Lecture 1/2: The Social Construction of Deviance and Responses to Violation of Norms Flashcards
What is deviance?
A recognized violation of a social norm
Deviance is not necessarily illegal and varies across cultures and societies.
What are the 3 important qualities of deviance?
1) Socially recognized
2) Normative (this is okay and this is not okay) - established by a norm
3) Relativist (not essentialist) → it is always socially constructed. It is a relative behaviour. This does not mean that everything people do is okay. What is sanctioned and what is wrong and right is socially constructed.
What is the difference between crime and deviance?
Crime: illegal behaviour
Deviance: not necessarily illegal
Examples of deviance include cutting in line, adultery, and bullying.
What are norms?
Rules and expectations that societies use to direct people’s behaviours
Norms can vary significantly between different societies.
What is the essentialist view of deviance?
Malum in se: wrong or evil in itself
This view suggests that certain acts are inherently wrong regardless of societal context.
What is the relativist view of deviance?
Malum prohibitum: wrong because it is prohibited; unlawful by virtue of statute
This view emphasizes that what is considered deviant is socially constructed and can change over time.
Fill in the blank: Deviance is _______ socially constructed.
always
What does the term ‘socially recognized’ mean in the context of deviance?
It refers to behaviours that are acknowledged as violating social norms
Social recognition is necessary to determine what is considered deviant.
How does the relativist view of deviance vary?
1) Time dependent: It depends on the century/era we are living in, what time are we living in. Something that is deviant now in our present time might of been accepted in the past. Ie: hearing voices and prophets, child labour, smoking in classrooms.
2) Culture dependent
3) Situation dependent: ie. Eating raw fish with your hands
Examples include historical perceptions of child labour and cultural norms around marriage.
True or False: The study of deviance is dying in sociology.
True
Why should we study deviance?
- Social deviance is dead, we should focus on criminology. Why do we still need to engage in a more broad definition of deviance? We should focus on reducing and stopping crime and therefore anything else is not as important. The study of deviance is dying in sociology.
- Understanding behaviours that are not within the normal rules of things teaches us about society. Deviance is an excellent interface for learning about everything about society. Also, it is important to learn about power and power relations. Who decides what is right and wrong?
Why is it important to study deviance according to the text?
It teaches us about society and power relations
Understanding who decides what is right and wrong is crucial for social analysis.
Fill in the blank: Normative deviance means _______.
this is okay and this is not okay
Give an example of a behaviour that is considered deviant but not illegal.
Cutting in line
What does it mean for deviance to be culture dependent?
It varies based on cultural norms and values
An example is marrying a cousin, which may be acceptable in some cultures.
What is a situation dependent example of deviance?
Eating raw fish with your hands
This behaviour might be acceptable in some contexts but deviant in others.
What does Becker focus on regarding deviance?
Believes we should focus on social reaction to the “deviant” act and the definition of deviance rather than the act itself
Becker emphasizes that deviance is defined by societal reactions.
How does Becker define deviance?
- As a social construct defined by society
- Deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits but a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an “offender”
- It is a social reaction.
- Rule setting is a political action.
- People who engage in the behaviour defined as deviant are likely to have a different perspective from the one of the people who condemn it. When you are behaving in a certain way, you may not define yourself as being deviant - deviance is determined by judgment.
Becker argues that deviance is not inherent to the act but is defined by societal rules and reactions.
What is the relativist approach to deviance?
Deviance is socially constructed and defined by society (becker)
This approach suggests that definitions of deviance can vary across different societies.
What is the statistical definition of deviance?
Anything that differs from what is most common (deviation from the average).
Becker critiques this definition for being trivial (you end up with a mix bag of and not addressing rule-breaking.
What is considered deviance according to the pathology perspective?
Behaviors that threaten social order
This view sees deviance as a threat to societal stability (Dysfunction= something that threatens social stability).
What critique does Becker have regarding functionalism definition?
Determining what is healthy and functional is a political problem
* It is hard to define what is healthy and functional.
Those in power define what behaviors are deemed functional or healthy in society.
What is Costello’s stance on cultural relativism?
Cultural relativism is not productive. Believes relativist approach is useless to us
Costello believes that a general definition of deviance should/does exist.
According to Costello, how should deviance be defined?
- Based on the amount of harm caused (believes deviance should focus on crime and victims)
- Ignores implicit bias.
- People assume a lot of cultural variation that creates different standards for different societies but this is not empirically shown.
She argues that harmful behaviors should be the focus when defining deviance.