Sociology 6 & 7
structural strain theory (approach to deviance)
An individual's position in society determines whether she has the means to achieve goals or must otherwise turn to deviance *ex: a student's attitude about plagiarizing depends on whether she has the means to write the paper
caste system
a form of social stratification in which status is determined by one's family history and background and cannot be changed
simplicity movement
a loosely knit movement that opposes consumerism and encourages people to work less, earn less, and spend less, in accordance with nonmaterialistic values
Socioeconomic status (SES)
a measure of an individual's place within a social class system; often used interchangeably with "class"
wealth
a measure of net worth that includes income, property, and other assets
relative deprivation
a relative measure of poverty based on the standard of living in a particular society
status inconsistency
a situation in which an individual has differing levels of status in terms of the individual's wealth, power, prestige, or other elements of socioeconomic status
open system
a social system with ample opportunities to move from one class to another
closed system
a social system with very little opportunity to move from one class to another
Mondragon
a society committed to social community and concerned for the well being of its community. One of the most vast business groups in Spain
meritocracy
a system in which rewards are distributed based on merit
feudal system
a system of social stratification based on a hereditary nobility who were responsible for and served by a lower stratum of forced laborers called serfs
social class
a system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power, and prestige
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
in group orientation
among stigmatized individuals, the rejection of prevailing judgements or prejudice and the development of new standards that value their group identity
rehabilitation
an approach to punishment that attempts to reform criminals as a part of their penalty
retribution
an approach to punishment that emphasizes retaliation or revenge for the crime as the appropriate goal
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
upper class
an elite and largely self-sustaining group who posses most of the country's wealth; they constitute about 1 percent of the U.S. population
self-fulfilling prophecy
an inaccurate statement or belief that, by altering the situation, becomes accurate; a prediction that causes itself to come true
absolute deprivation
an objective measure of poverty, defined by the inability to meet minimal standards for food, shelter, clothing, or health care
Uniform Crime Report
an official measure of crime in the US, produced by the FBI's official tabulation of every crime reported by more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies
just world hypothesis
argues that people have a deep need to see the world as orderly, predictable, and fair, which creates a tendency to view victims of social injustice as deserving of their fates
ABCs of Deviance
attitudes, behaviors, and conditions
everyday class consciousness
awareness of one's own social status and that of others
Absolutist perspective
believes deviance is universal; remains the same at time and place; deviance against God or deviance against nature *problem with this perspective: norms are not universal
Erin Wright
came up with a professional managerial class/ coordinator class
Atittudes
challenging authority, education, hard work; narcissism
structural mobility
changes in the social status of large numbers of people as a result of structural changes in society
heterogamy
choosing romantic partners who are dissimilar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion, and other social group membership
homogamy
choosing romantic partners who are similar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion, and other social group membership
coordinator class
class system that consists of people who have a higher power over others
middle class
composed primarily of "white collar" workers with a broad range of education and incomes; they constitute about 30% of the U.S. population
white collar crime
crime committed by a high-status individual in the course of his occupation
violent crime
crimes in which violence is either the objective or the means to an end, including murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery
property crime
crimes that did not involve violence, including burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson
working class or lower middle class
mostly "blue collar" or service industry workers who are less likely to have a college degree; they constitute about 30% of the U.S. population
upper middle class
mostly highly-educated professionals and managers who have considerable financial stability; they constitute about 14% of the U.S. population
intergenerational mobility
movement between social classes that occurs from one generation to the next
conflict theory (approach to social inequality)
social inequality creates intergroup conflict- poor and rich groups have different interests and may find themselves at odds as they attempt to secure and protect these interests
structure functionalism (approach to social inequality)
social inequality is a necessary part of society. Different reward structures are necessary as an incentive for the best qualified people to occupy the most important positions. Even poverty has functions that help maintain social order
plifering
stealing minor items in small amounts, often again and again
capital punishment
the death penalty
symbolic interactionism (approach to deviance)
the definition of deviance is relative and depends on the culture, time period, and situation *ex: plagiarism may be labeled as deviant in US courses but not in Russia or India courses
social stratification
the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy
social control
the formal and informal mechanisms used to increase conformity to values and norms and thus promote social cohesion
residential segregation
the geographical separation of the poor from the rest of an area's population
slavery
the most extreme form of social stratification, based on the legal ownership of people
vertical social mobility
the movement between different class statuses, often called either upward mobility or downward mobility
intragenerational mobility
the movement between social classes that occurs during the course of an individual's lifetime
horizontal social mobility
the movement of individuals or groups within a particular social class, most often a result of changing occupations
social mobility
the movement of individuals or groups within the hierarchical system of social classes
Social power perspective
the people with power in society set the norms, anyone who doesn't follow is deviant *problem with this perspective: hard to put some folkways in this perspective (ex: picking nose in public)
underclass
the poorest group includes the homeless and chronically unemployed who may depend on public or private assistance; they constitute about 5% of the U.S. population
disenfranchisement
the removal of the rights of citizenship through economic, political, or legal means
prestige
the social honor people are given because of their membership in well-regarded social groups
apartheid
the system of segregation of racial and ethnic groups that was legal in South Africa between 1948 to 1991
cultural capital
the tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, and other cultural assets that help us gain advantages in society.
