Deviance, Crime, and Social Control Flashcards
anomie
Durkheim’s term for the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective
anomie theory of deviance
Robert Merton’s theory of deviance as an adaptation of socially prescribed goals or of the means governing their attainment, or both
conformity
going along with peers–individuals of our own status who have no special right to direct our behavior
control theory
a view of conformity and deviance that suggests that our connection to members of society leads us to systematically conform to society’s norms
crime
a violation of criminal law for which some governmental authority applies formal penalties
cultural transmission
a school of criminology that argues that criminal behavior is learned through social interactions
cybercrime
illegal activity primarily conducted through the use of computer hardware or software
deviance
behavior that violates the standards of conduct of expectations of a group or society
differential justice
differences in the way social control is exercised over different groups
formal social control
social control that is carried out by authorized agents, such as police officers, judges, school administrators, and employers
hate crime
a criminal offense committed because of the offender’s bias against a race, religion, ethnic group, national origin, or sexual orientation. also referred to as bias crime
index crimes
the eight types of crime tabulated each year by the FBI in the Uniform Crime Reports: murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson
informal social control
social control that is carried out casually by ordinary people through such means as laughter, smiles, and ridicule
labeling theory
an approach to deviance that attempts to explain why certain people are viewed as deviants while others engaged in the same behavior are not
law
governmental social control
