Chapter 7: Social Control Flashcards
Enforcing norms through internal or external means
- Principal means is self-control
- Authority figures, police, courts, family, public opinion, etc.
- Social stability is jeopardized by behavior that violates public norms
Social Control
Process by which a norm becomes a part of an individual’s personality; individual conforms to society’s expectations
Internalization of Norms
Rewards or punishments used to enforce conformity to norms
sanctions
An action that rewards a particular kind of behavior
- Praise
- Good grades
- Pay raises
- Cheers from a crowd
Positive Sanctions
Punishment or threat of punishment used to enforce conformity.
- Most of the time a threat of punishment is enough
- Ex. Parking ticket, frown, imprisonment, death, etc.
Negative sanctions
Reward or punishment given by a formal organization or regulatory agency
- Negative Formal: low grades, suspension, fines, fired from job, etc.
- Positive Formal: diploma, promotions, awards, etc.
Formal Sanctions
Spontaneous expression of approval or disapproval given by an individual or group
- Negative Informal: frowns, gossips, insults, ridicule, etc.
- Positive Informal: standing ovations, compliments, smiles, etc.
Informal Sanctions
Behavior that violates significant social norms
Ex. Drag racing on public street, using illegal drugs, talking to oneself in public, using weapons to attack someone, etc.
Deviance
- Varies from society to society
- Labeling someone as deviant
- Repeating an offense
- act has serious negative consequences for society
Violating Norms
- Involves two components:
- Be detected committing a deviant act
- Must be stigmatized by society
Label of Deviant
Mark of social disgrace that sets them apart from the rest of society
Stigma
Deviance helps clarify norms, unify the group, diffuse tension and promote social change.
- Provides jobs in various fields (lawyers, law enforcement, judges, etc.)
- Defines boundaries of acceptable behavior
- Punishment of violators serves as warning to others.
- Draws line between conforming members of society and “outsiders”
- Minor deviance allows people to “vent”
- Prompts social change by identifying problem areas.
Emile Durkheim
views defiance as the natural outgrowth of the values, norms of society.
- Society places a high value on certain goals
- People don’t have equal access to achieve goal
- Anomie: situation that arises when the norms of society are unclear or no longer acceptable.
Strain Theory (Robert K. Merton):
- Conformity: accept society’s goals and means to achieve them
- Innovation: Accept goals of society but do not accept the means for reaching these goals
- Ritualism: abandon societal goals while continuing to observe the expected rules of behavior
- Retreatism: reject cultural goals and the acceptable means of attaining them
- Rebellion: want to substitute new goals and means for the approved set ( may use violent or nonviolent methods)
5 modes of adaptation to achieve societal goals:
Ant act that is labeled as such by those in authority & is prohibited by law
Crime
- Murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault
- Occurs every 22 seconds in US
- Most victims are African American; for murder it is African American men 18-24
- Majority of murders committed by guns
Violent Crime
- Involves stealing or intentionally damaging someone else’s property.
- Burglary, ,arcing (theft other than auto), motor vehicle theft and arson
- Committed every 3 seconds in US
- People under 25 years old commit a larger part of the crimes
- Drug use/habits, have strong correlation with crime rates
Property Crime
- Prostitution, Illegal gambling, Illegal drug use, and vagrancy
- Supposedly harm no one other than themselves
Victimless Crimes
- Offenses committed by people of high social status in the course of their profession
- Misrepresentation, fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, price-fixing, toxic pollution, insider trading and political corruption.
- Costs the US more than 300 billion dollars
- Not always dealt with “equally”
White Collar Crime
Large scale organization of professional criminals that controls some vice or legitimate business through violence or threat of violence
Crime Syndicate
- Crime syndicate
- Many have legitimate businesses that they use as a “front”
Organized Crime
Power to decide who is actually arrested
Police discretion
- Police Discretion
- Factors to consider:
- seriousness of the offense
- Wishes of the victim taken into consideration
- Suspects attitude
- Make arrest if bystanders are present
- More likely to arrest and use force against African Americans (
Police (hold the most immediate control)
- Role:
- Holds a trial to determine guilt
- Penalty phase
- Plea bargaining
Courts
