Who created functionalism?
Emile Durkheim
Who created social control theory?
Travis Hirschi
Who created the Interactionist theory?
Howard S. Becker
Who created positive deviance?
Druann Heckert
Who created moral panic?
Stan Cohen
Define Deviance
describes a person or an action that deviates from a society's understood and accepted standards of behaviour.
Define formal deviance
is the violation of formally enacted laws (crimes) and is referred to as formal deviance eg Timo selling drugs
Deviance as a relative concept
•What is seen as deviant is socially constructed, because this will change over - depending on the particular values and norms that are predominant at a particular TIME and PLACE.
Moral Panic
A moral Panic is an intense emotional reaction from society to an issue that is perceived as a threat to social order
Folk devils
A person or group of people who are portrayed as outsiders/deviant, and who are blamed for crimes or other sorts of social problems.
moral entrepreneurs
An individual, group or formal organisation that seeks to influence a group to adopt/maintain a norm.
Deviance amplification
A media hype phenomenon defined as a cycle of increasing number of reports on a category of antisocial behaviour or some other 'undesirable' event, leading to a moral panic.
Emile Durkheims four roles of deviance
affirming society's cultural norms and valuesclarification of a society's moral boundariesthe unification of others in societyencouraging social change
definition of social control
Societys way of ensuring conformity by employing methods that focus on regulating or changing behaviour
Attachment
-People who feel a strong attachment to others (family, friends) are less likely to be deviant;-If people have weak relationships, they feel less need to conform to the other person's or group's norms. They are more likely to commit a deviant act.
Commitment
Individuals who have a commitment to goals are more likely to conform to society's norms.
Involvement
The more involved people are with legitimate activities, the less likely they are to deviate from appropriate behavior.
belief
Sharing the same morals, ethics and values helps to minimise deviancy.An individual who shares the same values as the dominant society, such as respect for authority, or the importance of hard work, is less likely to commit deviance. vice verse
Define Sanction
Societys reaction to deviant behaviours; they can be positive or negative. Positive reactions reward behaviours that adhere to social norms, while negative reactions aim to discourage behaviours by punishing them.
interactionist thoery and process of labelling
Focus is on how a deviant comes to be identified, defined and labelled by society, how this is dealt with through sanctions and social control. Argues that what is considered deviant is determined not so much by the behaviours themselves or the people who commit them, but by the reactions of others to these behaviours.
The process of labelling
•Consequences of labelling on an individual or group can be quite serious as these labels can led to further deviance•Example - a person who has been labelled a criminal may not be able to shake off this perception, may engage in additional deviant behaviour that reinforces this label.
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Refers to a person deciding to further engage in a deviant behaviour that reinforces and fulfils the label given to them
Strengths of interactionist theory
•Assumption that no act is intrinsically (naturally) deviant•Can be used to explain the disproportionate incidence of deviancy across social classes, as powerful members of society are in a position to apply labels.
Weaknesses of interactionist theory
•It is a relative theory, some acts may be labelled differently depending on who is reacting to it.•Fails to recognise examples of widespread condemnation such as incest and murder, regardless of who performs or reacts to it•Fails to address individuals who deviate from social norms and are not caught
Positive Deviance
argues that deviance traditionally focuses on negative acts - crime and criminals - and ignores positive acts, which can also be seen as deviant.
Altruism
-Actions performed to help a person or a group-Done voluntarily, without reward or acknowledgement-Purely to benefit others-EG. Saints and self-sacrificing heroes like Fred Hollows.
Charisma
-A person who has unique personal characteristics that set them apart from the 'everyday' person.-Natural leaders - highly regarded by supporters/followers-Eg. Martin Lurther King, a leader of the civil rights move in the US
innovation
-Refers to ideas and/or creations that alter society in some way - either by modifying or producing something new.-EG. Steve Jobs influenced technology (iPhone and iPad)
supra-conformity
-A person performs beyond the normal expectations set by a society and culture to the point of an idealised level.-EG. Serena Williams in tennis.
innate characteristics
-Possessing natural traits such as intelligence, beauty or talent.-These characteristics are assessed by society and culture.-not universal-EG. Australian model Megan Gale found it difficult to break into the modelling industry because she did not represent the "ideal" standard in Australian/American media. However, she was embraced in Italy and her career flourished there. She became and internationally recognised model after that.
Potenitial for a new type - the ex-deviant
oViews the list and types of positive deviance as evolving.oSees those who have transcended a criminal deviant identity and label, and have replaced it with a new role that is no longer criminal and deviant (in a negative way) as an ce-deviant-process is Destigmatisation
Devinace
describes a person or an action that deviates from a society's understood and accepted standards of behaviour.
Formal Deviance
◦involves violations of informal social norms (norms that have not been codified into law) and is referred to as informal deviance.e.g Jay shooting Pope in the head
Informal Deviance
is the violation of formally enacted laws (crimes) and is referred to as formal deviance.e.g jay not washing his hands after using the bathroom.
the relationship between social norms and deviance
A certain act or behaviour may be viewed as deviant and receive sanctions or punishments within one society and be seen as a normal behaviour in another society.
Functionalist Theory
-Central idea is that society is a complex unit, made up of interrelated parts.-Durkheim argued that deviance is a normal and necessary part of any society because it contributes to the social order. He identified four specific functions that deviance fulfills
Social control and restraints
-Inner- relate to a person's interpersonal relationships, like their family, school and community.-Outer- relate to a person's environment, like their community and political and legal structures
social control
way to promote conformity to norms
conformity to social norms
-depends on the presence of strong bonds between individuals and society; if bonds are weak, deviance occurs; social bonds therefore control the behaviour of people;
Direct social control
-Rewards for conformity and punishment for deviancy.-E.g. Rewards for only having one child i.e. extra salary
indirect social control
- Desire to please others, so deviancy is avoided as a means of preventing disappointing families or allies.-E.g. Wanted to not be a disgrace to their families and community by having more than one child
Apply the process of labelling to representations, general and specific examples from films studied in class
was picked on by being called 'freshman' (freshmeat)
going against self fufilling prophecy
Timo cruz attended Humboldt state University where he became a starting guard. he went against the self fulfilling prophecy
consequences of labelling
The consequences of labelling on an individual or group can be quite serious and lead to further deviance. For example, a person who has been labelled a criminal or addict may not be able to shake off this perception and even begin to embody this expectation - leading to further deviance.
five key stages of moral panic
- Someone, something, or a group are defined as a threat to social norms or community interests- The threat is then depicted in a simple and recognizable symbol/form by the media- The portrayal of this symbol rouses public concern- There is a response from authorities and policy makers- The moral panic over the issue results in social changes within the community
Moral Panic making groups deviant
HIV/AIDS•In the 1980's a moral panic was created in the media over HIV/AIDS. The famous iceberg advertisement ( by the British government clearly hinted that there was a lot more to HIV/AIDS than the public could possibly know about with the vast bulk hidden from view. Some media outlets nicknamed HIV/AIDS the 'gay plague' stigmatising a specific section of the population as being the primary cause and carriers of the 'gay plague'.
Moral panic making groups deviant
Mods and Rockers•In the 1960's, two groups of young people at a beach town in England were involved in a scuffle.•This event escalated in the media - relating the arguments to gang violence and uncontrollable youths.•This further escalation was studied more in depth by Stan Cohen•He found that the media had exaggerated the violence and drama of the clash between the 'Mods' and 'Rockers'. In doing so, the media created a problem that wasn't significant before.