Sociology: October 16th - December 1st

anomie

a sense of aimlessness or despair that arises when we can no longer reasonably expect life to be predictable, too little social regulation, normlessness

Goffman

applied social interactionist theory to the dynamics of total institutions theorized about how institutions like prisons often become breeding grounds for secondary deviance because no barriers exist between the usual spheres of life.

Deterrence theory

based on the idea that individuals make choices based on their calculation of the costs and benefits of that action. In other words, they make rational choices. Given this theory of how crime occurs, deterrence theory focuses on ways to make crime less appealing. These programs focus specifically on how to reduce recidivism, or the act of returning to criminal activity after having spent time in the criminal justice system.

rebel

individual who rejects both traditional goals and traditional means and wants to alter or destroy the social institutions from which he or she is alienated

ritualist

individual who rejects socially defined goals but not the means

suppose you are a participant in an online forum where people review online games, and one participant recently posted an angry rant in all caps, which elicited a harsh rebuke from several other uses. such a reprimand is a kind of

informal sanction

one of the consequences of mass incarceration in the United States has been

the disenfranchisement of millions of former felons

punitive sanction

to enact vengeance on the wrongdoer discourage the wrongdoer from repeating his action and to discourage others from imitating him. administered through collective, public action.

INCLASS Sutherlands differential association theory

we learn deviance through our associations with others... -stresses the importance of associations with: PRIMARY GROUPS *Frequency *Intensity (intensity of tie to mom and dad is GREATER than tie to grandma) *Duration *Priority

according to Conley: examples of how the deviant member of a society ends up contributing to the strengthening of the social fabric

Examples: The other members of the group join together in order to punish and/or rehabilitate the offender. The deviant member publicly reminds everyone of the line between what is acceptable and what is not. Not Examples: By challenging the established order, the deviant member stimulates others to think creatively and to break out of settled routines. *(Creative thinking and routine-breaking may be good things in their way. But a strong social fabric depends mainly on predictability and adherence to conventions.)

Factors that make someone socially deviant, according to merton

Factors: not recognizing or not accepting socially approved goals failure to recognize and accept socially approved means of achieving one's goals Not Factors: having unusual or atypical beliefs about how society should operate being either much less or much more successful at achieving one's goals than the average person (Ex. Working at a steady job to earn money would be an example of a socially approved means.)

distinguishing features of a symbolic interactionist theory of social deviance

Features: a recognition of the impact of assigning labels to behaviors and to people a focus on individual psychology rather than the social dynamics of large populations Not Features: a search for the functional importance of a person's behavior in relation to the rest of the social group

Identify each behavioral sanction as either formal or informal

Formal: -A police officer directs traffic near the venue of a major sporting event. -A parent explains to a child that the law requires kids to go to school. Informal: -A paramedic shouts at a patient to slow down in the hospital parking lot. -An adult scowls and shakes her head at a child, not hers, playing roughly in a store aisle with toys pulled off the shelves.

conformist

individual who accepts both the goals and strategies to achieve that that are considered socially acceptable

Given this event, identify the functions of social sanctions, according to Durkheim: 1944, a mob marches two French women accused of collaborating with the Nazis through the streets of Paris.

Functions: Social sanctions bring people together as they act to deal with offenders. Social sanctions reinforce the boundaries of acceptable behavior. Not Functions: The aim of social sanctions is to decide who is part of a society and who does not belong. Social sanctions are by nature informal, and unpredictable and dangerous in their consequences.

What, according to Rios, is the effect of having police officers on duty in schools and community centers?

It increases the number of kids that become criminals Police in schools increase the opportunity for students to run afoul of law enforcement at a young age.

labeling theory: difference between primary and secondary deviance?

Primary deviance leads to labeling, and the labeling in turn prompts secondary deviant behavior Secondary deviance is an eventual effect of primary deviance, where deviance begins

Example of a social sanction as either punitive, rehabilitative, or restitutive.