social reproduction
the tendency of social classes to remain relatively stable as class status is passed down from one generation to the next
digital divide
the unequal access to computer and internet technology, both globally and within the United States
social inequality
the unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society
cyberbullying
the use of electronic media (web pages, social networking sites, email, instant messengers, and cell phones) to tease, harass, threaten, or humiliate someone
tracking in schools
when you put children in a track they internalize that label and being performing at the level of their track
hypergamy
marrying "up" in the social class hierarchy
structure functionalism (approach to deviance)
Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and promotes social cohesion *ex: punishing those who plagiarize separates those who should be in college from those who aren't responsible enough
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
differential association theory
Edwin Sutherland's hypothesis that we learn to be deviant through our associations with deviant peers
stigma
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
blue collar
a description characterizing skilled and semi-skilled workers who perform manual labor or work in service or clerical jobs
labeling theory
Howard Becker's idea that deviance is a consequence of external judgements, or labels, that modify the individual's self-concept and change the way others respond to the labeled person *adheres to the principles of the Thomas theorem, looking glass self, and theory of the generalized other
Positive deviance
Over-conforming to an expected norm. deviance admiration; a form of deviance that exists because people over-conform to a norm. *MLK, Rosa Parks, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
symbolic interactionism (approach to social inequality)
Social inequality is part of our presentation of self. We develop everyday class consciousness as a way to distinguish the status of others
Max Weber
Who noted that owning the means of production was not the only way of achieving upper-class status; a person could also accumulate wealth consisting of income and property?
Karl Marx
Who was concerned about a new kind of social inequality that he saw emerging- between the capitalists (bourgeoisie), who owned the means of production, and the workers (proletariat), who owned only their own labor?
Deviance
a behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction. *ex: chewing with your mouth open, cannibalism
criminal justice system
a collection of social injustices, such as legislatures, police, courts, and prisons, that create and enforce laws
intersectionality
a concept that identifies how different categories of inequality (race, class, gender, etc.) intersect to shape the lives of individuals and groups
white collar
a description characterizing lower-level professional and management workers and some highly skilled laborers in technical jobs
conflict theory (approach to deviance)
definitions and rules of deviance are applied unequally based on power *ex: students with fewer resources are punished more harshly and have fewer options afterward; students with more money or connections can either transfer to another school or rely on parents for help
labeling theory (approach to deviance)
deviance is determined by the reactions of others; applying deviant labels to an individual may lead them to future deviance *ex: a student who is caught plagiarizing may come to believe she is unable to write without cheating
differential association theory (approach to deviance)
deviance is learned through interactions with others who break rules *ex: students learn to cheat because they hang out with other students who plagiarize
Relativist perspecitve
deviance is particular to a cultural, social context. Arise from a particular social/ historical context
culture of poverty
entrenched attitudes that can develop among poor communities and lead the poor to accept their fate rather than attempt to improve their lot
Conditions
gender, race, geography, sexuality, age, socioeconomic status, ascribed status, occupation
primary deviance
in labeling theory, the initial act or attitude that causes one to be labeled deviant
secondary deviance
in labeling theory, the subsequent deviant identity or career that develops as a result of being labeled deviant
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
hypogamy
marrying "down" in the social class hierarchy
working poor
poorly educated manual and service workers who may work full-time but remain near or below the poverty line; they constitute about 20% of the U.S. population
passing
presenting yourself as a member of a different group than the stigmatized group you belong to *ex: color people attempting to be white, transgendered people attempt to act out their lives so they can be viewed as normal, and homeless people who attempt to be not homelesss
deviance avowal
process by which an individual self-identifies as deviant and initiates her own labeling process
Behaviors
recklessness, out of control behavior, picking nose, rioting, drinking and driving, stealing
tertiary deviance
redefining the stigma associated with a deviant label as a positive phenomenon
Harm reduction
reducing harm, accepting that a certain action is going to occur *ex: heroine users can go to the doctor and get heroine
