Chapter 1: Determining Deviance Flashcards
Conformity
Norms and values that society expects of you
Deviance
A person, behavior or characteristic that is socially typed as deviant and subjected to measures of social control
Negative Deviance
Violates situational expectations
Positive Deviance
Intentional behaviors that depart from the norms of a referent group in honorable ways by surpassing expectations
Social Norms
Expectations of conduct in particular situations
Norm violations usually result in public reaction or sanctions
Social norms create deviance
Statistical Rarity
People, behaviors or characteristics that are statistically rare in a population
Statistical Rarity Limitations
Criteria for “rare” are ambiguous
Common acts may be considered unacceptable
Rare acts may be considered acceptable
Harm
People, behaviors or characteristics that cause harm
Physical, emotional, social, ontological
Negative Societal Reaction
People, behavior or characteristics that society’s “masses” respond to with negative emotions
Harm Limitations
Perceptions of harm change over time
Perceptions of harm are subjective
Negative Societal Reaction Limitations
Criteria for determining “masses” are unclear
Some people’s reactions have a greater impact
Public opinion often matters less than other factors
Absolutist View of Norms
Behavior or characteristic is inherently and universally deviant
Some norms should be followed in all cultures at all times
Absolute moral order
Culturally-Specific View of Norms
Norms are culturally specific
Not an absolute moral order
Normative Violation
People, behaviors or characteristics that violate societal norms
Normative Violation Limitations
Lack of consensus over norms
Subjectivism
People, behaviors or characteristics that dominant moral codes deem unacceptable and in need of control
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand other points of view as to why someone views something as deviant
Objectivist Views of Deviance
Deviance is seen as a quality
A very structured idea of what is acceptable and what is deviant
Only studying the deviant act, not challenging it
Subjectivist Views of Deviance
An act is subject to different interpretations
Focuses on people’s perceptions and reactions
Questions the rationale about why some things are viewed as deviant
Moral Entrepreneurs
These people define what is morally acceptable in society
Act-Objective Approach
Objective end of the continuum
Focuses on deviant acts
Those acts have an inherently deviant quality
Act-Subjective Approach
Subjective end of the continuum
Focuses on our perceptions of and reactions to the act
Emphasis on the deviance dance
Importance of power relations - moral entrepreneurs
Role of Power in Moral Code of Society
Some individuals have more power than others
Some groups have more power than others
Power lies in social institutions
Social Typing Process
The process by which a person, behavior or characteristic is deviantized
Components: description, evaluation, prescription
Description
The label of deviance being given to a certain behavior, person or characteristic
