when a person who has been labeled a deviant seeks to normalize the behavior by relabeling it as nondeviant.
felony
serious crime such as rape, homicide, or aggravated assault, for which punishment typically ranges from more than a year’s imprisonment to death
misdemeanor
minor crime that is typically punished by less than one year in jail
violent crime
actions—murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault—involving force or the threat of force against others.
property crimes
burglary (breaking into private property to commit a serious crime), motor vehicle theft, larceny-theft (theft of property worth $50 or more), and arson
victimless crimes
crimes involving a willing exchange of illegal goods or services among adults.
occupational (white collar crimes)
illegal activities committed by people in the course of their employment or financial affairs.
corporate crimes
illegal acts committed by corporate employees on behalf of the corporation and with its support.
internet crimes
illegal acts committed by criminals on the Internet, including FBI-related scams, identity theft, advance fee fraud, nonauction/nondelivery of merchandise, and overpayment fraud
organized crimes
a business operation that supplies illegal goods and services for profit.
political crime
illegal or unethical acts involving the usurpation of power by government officials or illegal/unethical acts perpetrated against the government by outsiders seeking to make a political statement, undermine the government, or overthrow it
terrorism
the calculated, unlawful use of physical force or threats of violence against persons or property in order to intimidate or coerce a government, organization, or individual for the purpose of gaining some political, religious, economic, or social objective
criminal justice system
the local, state, and federal agencies that enforce laws, adjudicate crimes, and treat and rehabilitate criminals
punishment
any action designed to deprive a person of things of value (including liberty) because of some offense the person is thought to have committed.
