Chapter 8 Terms

Question 1

anomie

Answer 1

Durkheim’s term for the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective

Question 2

anomie theory of deviance

Answer 2

Merton’s theory of deviance as an adaptation of socially prescribed goals or the means governing their attachment, or both

Question 3

conformity

Answer 3

going along with peers - individuals of our own status who have no special right to direct our behavior

Question 4

control theory

Answer 4

a view of conformity and deviance that suggests that our connection to members of society leads us to systematically conform to society’s norms

Question 5

crime

Answer 5

a violation of criminal law for which some governmental authority applies formal penalties

Question 6

cultural transmission

Answer 6

a school of criminology that argues that criminal behavior is learned through social interactions

Question 7

deviance

Answer 7

behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society

Question 8

differential association

Answer 8

a theory of deviance that holds that violation of rules results from exposure to attitudes favorable to criminal acts

Question 9

differential justice

Answer 9

differences in the way social control is exercised over different groups

Question 10

formal social control

Answer 10

social control that is carried out by authorized agents, such as police officers, judges, school administrators, and employers

Question 11

hate crime

Answer 11

a criminal offense committed because of the offender’s bias against a race, religion, ethnic group, national origin, or sexual orientation. AKA bias crime

Question 12

index crimes

Answer 12

the eight types of crime reported annually by the FBI in the Uniform Crime Reports: murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson

Question 13

informal social control

Answer 13

social control that is carried out casually by ordinary people through such means as laughter, smiles, and ridicule

Question 14

labeling theory, or societal-reaction approach

Answer 14

an approach to deviance that attempts to explain why certain people are viewed as deviants while others engaged in the same behavior are not

Question 15

law

Answer 15

governmental social control

Question 16

obedience

Answer 16

compliance with higher authorities in hierarchical structure

Question 17

organized crime

Answer 17

the work of a group that regulates relations among criminal enterprises involved in illegal activities, including prostitution, gambling, and the smuggling and sale of illegal drugs

Question 18

professional criminal

Answer 18

a person who pursues crime as a day-to-day occupation, developing skilled techniques and enjoying a certain degree of status among other criminals

Question 19

sanction

Answer 19

a penalty or reward for conduct concerning a social norm

Question 20

social constructionist perspective

Answer 20

an approach to deviance that emphasizes the role of culture in the creation of the deviant identity

Question 21

social control

Answer 21

the techniques and strategies for preventing deviant human behavior in any society

Question 22

social disorganization theory

Answer 22

the theory that crime and deviance are caused by the absence or breakdown of communal relationships and social institutions

Question 23

stigma

Answer 23

a label used to devalue members of certain social groups

Question 24

transnational crime

Answer 24

crime that occurs across multiple national borders

Question 25

victimization survey

Answer 25

a questionnaire or interview given to a sample of population to determine whether people have been victims of crime

Question 26

victimless crime

Answer 26

a term used by sociologists to describe the willing exchange among adults of widely desired but illegal goods and services

Question 27

white-collar crime

Answer 27

illegal acts committed by affluent, “respectable” individuals in the course of business activities