Deviance and Social Control Flashcards
Deviance
The term used to describe actions or identities that differ from group norms
Stigma
A social attribute that is discrediting for an individual or group
Crime
Actions that cause harm and violate social norms
Social order
The links between people and institutions working cooperatively to keep society stable
Social control
The process whereby society seeks to ensure conformity to the dominant vales and norms in that society
Negative sanction
Punishments for violating norms
Positive sanction
Rewards given for conforming to norms
Genetic disposition
to be susceptible to it or more likely to encounter it due to inherited genes
Street crime
Involves crimes toward and among the general public
Personality disorders
long-term patterns of behavior and inner experiences that differ significantly from what is expected
Differential association
When one learns criminal attitudes and behaviors through those around them
Control theory
The idea that two control systems - inner controls and outer controls - work against our tendencies to deviate from
Degradation ceremony
Used to transform the identity or status of an individual to an identity or status lower in the hierarchy of a group or institution
Labeling theory
Indicates that society’s assigning of labels to individuals or certain groups as an effect on their behavior
Techniques of neutralization
The process in which an individual rationalizes behavior that is considered unacceptable, unethical, or criminal
Cultural goals
Financial success, acquisition of academic degrees, or the pursuit of the American dream
Institutional means
The established patterns of believes, behaviors and relationships that organize social life
Strain theory
Proposal that pressure derived from social factors, such as the lack of income or lack of quality education, drives individuals to commit crime
Illegitimate opportunity structures
Arise when communities lack resources that would allow young people to grow in this way
White collar crime
A non-violent crime where the primary motive is typically financial in nature
Corporate crime
Crimes committed by companies rather than individuals
Criminal justice system
An organization that exists to enforce a legal code
Recidivism rate
A person’s relapse into criminal behavior, often after the person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a pervious crime
Capital punishment
A legal process where a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime
Serial murder
A serial murderer has committed two or more murders separated in time and often in widely different geographic areas, and involving victims who are usually strangers
none
none of
Police discretion
The freedom of police officers to make decisions as they perform their official duties
Medicalization of deviance
The process by which behaviors or conditions that were once seen as morally or socially problematic are redefined as medical issues