Restitutive: a convicted graffti vandal is ordered to spend time removing his graffiti Rehabilitative: a person convicted of spousal abuse is ordered to undergo anger management training. Punitive: The U.S. Senate passes a formal censure (reprimand) of one of its members. The censured senator must stand while the censure is read aloud.

Soc. Victor Rios standard approach to keeping at risk youth of of trouble YOU CONTROL COMPLEX

The Youth Control Complex is a coming together of different institutions, such as schools, police, and social-service agencies, in a way that is contrary to everyone's best interests—both the young people's and those of society as a whole. Functions: to punish people to stigmatize young people to criminalize young people Not Functions: to indoctrinate young people to nurture young people

INCLASS Beckers lableing theory

We become deviant through a process that starts with a behavior being labeled deviant

corporate crime

a particular type of white-collar crime committed by the officers (ceo and other executive) of a corporation

Social Deviance

any transgression of socially established norms

Rehabilitative sanctions

described as therapeutic to transform the wrongdoer into a productive member of society

to combat rising crime rates, a state introduces tough new sentencing laws. the hopes of politicians and law enforcement officials for a subsequent decrease in crime are based on

deterence theory

Social Integration

how well you are intergrated into your social group or community

why study deviance

in-numerous normative standards in any society with many norms, no explicit guidelines for proper and improper behavior one must infer that correct behavior from observing others in the society through interaction many unknowingly break laws we are all deviant at some point, and few receive more than minor negative sanctions

A child struggles to learn how to read and is frequently teased about it by his siblings and referred to as "slow" by his parents and teachers. He under-performs in school and never thinks about going to college. Ultimately, he drops out before graduating from high school, telling the school counselor that hes just not "book smart". this an example of which theory of deviance?

labeling theory

secondary deviance

subsequent acts of rule breaking that occur after primary deviance and act as a result of your new deviant label and peoples expectations of you

social cohesion

social bonds, how well people relate to eachother and get along on a day to day basis

organic solidarity

social cohesion based on difference and interdependence of the parts

Crime

the violation of laws enacted by society

recidivism

when an individual who has been involved with the criminal justice system reverts to criminal behavior

someone who is new to town and doesn't know anyone, and who is deeply religious and follows strict rules regarding morality

-Someone who is new to town and does not know other people in the area would not be well integrated into the community, but a strict religious code means they have high levels of social control -

someone who is new to town and doesn't know anyone, and who is deeply religious and follows strict rules regarding morality

-Someone who is new to town and does not know other people in the area would not be well integrated into the community, but a strict religious code means they have high levels of social control -high social regulation -low social integration

Foucault's views on the history of social control methods. Contrasts between premodern and modern penal practices

-premodern practice targets the body VS. modern practice targets the soul -where premodern practice is punitive VS. modern practice is reformative -premodern practice is about spectacle VS. modern practice is about surveillance.

Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Deviance Place events of the Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo, 1971) in chronological order

1. Volunteers were assigned roles as guards or prisoners and given corresponding uniforms and duties 2. a day passed without incident 3. the prisoners staged a revolt that lasted several days 4. guards subjected prisoners to various forms of humiliation and abuse 5. the experiment was ended after less than half its planned duration

AGNU theory of general strain cognitive behavioral emotional

>>Experience strain: -not achieving a goal -something good taken away -something negative present >>Negative Affective State: -Fear -Jealousy -Anxiety -Despair >>Antisocial Behavior argued we exercised rational choice

applications of the broken windows theory of social deviance

Application: graffiti-proofing walls with a wash-off coating a crackdown on petty crime, like drinking in public Not Application: long mandatory prison terms for violent felonies additional community centers with activities for at-risk youth

The chapter concluded with a look at the criminal justice system of the United States, noting that incarceration rates have risen significantly. a close look at current prison population in America shows that the largest percentage of prison inmates are

Black

what can be said about Durkheim's views on modern versus premodern punishment?

