SOC-1001-501 - CHAPTER 6

FIGURE 6.1 Merton's Typology of Deviance

Different orientations toward society's goals and differential access to the means to achieve those goals combine to create different categories of deviance. - The rewards of conformity are available only to those who can pursue approved goals through approved means.

DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY (pg. 150)

Edwin Sutherland's hypothesis that we learn to be deviant through our associations with deviant peers

LABELING THEORY

Howard Becker's idea that deviance is a consequence of external judgments, or labels, that modify the individual's self-concept and change the way others respond to the labeled person. - schizophrenic, the pseudo-patient - teen mom

PASSING

presenting yourself as a member of a different group than the stigmatized group to which you belong - passing engaged in by employees who dress to conceal their tattoos when at work, or people with illnesses like diabetes or depression or with disabilities such as hearing impairments who try to keep their conditions a secret.

TERTIARY DEVIANCE

redefining the stigma associated with a deviant label as a positive phenomenon - Biggest Loser example (pg. 154)

CRIMINOLOGY

the systematic scientific study of crime, criminals, and criminal justice

STEREOTYPE PROMISE

a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in which positive stereotypes, such as the "model minority" label applied to Asian Americans, lead to positive performance outcomes

CRIME

a violation of a norm that has been codified into law

OUTSIDERS

according to Howard Becker, those labeled deviant and subsequently segregated from "normal" society - Hells Angels - Rock Musicians (Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne)

POSITIVE DEVIANCE

actions considered deviant within a given context but later reinterpreted as appropriate or even heroic

IN-GROUP ORIENTATION (pg. 157)

among stigmatized individuals, the rejection of prevailing judgments or prejudice and the development of new standards that value their group identity - those with an in-group orientation see it as a powerful way to address society's changing definitions of deviance.

DETERRENCE

an approach to punishment that relies on the threat of harsh penalties to discourage people from committing crimes

INCAPACITATION

an approach to punishment that seeks to protect society from criminals by imprisoning or executing them

SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY

an inaccurate statement or belief that, by altering the situation, becomes accurate; a prediction that causes itself to come true - racial discrimination and profiling by police (pg. 154)

UNIFORM CRIME REPORT (UCR)

an official measure of crime in the United States, produced by the FBI's official tabulation of every crime reported by more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies

PRIMARY DEVIANCE

in labeling theory, the initial act or attitude that causes one to be labeled deviant (the thing that gets them labeled in the first place)

SECONDARY DEVIANCE

in labeling theory, the subsequent deviant identity or career that develops as a result of being labeled deviant (a deviant identity or career)

DEVIANCE

is a behavior, trait, or belief that departs from a norm and generates a negative reaction in a particular group. The norms and the group reactions are necessary for a behavior or characteristic to be defined as deviant (Goode 1997). Deviant behavior must be sufficiently serious or unusual to spark a negative sanction or punishment

STEREOTYPE THREAT

a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in which the fear of performing poorly—and confirming stereotypes about their social groups—causes students to perform poorly

CYBERBULLYING

the use of electronic media (web pages, social networking sites, e-mail, Twitter, cell phones) to tease, harass, threaten, or humiliate someone

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

a collection of social institutions, such as legislatures, police, courts, and prisons, that creates and enforces laws

SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY

a theory of crime, proposed by Travis Hirschi, that posits that strong social bonds increase conformity and decrease deviance

STRUCTURAL STRAIN THEORY (pg. 150)

a theory that interprets deviance as originating in the tensions that exist in society between cultural goals and the means people have to achieve those goals

DEVIANCE AVOWAL

process by which an individual self-identifies as deviant and initiates their own labeling process - In the Alcoholics Anonymous program, for example, the first step in recovery is for a member to admit that she is an alcoholic. Since total abstinence from drinking is the goal, only those who believe they have a drinking problem and who willingly accept the label of alcoholic can take the suggested steps toward recovery. - people become voluntary outsiders, finding it preferable to be a deviant in spite of the prevailing norms of mainstream society.

