Exam 2 (Modules 5 - 6)

Question 1

ascribed status

Answer 1

social position based on attributes at birth, over which the individual has little or no control. These might include race and sex

Question 2

achieved status

Answer 2

a social position that a person assumes as a result of personal choice, merit, or direct effort

Question 3

social groups (primary groups + secondary groups)

Answer 3

a social group consists of two or more people who interact frequently and share a common identity and a feeling of interdependence

primary groups: family, close friends

secondary: school or work friends, neighbors (can turn into primary)

(interaction is different depending upon whether we are in a primary or secondary group)

Question 4

role conflict

Answer 4

occurs when incompatible demands are placed on a person by two or more statuses held at the same time

Question 5

role

Answer 5

the behavior expected of you when you are occupying a particular status

Question 6

instrumental leaders (task leaders)

Answer 6

leaders that keep the group on task

post-male-dominated - now it’s about equal between men and women

Question 7

expressive leaders (emotional leaders)

Answer 7

cheerleader and morale officer

female-dominated

Question 8

social institutions

Answer 8

a social institution is a set of organized beliefs and rules that establishes how a society will attempt to meet its basic social needs

• Family
• Religion
• Education
• Economy
• Government
• Medicine
• Sports and Entertainment

Question 9

Durkheim’s concepts of mechanical and organic solidarity

Answer 9

What is the “cement” that binds people together?

Mechanical Solidarity: solidarity through shared experience. People are united by traditions and shared values. Characteristic of traditional societies and communities.

Organic Solidarity: people are united by a mutual dependence on one another. Characteristic of modern societies.

Question 10

total institution

Answer 10

a place of work and residence where a great number of similarly situated people, cut off from the wider community for a considerable time, together lead an enclosed, formally administered round of life

Question 11

conflict theory perspective on deviance

Answer 11

Crime and punishment are influenced by inequality

Economic conditions of the lower classes lead to behavior defined as criminal

Class interests dictate who shall be defined as deviant and how severely they shall be punished

Question 12

structural-functionalism perspective on deviance

Answer 12

according to Emile Durkheim, deviance serves some positive functions:

1. Deviance clarifies rules
2. Deviance unites a group
3. Deviance promotes social change

Question 13

what are “victimless crimes”?

Answer 13

Do not involve a clearly defined victim and are less likely to be reported

Examples: Prostitution, Illegal drug use

Question 14

what are “white-collar crimes”?

Answer 14

Crime committed by respectable people of high status in the course of their occupation.

Often unreported and difficult to detect.

Economic, environmental, and social costs are far greater than all street crime combined but typically punished less severely than street criminals.

May lead to an underestimate of middle and upper-class criminality.

Examples: Embezzlement, Stock fraud

Question 15

strain theory (Robert Merton)

Answer 15

Believes deviance occurs when culturally approved goals cannot be reached by culturally approved means. This generally happens when there is a disparity between these goals and one’s realistic chances of achieving them through accepted behaviors

there is a “strain” between the means and the goals

Question 16

differential association theory (Edwin Sutherland)

Answer 16

Believes deviance is learned through 2 mechanisms:

1. Interacting with others who hold deviant norms.
2. Adopting those norms because we get approval from people in that deviant subculture.

Question 17

what are “moral entrepreneurs”?

Answer 17

“Moral Entrepreneurs” can create definitions of what constitutes “deviance”

“Moral Entrepreneurs” sell their own brand of “morality:

Example: Prohibition

Question 18

what is meant by the “medicalization of deviant behavior”? examples?

Answer 18

The cultural trend of labeling behaviors formally viewed as deviant as being medical conditions

Some forms of deviance that were formerly viewed as crimes or just “bad behavior” are now viewed as “sickness”

Example: Alcoholism, ADD

Question 19

internal social control

Answer 19

takes place when individuals internalize norms and values and follow those norms and values in their lives. This can be viewed as self-control based on our conscience

Question 20

external social control (including informal and formal forms of external social control)

Answer 20

involves punishing behavior that breaks the rules

formal: punishment by an authority figure
informal: punishment by social pressure (ex. peers or no authorizes), “what will they think of me”

Question 21

what is the “broken window” theory?

Answer 21

Asserts that something as small as a broken window sends signals to those who pass by.

The unrepaired window means that no one cares here, that no one is in charge and invites more serious infractions.

Question 22

what is meant by “social bond theory”?

Answer 22

Believes the probability of deviant behavior increases when a person’s ties to society are weakened or broken. This also applies to neighborhoods and communities.

Social bonding consists of:

1. attachment to other people
2. involvement in conventional activities
3. belief in the legitimacy of conventional norms

Question 23

what percentage of criminal cases are resolved by plea bargaining?

Answer 23

90% of criminal cases are never tried in a court of law. Instead, they are resolved by plea bargaining.

97% of criminal convictions are the result of plea bargaining.

Question 24

“front stage” vs “backstage” behavior

Answer 24

front stage behavior reflects internalized norms and expectations for behavior shaped partly by the setting

backstage behavior allows you to be free of the expectations and norms that dictate front stage behavior

Question 25

positive functions of deviance

Answer 25

Postivativ functions include:

1. Deviance clarifies rules
2. Deviance unites a group
3. Deviance promotes social change

Examples: Speed limit