deviance
Behavior that violates significant social norms
It is not the act itself but the reactions to the act, that make something deviant.
Howard S Becker
relativity of deviance
Because different groups have different norms, what is deviant to some may not be deviant to others. Ex: Indian man showering naked at the neighborhood water pump= not deviant in India.
crime
An act that breaks a law and causes harm to people or society in general
social order
a group's customary social arrangements
Deviance undermines ________________
predictability.
social control
formal and informal means of enforcing norms
negative sanctions
Expressions of disapproval of deviance
positive sanctions
a reward or positive reaction for following norms, ranging from a smile to a prize.
genetic predisposition
inborn tendencies (for example, a tendency to commit deviant acts and juvenile's )
street crime
crimes such as mugging, rape, and burglary
personality disorder
Deviating personalities, a psychological condition that affects a person's ability to interact normally with others.
Differential association
We learn to deviate from or conform to society's norms from the differenct groups we associate with.
conflict theory
Our inner controls work against our outer controls to influence deviance.
The ____________ our bonds with society are, the _____ effective our inner controls are.
stronger,more
Inner bonds are based on:
?attachment
?commitments
?involvements
?beliefs
labeling theory
theory that society creates deviance by identifying particular members as deviant
Five techniques for neutrilization
1. denial of responsibility
2. denial of injury
3. denial of a victim
4. condemnation of the accusers
5. appeal to higher loyalties
Functional perspective of deviance
Deviance has functions in society.
According to functionalists, deviance contributes to society by:
1. deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms
2. deviance encourages social unity
3. deviance promotes social change
cultural goals
The legitimate objectives held out to the members of a society
institutionalized means
approved ways of reaching cultural goals
strain theory
theory that deviance is more likely to occur when a gap exists between cultural goals and the ability to achieve these goals by legitimate means
Ways people try to meet cultural goals
-conformity
-innovators
-ritualism
-retreatism
-rebellion
conformity
acting according to certain accepted standards
innovators
individuals who accept society's approved goals but not society's approved means to achieve them
ritualism
given up on cultural goals but still cling to convential rules of conduct
retreatism
abandons both approved goals and the approved means to achieve them
rebellion
reject society's goals and institutionalized means to achieve them but seek to give society new goals, as well as means for reaching them
Examples of innovators
drug dealers, embezzlers, robbers and con artist
Examples of ritualism
burned out teachers
Examples of retreatism
turn to alcohol and drugs. Also, nuns and monasterys
Example of rebellionist
revolutionaries
illegitimate opportunity structure
The opportunity built into someone's social world to learn and participate in illegal activities.
white-collar crime
crime committed by people of high social position in the course of their occupations
corporate crime
the illegal actions of a corporation or people acting on its behalf
Conflict perspective on deviance
The criminal justice system is an instrument of oppression for the poor. It is a way to keep the proleteriats under control. The power elite developed the legal system which is used to stabilize social order.
recidivism
released convicts who are rearrested
capital punishment
the death penalty
medicalization of deviance
the transformation of moral and legal deviance into a medical condition
anomie
a social condition in which norms are weak, conflicting, or absent
Stigma
Refer to characteristics that discredit people
Illegitimate opportunity theory
Some people have easier access to illegal means of achieving goals
Symbolic interactionist Perspective
We are thinking beings who act according to how we interpret situations