Rubric of Deviance

- First, how are norms and rules created, and how do certain norms and rules become especially important? - Second, who is subject to the rules, and how is rule breaking identified? - Third, what types of sanctions (punishments or rewards) are dispensed to society's violators? - Fourth, how do people who break the rules see themselves, and how do others see them? And - finally, how have sociologists attempted to explain rule making, rule breaking, and responses to rule breaking?

STIGMA (pg. 155)

Erving Goffman's term for any physical or social attribute that devalues a person or group's identity and that may exclude those who are devalued from normal social interaction - to this day we continue to use the term "Stigma" to signify some disgrace or failing. 3 MAIN TYPES: - physical (including physical or mental impairments), - moral (signs of a flawed character), and - tribal (membership in a discredited or oppressed group)

THEORIES OF DEVIANCE

Functionalism - First, deviance can help a society clarify its moral boundaries. - Another function of deviance is to promote social cohesion (one of functionalism's valued ideals); people can be brought together as a community in the face of crime or other violations. - Social cohesion is central to other theories of deviance as well. Conflict Theory conflict theorists believe that rules are applied unequally and that punishments for rule violators are unequally distributed: Those at the top are subject to different rules and sanctions than those nearer the bottom, and the behaviors of less powerful groups and individuals are more likely to be criminalized than the behaviors of the powerful. Symbolic Interactionism we learn to be deviant through our interactions with others who break the rules. This is the theory of deviance that your parents subscribed to when you were a teenager: Don't hang out with the bad kids! Simple peer pressure by those you associate with can lead to deviant behavior.

Theories of everyday life (pg. 154)

Perspectives: Structural Functionalism, Control Theory, Structural Strain Theory, Conflict Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, Differential Association Theory, and Labeling Theory

what was deviant a century ago—like marijuana use—might be perfectly acceptable now (and vice versa).

The importance of group reactions is clear when we look at the varied reactions that norm violations generate: Some violations are seen as only mildly deviant (like chewing with your mouth open), while others are so strongly taboo that they are almost unthinkable (like cannibalism).

BODY MODIFICATION

When it comes to body modification, what Americans might label deviant might be identified as desirable or normal in other cultures and vice versa. - Body modification does not always need to be dramatic. - eyebrow rings, neck tattoos, corsets, hair (perm) - shaving, tweezing, waxing

WHITE COLLAR CRIME

crime committed by a high-status individual in the course of their occupation

CYBERCRIME

crime committed via the Internet, including identity theft, embezzlement, fraud, sexual predation, and financial scams

VIOLENT CRIME

crime in which violence is either the objective or the means to an end, including murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery

PROPERTY CRIME

crime that does not involve violence, including burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson

INNOVATORS

individuals who accept society's approved goals but not society's approved means to achieve them

RITUALISTS

individuals who have given up hope of achieving society's approved goals but still operate according to society's approved means

REBELS

individuals who reject society's approved goals and means and instead create and work toward their own (sometimes revolutionary) goals using new means

RETREATISTS

individuals who renounce society's approved goals and means entirely and live outside conventional norms altogether

pilfering

stealing minor items in small amounts, often again and again - paper clips, making copies on company copier, pens, post-its.....

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

the death penalty

SOCIAL CONTROL

the formal and informal mechanisms used to elicit conformity to values and norms and thus promote social cohesion

nothing is inherently deviant

—rather, it is the cultural, historical, and situational context that makes it so.

when sociologists use the term "deviant," they are making a social judgment, never a moral one.

If a particular behavior is considered deviant, this means that it violates the values and norms of a particular group, not that it is inherently wrong or that other groups will make the same judgment.

REHABILITATION

an approach to punishment that attempts to reform criminals as part of their penalty

RETRIBUTION

an approach to punishment that emphasizes retaliation or revenge for the crime as the appropriate goal