Lecture 5 - Deviance & Social Control

Question 1

What is Deviance? (Statistical terms)

Answer 1

Rare or infrequent behaviour (outside of the norm)

Question 2

What is Deviance? (Rarity terms)

Answer 2

Obscures distinctions between people who exceed and people who fall short of certain expectations

Question 3

What is Deviance? (Harmful terms)

Answer 3

Although many people labelled as deviant cause harm, many do not

Question 4

Is Deviance criminal or illegal?

Answer 4

Deviance need not be criminal or illegal, and crime may not be deviant.

Question 5

Enforcing Laws is a form of ….

Answer 5

Social Control

Question 6

What is Social Control?

Answer 6

The ways in which individuals, groups and institutions express their disapproval of people and behaviours.
- Intended to produce conformity and compliance with rules, norms, laws.

Question 7

What is a Zombie Law?

Answer 7

Laws that are in the criminal code, but are not enforced

Question 8

How do Sociologists view Law?

Answer 8

Law only exists as a process

• it has to be mobilized by actors, or brought into existence each time it is needed.
• law enforcement always involves the discretion of actors

Question 9

What is Socio-Legal Studies?

Answer 9

Less interested in what law is, more interested in how law works - as a part of society

Question 10

What is Learning from the Mundane?

Answer 10

Learning how law shapes our everyday life, why people engage with the law, what happens when they do

Question 11

How do scholars of law and society see law?

Answer 11

Law is a resource for actors

Question 12

What is the Strain Theory? (Merton)

Answer 12

Deviance as the result of strain caused by mal-integration of cultural and social structures of societies
- lack of fit between the cultural goals that people are encouraged to seek and the means available to achieve these goals

Question 13

Why was Merton’s Strain Theory criticized?

Answer 13

He assumed reliability of official statistics and failure to account for middle-class and upper-class crime and deviance

Question 14

What is Strain Theory (Agnew)

Answer 14

Looks at other kinds of strain, such as negative conditions (like abuse), or the loss of something that is valued
- broader understanding of strain

Question 15

What is the Cultural Support Theory?

Answer 15

Considers how cultural beliefs create and sustain deviant behaviour

• learning specific drives, motives, attitudes
• deviant behaviour is acceptable when supported by a group’s cultural values

Question 16

What is Control Theory

Answer 16

Humans beings are neither good nor evil, but are born with the capacity to do wrong

• no special motivation is needed to explain deviance
• it is conformity, not deviance, that needs to be explained - why don’y we all commit deviance?

Question 17

What was Travis Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory?

Answer 17

Individuals are more likely to turn to illegitimate means if their bonds to society are weak or broken

Question 18

What are the 4 aspects of Travis Hirschi & The Social Bond?

Answer 18

Attachment
Commitment
Involvement
Belief

Question 19

What is the Transactional Character of Deviance?

Answer 19

Attention should be directed to situations rather than individuals

• murder is a result of situations in which people feel offended and turn to violence
• driving force is emotional rather than rational

Question 20

What is Conservative Conflict Theory:

Answer 20

Social conflict surrounding moral conduct comes from many different sources
- Various ethnic, religious, professional, lifestyle and cultural groups pursue their social interests and come into conflict with others

Question 21

What is Radical/Marxist Conflict Theory?

Answer 21

The social construction of deviance reflects economic realities of capitalism including class exploitation

Question 22

What is Primary and Secondary Deviation

Answer 22

Crime Committed –> labelling process –> possibility of contributing more crimes

Question 23

What is Master Status?

Answer 23

Trumps all other status considerations. Someone’s criminality can become their defining primary characteristic, overriding all others in importance

Question 24

What is Stignma?

Answer 24

Disapproval of a person or group on the basis of some trait that can be perceived or understood to distinguish them from other members of a society
- sex offender

Question 25

How do Social Constructionists view Deviance?

Answer 25

Social constructionists believe it is best to study how behaviours and people come to be considered deviant (discourse of social control)
- Actions are not inherently deviant

Question 26

What is Negative and Positive Eugenics?

Answer 26

Eliminate bad traits and keep good traits by encouraging reproduction