Explaining the Deviant Act

Question 1

Theorizing Deviance

Answer 1

Focus on positivist theories of deviance
Trace changes to positivist understnanding
- How we respond to deviance effect millions
-Dominance
- Justification
-

Question 2

Pre 18th Century Theories of Deviance

Answer 2

Theories of deviance by religious beliefs and superstitions:

• Belief in evil spirits and demons
• People ascribe unusual phenomena of nature to the activities of evil spirits
• Belief that any pathology in human behaviour must be due to evil spirits

Question 3

What do Judeo-Christian teachings offer for the role of evil spirits and sinful behaviour?

Answer 3

Temptation
- the devil tempts us and tries to overcome us
Possession
- being possessed by evil spirits

Question 4

What were the objectives of blaming social problems on the devil and other evil spirits?

Answer 4

1) it diverted attention from the failing of elites and placed blame on individuals who were possessed by the devil
2) Those in power made themselves indispensable by saying only they could stop the devil

Distinction between sin and crime was blurred

Question 5

What happens when people challenge the status quo

Answer 5

They are branded as heretics and subject to extreme punishment
Inquisition
Witches became scapegoats for anger

Question 6

Witch hunts

Answer 6

Burning witches alive
Death by hanging
Accused mostly women
Witch hunts reinforced the power of existing social hierarchy

Question 7

What is the enlightenment?

Answer 7

Focus on systematic doubt, empirical and sensory verification of ideas
Ideas shifted away from fanaticism and religious superstitions to naturalistic explanation based on reason and scientific method

Question 8

Who is Lombroso and the positive school?

Answer 8

Observed physical differences between criminals and non-criminals
Applied Darwins evolutionary theory to criminals who were deemed atavists (less evolved)
They are born criminals who can be disadvantaged by stigmata the physical signs of their atavism
Different types of offenders had different stigmata
Women had fewer stigmata then men and were closer to their primitive origins

Question 9

According to Lombroso how could offenders be grouped into different categories?

Answer 9

Criminally insane
Criminals of passion
Habitual criminals
Criminaloids (passion + habitual)

Question 10

What are three types of positivists theories?

Answer 10

Functionalist theories
Learning Theories
Social Control Theories

Question 11

What are functionalist theories?

Answer 11

It argues social structure creates deviance

• Anomie theory
• Strain theory
• Differential opportunity theory
• Status frustration theory

Question 12

What are Learning theories?

Answer 12

People learn to be deviant. They are not born deviant. They associate with deviants

• Differential association theory
• Neutralization theory
• Social learning theory

Question 13

What are social control theories?

Answer 13

What restrains us from being deviant. Why do most of us conform?

• Social bonds theory
• Self-control theory

Question 14

What is the anomie theory?

Answer 14

When society changes too quickly they develop chaos and normlessness

1) A certain level of deviance is functional
- increase social solidarity
- helps determine moral boundaries
- tests society’s boundaries
- reduces social tensions
2) Beyond a certain point it is dysfunctional

Question 15

Functionalist theories defined

Answer 15

The social structure creates deviance
Core assumptions
- social structures fulfil functions
- society is based on consensus
- concern with maintaining the social order

Question 16

What is Durkheim’s Anomie?

Answer 16

Social solidarity is essential
Without norms, society functions poorly
Rapid change = solidarity breakdown
Social isolation is great, society loses its traditional social control mechanisms
Two factors influence suicide: 1) integration 2) regulation

Question 17

What is anomic suicide?

Answer 17

Society justifies the social order –> each person has appropriate needs/ desires for their class -> low suicide rates

Society that no longer justifies social order–> no restraints upon peoples aspirations and desires –> high suicide rates

Question 18

How does integration effect suicide rates?

Answer 18

Integration is the degree to which a person feels apart of a community
Increase integration = lots of value given to human existence = low suicide
Decrease integration = low value given to human life, lack of collective = high suicide rates

Question 19

How does regulation effect suicide rates?

