What is deviance? Flashcards
What does “there is no acts that are condemned everywhere, yet the condemnation of some acts are universal…” mean?
No consensus that tells us what is deviant all the time.
Deviance does not occur within a social vacuum
Deviance relies on social context
What is deviance?
A person, behaviour or characteristic that is socially typed as deviant and subjected to measure of social control
= deviating from a social norm
What is conformity?
Behaviour that is in accordance with social norms because of agreement with social values or fears of sanctions
What are the types of deviance?
Positive
- intentional behaviours that depart from the norm of a referent group in honourable ways
Negative
- Violates situational expectations
What are social norms?
Expectations of conduct in particular situations
Norm violations usually result in sanctions or reactions
Social norms vary significantly
Proscriptive (what not to do)
Prescriptive (what to do)
What do social norms change based on?
Location Neighbourhood Ethnicity Religion Age Power, position and status SES Level of relationship Profession
What is social role?
Collection of norms that together convey expectations about appropriate conduct for persons in a particular position
What is the objective-subjective continuum?
Objective
- Absolute moral order
- Deviant act is focused on
- Some behaviours are always wrong
- religion
Subjective
- Radical constructionism
- Perceptions to deviance and reaction to deviance
- Everything is fluid
What is the objective definition?
Deviance has a common characteristic. Something identifiable
Has a definition for deviance
What is the subjective definition?
No common characteristic
(no gene or behaviour is deviant, deviance is learned)
Someone must tell us what deviance is
What are four parts of objectivism?
Statistical rarity
Harm
Societal reactions
Normative violations
What is statistical rarity?
If it doesn't happen often it is deviant Limitations: - Criteria for rare is ambiguous - Common things may be unacceptable - rare things are accepted - Hidden but not rare (cheating or illegal drug use)
What is harm?
Deviance is specifically harmful Can be directed at a person or society Physical or emotional harm Limitations - Perceptions of harm vary over time - Perceptions of harm are subjective - Some types of deviance less harmful than non-deviant behaviours - Perceptions of harm are largely exaggerated
What are societal reactions?
Types of responses: 1) negative 2) tolerant 3) Denial 4) Romanticization or demonization Limitations: whos reactions count the most? people may still be deviantized when society reacts positively
What is normative violation?
Absolutist view of norms
- Behaviour or characteristic is inherently and universally deviant
- Some norms should be followed in all cultures all the time
- Absolute moral order
Culturally specific views of norms
- Norms are culturally specific
- not an absolutist moral order
