Test 3 Flashcards
Deviance
Behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society
Crime
A violoation of a criminal law for which some government authority applies formal penalties
Social Problem
Social Conditions which public or government agencies evaluate negatively and wish to change
Stigma
- labels society uses to devalue members of certain social groups
- Erving Goffman
Social Control
The techniques and strategies for preventing devinat human behavior in any society
4 Major Points of Debate with Best’s and Luckenbill’s definition of deviance
- Deviance refers to behavior, not merely any condition that makes a person discreditable
- Deviance is an UNACCEPTABLE violation of social norms
- Deviance violates MAJOR social norms (Mores, not Folkways)
- Deviance makes the offender elegible for NEGATIVE REACTIONS by social control agents (eg. Police, Teacher)
4 Levels of Explaining Deviance
- Classical
- Biological
- Psychological
- Sociological
Classical
View that deviance is a matter of personal, rational choice
Commits crime because they want to commit crime
Utilitarianism - Beccaria and Bentham
People act in ways that are useful, purposeful, and reasonable
4 Key Elements of the Classical Model
- The deviant has the “free will” to choose deviant or conforming behaviors
- Deviant solutions are chosen over conventional solutions when deviancy requires less work for a greater payoff
- A person’s choice of a deviant solution can be controller by fear of society’s reaction to such acts - punishment!
- The more severe, certain, and swift the reaction, the better it can control deviance
Determinism
The use of the scientific method to discover the biological, psychological, or social forces behind human behavior
Biological
Focuses on the physial structures or psysiological process of individuals
Lombroso
Atavism
Sheldon
Body types:
- Ectomorph
- Mesomorph
- Endomorph
XYY Theory
Rapist - extra Y
Twinkie Defence
******
Psychological Explanations
Focus on the structure and processes of the individual’s psyche as an explanation for deviance
Containment Theory - Peckless and Dinite
Psych based theory
Personality Factors - Mental Illness
Sociological Theory
Do not look for sources of deviance within the individual but rather view deviance as a social product
Structural Functionalist’s sociological explanations
View deviance as a “normal” part of society which performs a function OR view deviance dysfunction
4 Functions of Deviance – Durkheim
- Deviance affirms cultural values and norms.
- Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries.
- Responding to deviance promotes social unity.
- Deviance encourages social change.
Merton’s Strain Theory
5 Modes of Adaptaion
Mode Goals Means
- Conformity + +
- Innovation + -
- Ritualism - +
- Retreatism - -
- Rebellion - -
Social Conflict Theory on Sociological Theory
Emphasize that who and what is considered deviant is based largely on the relative power of categories of people
Deviance=Powerlessness
3 Propositions
- The norms of any society generally reflect the interests of the rich and powerful
- “The Golden Rule” - Rules made by powerful (w/ gold) - The powerful have the resources to resist deviant labels.
- There is widespread belief that the norms and laws are natural and good masks their political character