Answer 19

Regulation is the degree to which a person’s actions are controlled by society
Not acting out= regulation
Don’t want people to feel oppressed or to feel like free for all

Question 20

What is egoistic suicide?

Answer 20

Society with high integration –> High value to life –> low suicide rates
Society with low integration –> low value to life –> high suicide rates
Excessive individualism. Detachment from society will result in detachment from oneself

Question 21

What is altruistic suicide?

Answer 21

When society is too regulated
Committed for the benefit of others. Self-sacrifice during war.
Primary consideration is others lives

Question 22

What is fatalistic suicide?

Answer 22

Too much regulation in society. Too much oppression. exessive oppression
People feel doomed by their fate

Question 23

What is Merton’s Anomie and strain theories?

Answer 23

Institutionalized goals + legitimate means
Anomie= dysfunction between goals and means
- goals are more important than means
- deinstitutionalization of the means
- relative deprivation
Strain = normative social order creates unequal access to legitimate means

Question 24

What is the gap between aspirations and means?

Answer 24

Culturally prescribed aspirations are defined by culture and transmitted to members of the society
Legitimate means of achieving the aspirations are socially constructed
Specific Individuals are anomic (micro- anomie)
Relative deprivation ( deprived compared to others)
Absolute deprivations ( can't make ends meet)

Question 25

What are Merton’s 5 models of adaptations

Answer 25

Conformity
Innovations (Reject means they are more likely to use innovation to get means - criminal)
Ritualism (don’t care to be rich or reach goals, rejects goals accept means - non-criminal)
Retreatism (drop out of society, reject goals and means - criminal)
Rebellion (against how society is structured and don’t agree with how to get there - criminal)

Question 26

What is differential opportunity theory?

Answer 26

Legitimate opportunities + illegitimate opportunities = deviance or conformity
Society is structured to create differential opportunities to illegitimate opportunities
Don’t have equal access to illegitimate opportunities

Question 27

What is status frustration theory?

Answer 27

Structure of society is reproduced in classrooms
Middle class measuring rod
Similar to strain: status frustration
Creation of delinquent subcultures

Question 28

What are learning theories?

Answer 28

People learn to be deviant
Core assumptions:
- Process of learning create deviance
- the different process identified by various learning theories

Question 29

What is differential association theory?

Answer 29

SOme learning process for deviance and conformity
Small intimate groups
Techniques and motives for deviance vs conformity
Deviacne is learned
Learn through interactions adn communications
Primary learning accrs with intimate personal groups
Behaviour deviantts learn:
- Technique of deviance
- Direction of motives, rationalizations, attitudes, that characteristics that particular form of deviance

Question 30

What is neutralization theory?

Answer 30

Deviance is rationalized by technique of neutralization
- denial of responsibility
-denial of injury
- denial/blame of the victim
-condemnation of the condemners
appealing to higher loyalites

Question 31

What is social learning theory?

Answer 31

Learning process in behaviour
Likelihood of future actions is based on
- definitions (acceptability of behaviours)
-differential association (who you hang out with)
-imitations (You see a behaviour and imitate)
-differential reinforcement (reward and punishments)

Question 32

What are social control theories?

Answer 32

Most of us are restrained from deviance.
Core assumptions:
- deviance is inherently attractive, yet most of us don’t engage in deviance
- focus attention on what causes conformity instead of what causes deviance

Question 33

What is social bond theory?

Answer 33

attachment (reference other - people we look to, to know how to act)
commitment (more you have to lose = less likely to be deviant)
involvement ( no time to be deviant)
belief (accept dominant values)

Question 34

What is social control theory?

Answer 34

Self-control restrains us from deviance
Low self-control = deviance
Self-control is determined by parenting -> early in life
- child rearing is critical
Self-control is relatively stable throughout life

Question 35

What is self-control theory?

Answer 35

5 main assumptions about deviant and/or criminal behaviour:

1) assumed to provide more IMMEDIATE gratification of desires
2) Provide easy and simple paths of gratification
3) Acts are exciting, risky, thrilling compared to conformity
4) Crime provides few long-term benefits
5) More crimes require little skill or planning