Defining Deviance (pp.11-15)

Question 1

What is deviance?

Answer 1

A violation of norms

Question 2

What are norms?

Answer 2

The dos and donts of society

Question 3

What are sanctions?

Answer 3

Reactions to norm violations, can be formal or informal

Question 4

What is a formal vs informal sanction?

Answer 4

Formal=prison. Informal= being ostrasized

Question 5

What are the three types of norms that Sumner came up with?

Answer 5

Folkways, Mores, and Laws

Question 6

What are folkways?

Answer 6

Simple, everyday norms (ex: etiquette, custom, traditions). Violations are not seen as serious, but can cause one to be seen as odd or be avoided

Question 7

What are mores?

Answer 7

Norms based on moral values (ex: Drug addictions, extramarital relations). Violation is seen as a threat to the social order.

Question 8

What are laws?

Answer 8

Certain norms upheld by codified social sanctions ex) murder, assault, rape. Violations seen as major societal threats.

Question 9

Why are some activities (ex: war, white collar crime), not considered to be deviant?

Answer 9

Because the activities are governed by the most powerful people in society.

Question 10

What are the ABC’s of deviance?

Answer 10

Attitude, Behaviour, and Conditions

Question 11

What is attitude?

Answer 11

Being branded as deviant for an alternative attitude or “extreme” belief system (ex: cults, satanists). Mental illness can also sometimes fall into this category.

Question 12

What is behaviour?

Answer 12

Overt acts regarded as deviant ex) violating dress code, speech conventions, kinky sex behaviour.

Question 13

What are conditions?

Answer 13

Deviance as defined by personal characteristics or traits ex) wealth, weight, tattoos.

Question 14

What is acheived vs ascribed deviance?

Answer 14

Achieved-is deviance that you adopt during your lifetime, and it can be changed
Ascribed-Something you are born with and generally cannot change ex) Disability

Question 15

What are the 3 S’s of deviance?

Answer 15

Sin, sick, and selected

Question 16

What is Sin in relation to deviance?

Answer 16

Deviance was referred to as a sin in the middle ages, due to religious paradigms prevailing. Violation of religious norms was attributed to Satanic influences

Question 17

What is Sick in relation to deviance?

Answer 17

The medicalization of deviance from the 19th-mid 20th century. Use of medical treatment in response to deviance.

Question 18

What was Rosenhans experiment?

Answer 18

He had perfectly sane people check into a mental asylum. They told the doctors that they were hearing a little voice in their head saying “hello.” As soon as they were checked in, they began behaving normally, but the doctors wouldn’t let them out, even though other patients knew that there was nothing wrong with them This shows how the sickness era was blown out of proportion, as people defined more and more conditions as being a sickness.

Question 19

What is Selected in relation to deviance?

Answer 19

Recent movement to resist medicalization of deviance-certain behaviours/conditions seen as intentional, selected, or voluntary lifestyle choices.