Readings Flashcards
Miller - Is deviance dead? (week 1)
Key points
- examines decline of the sociology of deviance
- post 1975 there is a decline - many prominent scholars of deviance now conduct research in crimonology
- failed to generate a core set of general theories
- theories were largely relativist (context/situation dependent)
Goode - “Does the Death of the sociology of deviance claim make sense?” (week 1) key points
- claims that despite lack of theoretical innovation, still an important academic enterprise with ongoing production
- argues Sumner’s claim is not about death of the field - but its function as he believed it emerged as an ideological tool of the elite to establish social control
-argues that crimonology has a natural overlap with sociology of deviance (they are both focused on formal/informal breaks from the social norms) - divide between positivist/constructionist approach in the field
Howard Becker - “Outsiders” (week 2) key points
- deviance is socially constructed - social groups create rules and those who break them are labelled “outsiders”
- criticizes scientific definitions of deviance (anything that deviates from the average) pathological view of deviance (labelling as a disease) functionalist view (every behaviour must serve a function to society)
- examines power structures - who enforces rules?
- deviance emerges from reactions to acts
Costello - “Cultural relativism and the study of deviance” (week 2) key points
- deviance relies too heavily on assumption of cultural relativism
- not sufficient empirical evidence to prove a change in values
- cultures’ moral codes rely on harm
- less variation in attitude to acts that have clear victims (extramarital sex) whereas homosexuality has more plural views because less negative consequences
- harm is key to accessing deviance
Goffman - “The presentation of the Self in Everyday Life” (week 2) key points
Impression management:
individuals are always engaged with impression management/presenting themselves in a way that creates a favourable impression to others
- clothes, accessories, settings etc
- dramaturgical analysis: daily interactions as theatre show
masks for specific situations
- acting is necessary for our social lives (we want to have a good image of the self as well)
Front stage: Actions that are visible to the audience and are part of the performance
Backstage: Our behaviors when no audience is present
Cynical role playing: when actors are aware they play a role
Naive role playing: when actors identify with the role and forget that they are playing
- most often we are naive (unaware we are engaging in impression management)
- How we maintain social control/uphold norms
Kate Fox - “Watching the English: the hidden rules of social behaviour” (week 2) key points
- unwritten rules govern everyday behaviour
- social rules/cultural norms govern how to interact in English society (for example “weather-talk” to agree upon weather outwardly)
- bonding rituals through agreement
- gender differences: women offer compliments whereas men engage in competitions
- adapt after being aware of norms
ThornHill/Palmer - “Why Men Rape?” (week 3) key points
- rape has sexual/evolutionary aspect
- natural/biological phenomenon
- Rape would be most common among men of lower status, who cannot ensure the dissemination of their gene pool in more legitimate way
- men develop strategies to get women - rape evolves from these strategies as key targets are women of reproductive age and more likely to commit when access to sex is limited
- Most rape victims are not killed after the act – shows that maybe there is an intention of reproduction
- Young women suffer more as a result of rape, and also married women suffer more à choice of reproduction is taken away, sign of infidelity
- against socio-cultural explanations
Rocque, Welsh, Raine - “Biosocial crimonology and modern crime prevention”
- Biological Crime does not need to be reductionist based on problematic past (eugenics)
- target developmental stage (body + environment to reduce crime)
- poor environments lead to negative effects on cognitive functions
- biological factors can be reincorporated in a positive way
Gao - “Association of Poor Childhood Fear Conditioning” (Week 3)
- relationship established between poor fear conditioning in early childhood and likeliness to recommit crimes in adulthood
- brain functions can contribute to criminal behaviour (from childhood to adult)
Kollaa, Bortolato - “Role of monoamine oxidase A: a tale of mice and men.” (week 3)
- key gene for aggression is MAOA
- human aggression is an adaptive response (why violence occurs?)
- animal models help us understand human neurochemical processes
Reactive aggression: impulsive in response to perceived threat
Proactive aggression: pre-meditated/goal-oriented - Many people with high levels of MAO-A are violent, but growing up in a violent environment is a much stronger predictor than having MAOA
Ali, Naylor - “Intimate Partner Violence: A Narrative Review” (week 4)
- attempt to understand what causes IPV
Biological reasons: Head injuries, testosterone/seratonin, genetics
Physiological: mental health, attachment theory (needs not met in childhood), self-esteem issues, communication skills, substance abuse. - not conclusive - more research is needed
Martin - “Examining relationship between impulsivity aggression and recidivism” (week 4)
- inmates with antisocial personality disorder and impulsive aggression - related to number of times in jail (recidivism)
- impulsivity is a predisposition to unplanned reactions to stimuli
- ASDP is linked to impulsivity - more likely to recommit crime if inmates have ASPD and are impacted by impulsivity than those that are not
Bem - “exotic becomes erotic” (week 4)
- developmental theory why gays exist
- childhood temperaments (gender-conforming behaviour) are predictors of homosexuality
- dissimilar partners lead to arousal for erotic
- homosexuality is not biologically explained
Durkheim - “The functions of crime” (week 5) key points
- Durkheim argued that crime serves a necessary function
- helping to reinforce social norms and maintain social order.
- crime acts as a boundary marker, defining what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior within a society
- crime contributes to social cohesion by reinforcing collective conscience
- By punishing offenders, society reaffirms its values and strengthens the shared sense of right and wrong.
- crime can act as a catalyst for social change - lead to progress/evolution
Merton - “Social structure and anomie” (week 5) key points
- disconnect between culturally defined goals and institutionalized means
- no equally way to achieve success creating strain which leads to deviant behaviours
- deviance is rooted in social/cultural practices
innovation/ritualism/retreatism/rebellion
