Exam 4 Flashcards
main idea of drift theory?
people believe in conventional values, but sometimes drift into deviance. people are able to do bad things by neutralizing the guilt
Drift theory: what are techniques of neutralization used for?
set of beliefs/excuses that justify criminal behavior in certain circumstances. deviance is seen as valid by delinquent but not by legal system/society.
Drift theory: according to sykes/Matza when do people be deviant
individuals offend at certain times in their life when social controls are weakened. when supervision is absent and ties minimal, the majority of people are most “free” to do what they want and then drift to deviance.
whats drift theory say about subcultural theories that say youth become so immersed in criminal value system that they ignore prosocial standards
this is not so, rather most youth internalize the dominant normative system and when they violate these norms they feel guilt and shame
what are the different kinds of techniques of neutralization?
denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of victim, condemnation of condemers, appeal to higher loyalties.
techniques of neutralization: denial of responsibility
“it wasn’t my fault”. goal is to deflect blame attached to violations of social norms and to establish the violation as independent of a particular personality structure.
techniques of neutralization: denial of injury
centers on harm involved in delinquent act / whether anyone has been hurt by their deviance. person feels that their behavior doesn’t cause any great harm despite the fact that it is socially seen as unacceptable
techniques of neutralization: denial of victim
argues injury is not wrong in light of circumstances. not really an injury, rather a rightful retaliation or punishment. see themselves as avenger and victim as the wrongdoer.
Goffman’s Stigma: what is stigma?
a sign of disgrace/attribute that is deeply discrediting. Attribute is not the source of stigma, but rather social relationships. Not a property of individual, but rather how they are treated because of their attributes
what are the two types of stigma?
discredited and discreditable
stigma: discredited type
difference between stigmatized and normal is evident on the spot (like race)
Stigma: discreditable type
differentness is not immediately perceivable and can be hidden (sexual identity)
how is stigma a social process?
- individual might have been received easily
- a particular trait garners attention that is discrediting
- people respond by turning away
What does stigma being a master status mean?
Stigma is a master status – all other traits are interpreted in reference to this master status.
Goffman’s Stigma: Social Identity
everyone has a social identity. we anticipate social identity from appearances which Goffman calls demands.
Goffman’s stigma: what is virtual social identity?
imputed social identity, we impute traits to people based on assumptions. undesirable traits might be exposed.
what happens when stigmatized and normals engage in social interaction?
stigmatized is always “on” and unsure of how they will be perceived/unsure of they are seen as approachable. these are primal scenes of sociology (like the breaching exp).
Goffman’s Stigma: stigma theories
discriminatory ideologies that naturalize deviance associated with stigma.
Goffman’s stimga: what is the result of social process
shame and powerlessness.
stigma: what are the responses to having stigma
correcting the failing (like treatments, psychotherapy, etc), overcoming the failing, self transformation/becomes a new self and re-interpreting ones social identity.
what are degredation ceremonies:
public identity of person is transformed into something looked on as lower in social scheme of social types. master status is imposed.
drift theory: why do some people rape according to trait theories/medical model
rape is caused by physiological or mental sickness
drift theory: why do some people rape according to social learning theory?
rape is learned thru social interaction. people learn how to do it and excuse/justify/or frame it as culturally appropriate. basically, healthy normal people do rape when they’ve learned its okay/excusable to do so
what is account
linguistic framing/story that reinterprets and removes culpability for an act after it has occurred. accounts allow deviant to feel less shame, diminish responsibility, and avoid stigma.
