Social Construction of Deviance

Question 1

Social problem

Answer 1

A social condition or pattern of behaviour that people believe warrants public concern and collective action to bring about a change

Question 2

In order to suggest that something is a social problem, a

Answer 2

claim has to be made to ensure society sees it as problematic = social concern.
No claim/concern = nothing changes because it will never be considered deviant therefore never considered a social problem

Question 3

Claims making

Answer 3

The process of trying to convince the public of the importance of a social issue or social movement

Question 4

What causes claims making to be successful?

Answer 4

• Proximity to the problem
• Scope of the problem
• Severity of the problem
• Frequency of occurrence

Question 5

ALL claims are

Answer 5

socially constructed

Question 6

Three different sources of knowledge:

Answer 6

Official statistics, unofficial data, and the media

Question 7

Media plays a significant role in shaping public attitudes toward youth crime through

Answer 7

Moral panic and folk devils

Question 8

Moral panic

Answer 8

Exaggerated fears about social problems, including youth deviance, partly generated by the media

Question 9

Folk devils

Answer 9

Any group that is unjustifiably perceived to pose a threat to the traditional values and institutions of society

Question 10

Skepticism about accuracy and usefulness of information on youth crime and justice is derived from

Answer 10

the media

Question 11

Moral entrepreneurs

Answer 11

Those who attempt to convince society that rules are needed around a certain issue

• Define a threat based on moral grounds
• Engage in claims making activities to convince people of the potential harm

Question 12

Stanley Cohen: coin the term “moral panic”

Answer 12

Moral panics are based on perceptions, rather than the alleged reality of a problem

Question 13

Implicit in the creation of moral panic are:

Answer 13

• Mass media
• Public
• Politicians
• Law enforcement

Question 14

Social construction of a social problem

Answer 14

• Involves the creation of harm or injury
• Placing responsibility on an individual or group
• Someone must have the power to have a social problem recognized as such
• Used as a control device
• Involves the creation of a victim

Question 15

Social construction of a victim

Answer 15

The social construction of a problem needs a victim, this is an interactive process

• Emphasis on wrongful
• Creation of victim occurs simultaneously with the creation of an offender
• With an identifiable victim, it is much easier to sell the idea of a social problem