Exam 2 Flashcards
Sexual Orientation
a person’s preference for sexual relationships with individuals of the other sex (heterosexuality), one’s own sex (homosexuality), or both sexes (bisexuality)
Gender identity
the personal conception of oneself as female, male, both, neither
Heterosexism
the analogous term for negative views about, and discriminatory practices toward, LGBT and their sexual behavior
Heterosexual privilege
refers to the many advantages that heterosexuals (or people perceived as heterosexuals) enjoy simply because their sexual orientation is not LGBT
Gerontology
the study of aging; helps understand problems in a state of the life course we all hope to reach
Chronological age
the number of years since someone was born
Biological aging
the physical changes that “slow us down” as we get into our middle and older years
Psychological aging
the psychological changes, including those involving mental functioning and personality, that occur as we age
Social aging
changes in a person’s roles and relationships, both within their networks of relatives and friends and in formal organizations (workplace and houses of worship)
Disengagement theory
to enable younger people to assume important roles, a society must encourage its older people to disengage from their previous roles and to take on roles more appropriate to their physical and mental decline
Activity theory
older people benefit themselves and their society if they continue to be active
Conflict theory
older people experience age-based prejudice and discrimination
Ageism
negative views about old age and prejudice & discrimination against the elderly
Life expectancy
the average to which people can be expected to live, varies dramatically across the world
Elder abuse
physical or sexual violence, psychological or emotional abuse, neglect of care, or financial exploitation
Generational equity
the concept that different generations should be treated in similar ways and should have similar opportunities
Drug
any substance other than food that, when taken into the body, affects the structure and/or functioning of the body
Depressants
slow down the activity of the central nervous system and large doses may lead to physical dependence & sometimes death
○ Analgesics- reduce pain and include over-the-counter products (ex: aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen)
○ Sedatives- help people relax & drowsy (ex: alcohol, barbiturates, and sleep medicines)
Hallucinogens
mind-altering drugs that cause delusions or hallucinations (ex: Ecstasy, LSD, mescaline, and PCP)
Narcotics
slow down central nervous system, highly effective at relieving pain, may induce drowsiness, euphoria, and relaxation; physically addictive and can be fatal in high doses; all derived from opium (ex: codeine, heroin, methadone, and morphine)
Stimulants
speeding up the central nervous system, increase alertness & energy, and can produce euphoria or anxiety (ex: caffeine, cocaine, methamphetamine and other amphetamines, nicotine (tobacco), Ritalin
○ Very physically addictive, and nicotine is thought to be more addictive than heroin
Binge drinking
5+ drinks on the same occasion-within 2 hours of each other- on at least one day in the past month
Heavy drinking
binge drinking on at least 5 days in the past month
Religiosity
the more religious people are, the lower their drug use
Harm reduction
this strategy attempts to minimize the harm caused by drugs
Drug courts
drug offenders who have been arrested and found guilty are sentenced to drug treatment and counseling rather than to jail and prison
○ Saves money and more effective in reducing the habit
Crime
behavior that is prohibited by the criminal law because it is considered especially harmful or offensive
Deviance
behavior that violates social norms and arouses strong social disapproval
Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
government’s primary source of crime data
○ FBI gathers data from police departments around the country
○ Police also tell FBI whether someone is arrested for the crime and, if so, the person’s age, gender, and race
○ UCR includes commercial crimes
Part I Crimes
eight felonies that the FBI considers most serious
○ 4 violent crimes- Homicide, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery
○ 4 property crimes- burglary, larceny (e.g. shoplifting, pick-pocketing, etc.), motor vehicle theft, and arson
Dark figure of Crime
unreported/hidden crime
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
survey sent to many randomly selected US households by the federal government in the beginning of the 1970s to get more accuracy; asked whether had victim of crime in house and estimates thought to be accurate than UCR’s
○ Excludes commercial crimes (ex: shoplifting)
○ Includes simple assaults while UCR excludes them
Self-report survey
a third source of crime information in which subjects, usually adolescents, indicate on an anonymous questionnaire whether and how often they committed various offenses
○ Typically also answer questions about their family relationships, school performance, and other aspects of their backgrounds
○ Like NCVS, they underscore how much crime is committed that doesn’t come to attention of police
Intra-racial
Occurring within the same race
White-collar crime
crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation
○ Arguably much more harmful, in terms of economic loss and of physical injury, illness, and even death
Corporate violence
actions by corporations that kill or maim people or leave them ill
○ Victims include employees, consumers, and the public as a whole
○ Annual death exceed the number of deaths from homicide, and illness & injury from corporate violence affect an untold number of people very year
Organized crime
criminal activity by groups or organizations whose major purpose for existing is to commit such crime
Consensual crime
behaviors in which people engage voluntarily and willingly even though these behaviors violate the law
Social disorganizaiton theory
a weakening of social institutions such as the family, school, and religion that in turn weakens the strength of social bonds, norms, and effectiveness of socialization
Anomie theory
crime by the poor results from a gap between the cultural emphasis on economic success and the inability to achieve such success through the legitimate means of working
Differential association theory
criminal behavior is learned by interacting with close friends who teach us how to commit various crimes and also the values, motives, and rationalizations we need to adopt in order to justify breaking the law
Social bonding theory
delinquency results from weak bonds to conventional social institutions, such as families and schools
Labeling theory
deviance and crime result from being officially labeled; arrest and imprisonment increase the likelihood of reoffending
○ Gives someone a negative self-image, reduces the potential of employment, and makes it difficult to have friendships with law-abiding individuals
Group conflict theory
Criminal law is shaped by the conflict among the various social groups in society that exist because of differences in race & ethnicity, social class, religion, and other factors
○ Given they compete for power & influence, the groups with more of it try to pass laws that ban behaviors in which subordinate groups tend to engage, and try to use criminal justice system to suppress subordinate group members
Radical theory
the wealthy try to use the law & criminal justice system to reinforce their power and to keep the poor & people of color at the bottom of society
Plea bargaining
a defendant agrees to plead guilty, usually in return for a reduced sentence
Get-tough approach
longer prison terms and the building of many more prisons & jails
○ Doubt in achieving significant crime reduction and fear of it leading to greater future problems
Public health approach
tries to treat people who are already ill, but especially focuses on preventing disease and illness before they begin; applied to crime
