intro to crime and deviance Flashcards
what is crime?
an act which breaks the law and is subject to official punishment.
what is deviance?
an act which breaks social norms, may or may not be criminal
what is delinquency?
acts which are criminal or considered antisocial committed by young people.
proof that deviance is socially constructed?
varies over time - homosexuality.
varies by place - polygamous marriages.
society and attitudes.
situational - screaming at football match.
what is situational deviance?
subcultures develop norms that may be odd to mainstream culture but acceptable to them. eg white face paint on goths.
an example where deviance is rewarded?
soldiers receiving medals even though they’re killing someone.
why are murderers punished unlike soldiers who are rewarded?
because soldiers are conforming to value of bravery whereas murderers are deviating from value of human life.
what are the 5 types of punishment and what are they?
retribution - punishment.
deterrance - aims to put future criminals off, fear of getting same punishment.
rehabilitation - prevent future crime by changing behaviour.
incapacitation - remove person from society.
restoration - offender makes direct amends to victim.
what methods of punishment would functionalists favour?
retribution, deterrance and incapacitation.
what methods of punishments would marxists and interpretivists favour?
restoration, rehabilitation.
what is social control?
various methods used to make sure people obey social norms and values, such as positive and negative sanctions.
what leads to social conformity?
socialisation and social control.
what is formal social control?
carried out by agency specifically set up to ensure people conform to set of norms eg the law.
examples of formal social control?
police, courts, prisons.
what is informal social control?
carried out by agencies whose primary purpose is not social control.
examples of informal social control?
family, education, media (advertising can lead to conformity in gender roles and reporting consequences of norm breaking), workplace, peer group (fear of rejection)
two main approaches explaining deviant behaviour?
biological - suggest deviants born with defect.
psychological - suggest smth wrong with mind rather than body eg mental imbalance.
what did Lombroso argue about criminals?
throwbacks to primitive humans. physical signs such as big ears and large jaws.
no support for this.
what do Moir and Jessel argue about criminals?
low IQ is inherited and leads to impulsivity.
also caused by low levels of serotonin.
men more likely to commit crime.
criticisms of biological theories?
impulsivity doesn’t = criminal
explains changes in behaviour but doesn’t actually explain crime.
what does Eysenck argue about criminals?
extroverts more likely to commit crime as they seek adventure and harder to condition.
what doe Bowlby argue about criminals?
children need mother or psychopathic personality develops.
criticisms of psychological theories?
neglect social and cultural factors - values are learnt not genetically determined.
most sociologists reject priority given to early childhood experiences.
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