Week 3: Readings Flashcards
What is Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)?
Abuse or violence occurring between intimate partners, regardless of gender or marital status.
What does the biological perspective emphasize in relation to IPV?
The role of genetic, neurological, and physiological factors in influencing aggressive behaviour.
What is a significant biological factor associated with impaired impulse control in IPV perpetrators?
Head injuries.
Evidence suggests that head injuries may impair impulse control, leading to agressive behavuour
What neurotransmitter is linked to increased aggression when levels are lower?
Serotonin.
What percentage of aggression variance is attributed to genetic factors according to twin studies?
15–25%.
True or False: Personality disorders are rarely associated with IPV perpetrators.
False.
What psychological condition is most commonly linked to IPV perpetrators?
Borderline personality disorder.
Fill in the blank: Low self-esteem may drive violent partners to perpetrate IPV as a coping mechanism for feelings of _______.
inferiority.
What does attachment theory suggest about IPV?
IPV may result from disturbed relational patterns formed in early life.
How are anger and hostility related to IPV?
They are significant predictors of IPV.
What is a limitation of the biological explanations for IPV?
They fail to consider societal and cultural factors.
What is the relationship between substance abuse and IPV?
A complex, possibly reciprocal relationship.
What interdisciplinary approach is recommended for understanding IPV?
Integrating biological, psychological, social, and ecological factors.
What is a critique of existing studies on IPV?
Sample bias, often focusing on court-referred individuals.
True or False: IPV is a global issue affecting all cultures and demographics.
True.
What key role do societal and cultural factors play in IPV dynamics?
Shaping IPV through structural inequalities and gender norms.
What do the authors advocate for in terms of future research on IPV?
Longitudinal studies and diverse populations.
What is the role of communication skills in IPV?
Deficiencies are common in IPV perpetrators.
Fill in the blank: The article highlights how IPV has transitioned from terms like ‘wife beating’ to _______.
intimate partner violence.
What is the significance of head injuries in the biological explanation of IPV?
They can impair impulse control and increase aggression.
How does serotonin influence aggression?
Higher levels are linked to reduced aggression.
What therapies may help mitigate IPV according to the findings?
Therapies addressing attachment issues, anger management, and communication skills.
What is a suggested practical application for addressing biological factors in IPV?
Advances in genetic research and treatment for brain injuries.
What does Daryl J. Bem’s Exotic Becomes Erotic (EBE) theory propose?
A developmental framework for understanding the emergence of sexual orientation
The theory integrates biological, psychological, and cultural factors.
What are the two dominant perspectives that EBE theory bridges?
- Biological Essentialism
- Social Constructionism
What is Biological Essentialism?
The view that sexual orientation is hardwired through genes, prenatal hormones, or brain structure.
What is Social Constructionism?
The argument that sexual orientation is a product of cultural and societal influences.
What is the first stage of the EBE model?
Biological Variables (A) - Genetic, prenatal, and neuroanatomical factors shape a child’s temperaments, such as aggression or activity levels. These temperaments do not determine sexual orientation directly but influence childhood behaviours and preferences.
Genetic, prenatal, and neuroanatomical factors shape a child’s temperaments.
How do childhood temperaments influence sexual orientation according to the EBE model?
They affect activity preferences, leading children to gravitate toward gender-typical or atypical activities and peers.
What characterizes Gender-Conforming Children in the EBE model?
Prefer same-sex peers and gender-typical activities.
What characterizes Gender-Nonconforming Children in the EBE model?
Prefer opposite-sex peers and activities, perceiving same-sex peers as different or unfamiliar.
What does the term ‘Feelings of Exoticism’ refer to in the EBE theory?
Children perceive peers from whom they feel different as ‘exotic,’ triggering autonomic arousal.
What happens to the arousal elicited by exotic peers during adolescence according to the EBE model?
It transforms into romantic or sexual attraction.
- Gender-conforming children develop heterosexual attractions to opposite-sex peers.
- Gender-nonconforming children develop same-sex attractions.
What percentage of gay men and lesbians reported feeling different from their same-sex peers during childhood in the San Francisco study?
Over 70%
Compared to less than 40% of heterosexual participants.
What is the Opponent Process Theory as it relates to the EBE model?
Negative emotions toward same-sex peers may transform into positive feelings over time.
What is Imprinting in the context of the EBE theory?
Early exposure to exotic peers ‘locks in’ preferences that influence later romantic or sexual attraction.
What do gender-polarizing cultures emphasize according to the EBE theory?
Male-female differences, reinforcing heterosexuality as the modal outcome.
What is a critique of Biological Determinism in relation to sexual orientation?
Bem argues that sexual orientation is not directly coded in genes or determined by prenatal hormones.
What is a key finding regarding childhood gender nonconformity?
It strongly predicts adult sexual orientation.
True or False: Experience-Based Theories like Freud’s psychoanalytic account have strong empirical support.
False
What can provoke heightened emotional responses in the EBE model?
Novel or unfamiliar stimuli.
What is the modal outcome for sexual orientation in most children according to the EBE theory?
Heterosexuality.
What areas require further empirical testing according to the EBE theory’s implications?
- Transformation of autonomic arousal into erotic attraction
- Gender-nonconforming girls’ pathways to sexual orientation
- Cross-cultural applications
What does the EBE theory emphasize regarding childhood experiences?
