Surveillance and Deviance Flashcards
Deviance
Attitudes, behaviors, or conditions that violate social norms
Norms
Rules and expectations that guide behavior, based on values; often informal
Folkways
Informal, less serious norms (ex. customs, traditions, etiquette)
Mores
Norms that are considered very important (strongly tied to values)
Laws
Codified norms
Taboos
Extremely inappropriate norms that are never acceptable to defy (ex. incest)
Stigma
When a characteristic of an individual/group is seen as undesirable and they face negative sanction for it
Social Control
How societies influence behavior
Necessary Conditions for Deviance
1) A norm/rule exists
2) Someone violates, or is thought to violate a norm/rule
3) People judge the norm violation to be wrong
4) There is some likelihood that the audience will react negatively
Moral Panic
Temporary, but intense concern about a social issue that is perceived as a major problem, combined with hostility directed at those perceived to be the cause
Moral Entreprenuers
Individuals/groups who raise those concerns and help to create a moral panic
Labeling Theory
People become deviants by being labeled as deviants; self-fulfilling prophecy
Think about symbolic-interactionist
Opportunity Theory
Some people have more access to subcultures and resources that allow them to be deviant
Control Theory
Ties to mainstream groups and institutions make someone less likely to be deviant; weak bonds make deviance more likely
Functionalist Perspective of Deviance
Negative responses to deviance strengthen social norms and social cohesion; it ties people together
Without knowing what’s deviant, people cannot know what’s “normal”/expected. Changes over time
Social Change
Many people accept or embrace what was once considered deviant (ex. LGBT rights, clothing styles, marijuana, etc.)
Strain Theory
When there’s a mismatch between the goals individuals have and the means they have to achieve them
Robert K. Merton’s Deviance Typology
View chart
Conflict Perspective of Deviance
Rules, norms, and values that are shaped by power relations. Dominant groups define what’s deviant. They establish hegemony through a combination of force and constant. Definitions of deviance are established for dominant groups to maintain power in society
Medicalization
A problem previously considered nonmedical is now considered a medical issue (ex. identities of new illnesses and disorders). What’s “normal” becomes more narrow and what’s outside of it is deviant and should be fixed
Conformity
Individuals accepts both the socially approved goals and values that come with them. Have the means to achieve them (so they can follow norms)
Innovation
Someone shares socially approved values and goals, but rejects the means to achieve them. Use new, unapproved methods to achieve goals
Ritualism
People follow socially-approved means to success, but reject the goals
Retreatism
Reject both the socially-prescribed goals and the normative means to achieve those goals. They withdraw
Rebellion
Reject both goals and means, and try to disrupt the system
Worldview
A group that’s so homogeneous that they tend to share values and beliefs
Example: Elites assume their interests are also society’s best interests
Hegemony
A type of domination where the powerful get the consent of everyone else
Theory of Differential Association
Deviance is a learned behavior, mostly through intimate, personal contacts (friends/family)