Death Penalty has more staying power than Durkheim would have expected. Furthermore, In the United States, at least, the death penalty shows no sign of disappearing. Although banned for a time, it was reinstituted in 1976. After a surge in the two-and-a-half decades that followed, the rate of executions has leveled off at roughly 40 to 50 per year.

A psychology experiment (Rosenhan, 1973) applied labeling theory to the diagnosis of schizophrenia in a psychiatric setting. Identify the results of this experiment.

Normal behavior and personal history were often interpreted as confirming the original diagnosis.

A proper, scientific study of the effects of sentencing on criminal behavior requires an unbiased comparison of criminals with light sentences to criminals with harsher sentences. What real-world arrangement makes this kind of comparison possible?

This is done simply in the course of things, without any experimental intent. Since some judges habitually hand down harsher sentences than others, the result is the same as if one set up a deliberately randomized experiment. Judges are assigned to cases randomly

documented results of "scared straight" programs to keep young people from ending up in jail as first offenders?

Young ppl who go through scared straight programs are more, not less, likely to break the law this is a case of correlation but not causation; possibly students who go through the programs have a greater predisposition toward crime than those who do not. But in any case no positive effect from this kind of program has been demonstrated.

Stigma

a negative social label that not only changes others behavior toward a person but also alters that person own self-concepts and social identity

Restitutive sanction

aim, where possible, at reversing or at least mitigating the effects of the misdeed. to restore the status quo that existed before the offense

total institutions

an institution in which one is totally immersed and that controls all the basics day to day life, no barriers exist between the usual sphere of daily life and all activity occurs in the same place and under the same single authority.

Building on Emile Durkheim classic theory of suicide, sociologist Matt Wray describe a contemporary "American suicide belt". Wray findselevated suicide rates in the American west, particular among white men isolated from social contact by employment or being unmarried. What type of suicide are residents of this area prone to according to Durkheim typology

anomic

Howard S. Becker

applied labeling theory to the question how deviance begins Becker argued that social groups create deviance, first by setting rules for what is right and wrong and second by labeling rule breakers.

Definitions of deviant behavior tend to

change over time and vary from one context to another

construct did Durkheim define as "the common faith or set of social norms by which a society and its members abide"?

collective conscience (source of a sense or moral unity)

street crime

crime committed in public and often associated with violence, gangs, and poverty

The changing attitudes towards marijuana can be difficult to fit into out understanding of crime. At the federal level, the drug classified as a controlled substance and possession and distribution may carry sever penalties. In most states, possession is a criminal offense with penalties including jail. In a few states, possession is treated as a misdemeanor and in a handful of states, beginning with Colorado and Washington, recreational marijuana possession is now legal. what does this suggest about the difficulties of measuring of measuring changes in crime rates over time?

definitions of crimes change over time

formal social sanctions

mechanisms of social control by which rules or laws prohibit deviant criminal behavior

Social Control

mechanisms that create normative compliance in individuals

What, in broad terms, is the definition of social deviance?

modes of action that do not conform to the norms or values held by most members of the group or society. (Ex. Crime) This includes not only rude and illegal behavior, but also behavior that is nonconformist and perhaps makes other people uncomfortable, such as dressing provocatively or very casually in a work environment with a formal dress code.

Restitutive

normally involves the guilty party making some form of compensation to the victim or victims.

white-collar crime

offense committed by a professional against a corporation, agency, or other institution

Durkheim, what hold society together

offered a functionalist theory of the causes of suicide mechanical solidarity (collective consiousness) and organic solidarity (modern, inder-dependent)

retreatists

one who rejects both socially acceptable mean and goals by completely retreating from, or not participating in, society

deterrence theory

philosophy of crime justice arising from the notion that crime results from a rational calculation of its costs and benefits Ex. According to deterrence theory, crime occurs because people make a rational calculation regarding the costs and benefits of crime. Based on this theory, programs that monitor former criminals are meant to prevent recidivism. Specific Crime Deterrence: -A professional burglar is sentenced to eight years in prison after his second conviction. -A drunk driver is required to tell her parole officer where she will be on the weekend General Crime Deterrence : -Technology to remotely deactivate a stolen smartphone is made widely available. -A state legislature passes a law turning a certain crime that was a misdemeanor into a felony.