Experiences of exoticism provide a lens for understanding the complexities of human attraction and identity.
What is the main focus of Kai T. Erikson’s Wayward Puritans?
The sociology of deviance through the analysis of 17th-century Puritan society in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Erikson explores how deviance is shaped by community values, norms, and moral boundaries.
How does Erikson define deviance?
As a social construct shaped by the values, norms, and moral boundaries of a community
Deviance is not an intrinsic quality of certain behaviors.
What role does deviance play in community identity according to Erikson?
It helps define and maintain community identity, facilitating social cohesion and adaptation to change.
What is the significance of moral boundaries in Erikson’s analysis?
They distinguish acceptable from unacceptable behavior and enable the community to define itself.
True or False: According to Durkheim, deviance is a natural and harmful part of social life.
False
Durkheim suggests that deviance is a natural and beneficial part of social life.
List the three functional roles of deviance as proposed by Erikson.
- Boundary Maintenance
- Social Cohesion
- Adaptation and Change
What event exemplified the Antinomian Controversy in Puritan society?
Anne Hutchinson’s theological dissent, which challenged the authority of the Puritan clergy.
What does Quaker Persecution illustrate in the context of deviance?
How deviance is defined by the perceived challenge it poses to institutional authority.
What societal fears led to the Salem Witch Trials?
Collective fears and social anxieties in Puritan society.
What is the role of institutions in defining and regulating deviance?
Religious, legal, and political institutions work together to enforce moral boundaries and ensure conformity.
Fill in the blank: Punishments in Puritan society were highly _______.
symbolic
What broader implications does Erikson’s analysis of deviance have?
It offers a universal framework for understanding deviance, highlighting its necessity for social order.
What are ‘Public Rituals of Punishment’?
Symbolic acts, such as trials and executions, that reaffirm community values and moral boundaries.
What does ‘Boundary Maintenance’ refer to?
The process by which communities clarify and reinforce their moral boundaries through responses to deviance.
What is the ‘Social Construct’ concept in relation to deviance?
The idea that deviance is defined by societal reactions and context, rather than being inherent in specific actions.
What are the ‘Salem Witch Trials’ known for?
A series of trials and executions that highlighted deviance as a response to societal fears and anxieties.
What does the term ‘Institutions as Guardians of Morality’ imply?
Religious and legal systems that define and regulate deviance to uphold social order.
What does Merton’s Social Structure and Anomie explore?
The relationship between cultural goals, institutionalized means, and deviant behaviour
What are cultural goals?
Societal values and aspirations that define success, such as material wealth or social status
Define institutionalized means.
Socially accepted and regulated methods for achieving cultural goals, such as education, employment, or hard work
What occurs when there is a disconnect between cultural goals and institutionalized means?
Anomie
What is anomie?
A state of normlessness or social instability resulting from the disconnect between cultural goals and institutionalized means
What are the five modes of adaptation outlined by Merton?
- Conformity
- Innovation
- Ritualism
- Retreatism
- Rebellion
What is conformity in Merton’s modes of adaptation?
Acceptance of both societal goals and approved methods
Define innovation as a mode of adaptation.
Acceptance of societal goals but rejection of legitimate means, leading to deviant behaviour such as crime or fraud
What does ritualism entail in Merton’s theory?
Abandonment of societal goals while rigidly adhering to institutionalized means
What is retreatism?
Rejection of both goals and means, resulting in withdrawal from societal participation
What does rebellion involve?
Rejection of existing goals and means and the substitution of new ones to establish a new social order
How does Merton explain the structural causes of deviance?
Deviance is structurally induced by societal emphasis on wealth and success, which pressures individuals to use illegitimate means
What role do economic and social inequalities play in Merton’s theory?
Class disparities exacerbate strain, increasing likelihood of adopting deviant adaptations
What societal ideology is critiqued in Merton’s analysis?
The American Dream
What is the American Dream according to Merton?
A cultural ideal emphasizing individual success and upward mobility, often critiqued for its unrealistic universality given systemic inequalities
True or False: Merton views deviance as an inherent flaw in individuals.
False
What does Merton suggest about deviance?
Deviance is a logical response to societal pressures rather than an inherent flaw in individuals
What implications does Merton’s strain theory have for policy?
Applications include understanding crime, social inequality, and interventions aimed at reducing strain
Fill in the blank: Anomie is a state of _______ or social instability resulting from the disconnect between cultural goals and institutionalized means.
normlessness
What is the tension or pressure individuals feel when unable to achieve societal goals through legitimate means called?
Strain
What does the term deviance refer to?
Behaviour that violates societal norms, arising as a response to strain and anomie
What is structural inequality?
Systemic disparities in access to resources and opportunities that create strain for disadvantaged groups
What does Merton mean by institutional critique?
Analysis of how societal structures contribute to deviance by creating unequal access to legitimate opportunities
What is Durkheim’s view on crime?
- Durkheim argues that crime is normal because it is part of all societies. Crime makes important contributions to the operation of a social system.
- A society exempt from crime is not possible.
- To make progress, individual originality must be able to express itself.
- Where crime exists, collective sentiments are sufficiently flexible to take on a new form and crime sometimes helps to determine the form they will take.