identify each principle as either premodern or modern schemes of social cohesion, according to durkheim

premodern: -everyones life conditions are pretty much the same -Similarity of parts -mechanical or segmental solidarity -Sameness of function: similar members of premodern society have largely similar roles Modern: -organic solidarity -interdependence of parts -specialization of function: different members of modern society perform different, complementary functions

INCLASS Merton's strain theory

robert mertons theory that deviance occurs when a society does not give all of its members equal ability to achieve acceptable goals -relationship between cultural goals (acquire wealth) of society and institutionalized means of achieving those goals 1. conformist: accept the goals of the society and the means of achieving those goals 2. innovators: accept the goals of the society, but they look for new or innovative ways of achieving those goals 3. Ritualist aren't interested in the goals of the society but they do accept the means of achieving those goals 4. Retreatist: dont accept goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals 5. Rebels: dont accept the goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals, so they create their own goals using new means

mechanical or segmental solidarity

social cohesion based on sameness

INCLASS theories used to understand deviance

social control: Social forces impact our individual forces

Innovator

social deviant who accepts socially acceptable goals but rejects socially acceptable means to achieve them

Devah Pagers research on how criminal records affect hiring illustrates the consequences of

stigma

How do street crime and white-collar crime compare in terms of cost to society and prevalence?

street crime is the most prevalent type of crime, while white-collar crime has a greater financial impact ORRRR ***Street crime costs society*** more, while white collar crime is more prevalent

anomic suicide

suicide that occurs as a result of insufficient social regulation Example Bernice became wealthy almost overnight as a result of extremely lucky financial investments. She quit her job, spent lavishly on gifts for friends, family, and associates, but finds it impossible to settle into a new, happy, routine. Instead, feeling increasingly disoriented and adrift, she deliberately overdoses on sedatives.

fatalistic suicide

suicide that occurs as a result of too much social regulation Example: Carlotta, sentenced to life in prison for a crime she did not commit, and unable to stand the unvarying daily routine of prison life, hangs herself with a bed sheet. Example: In Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, the character Esther sees "the days of the year stretching ahead like a series of bright white boxes...a white, broad, infinitely desolate avenue." What state of mind does this passage describe? -This is fatalistic because she sees her future as fixed, repetitive and tightly controlled, with no freedom for her ti as she would like

altruistic suicide

suicide that occurs when one experiences too much social integration Example: Dan, a lieutenant in the Marines, is disciplined and then discharged for leadership mistakes in battle that led to the death of two soldiers in his platoon. Despondent about the deaths of the soldiers and the loss of his military career, he kills himself a few months after his discharge.

egoistic suicide

suicide that occurs when one is not well integrated into a social group Example: Albert has no friends and does not feel any emotional connection with his coworkers or even with his own family members. He kills himself because he does not see any point in continuing with his life.

labeling theory

the belief that individuals subconsciously notice how others see or label them, and their reactions to those labels over time form the basis of their self-identity Example: student, named Evan, might come to assume the role of social deviant 1. Evan is late for school twice in one week 2. the school principal publicly calls Evan a truant 3. Evans teachers and friends starts to treat him as a troublemaker 4. Evan comes to think of himself as a rule breaker 5. Evens behavior reflects his view of himself as a rule breaker

primary deviance

the first act of rule breaking that may incur a label of "deviant" and thus influence how people think about and act toward you

social regulation

the number of rules guiding your daily life and, more specifically, what you can reasonably expect from the world on a day-to-day basis

informal social sanctions

the usually unexpressed but widely known rules of group membership, the unspoken rules of social life

broken windows theory of deviance

theory explaining how social context and social cues impact whether individuals act defiantly, specifically, whether local, informal social norms allow deviant acts major crimes can be reduced by fighting minor ones.