Module 2: Chapter 6: Deviance and Social Control

Two goals of CRT:

(1) To understand how a regime of white supremacy and its subordination of people of color has been created and maintained in America, and, in particular, to examine the relationship between that social structure and professed ideals such as "the rule of law" and "equal protection." (2) A desire not merely to understand the vexed bond between law and racial power but to change it.

Differential opportunity theory opportunities include three elements:

(1) a specific situation that might lead to deviance (a particularly opportunistic time or space). (2) the potential that the deviant behavior will result in some sort of reward. (3) the lack of guardians who act as barriers to the behavior.

Phrenology

A theory that skull configurations of deviant individuals differed from those of nondeviants.

Crime

Any act defined in the law as punishable by fines, imprisonment, or both.

Deviance

Any attitude, behavior, or condition that violates cultural norms or societal laws and results in disapproval, hostility, or sanction if it becomes known.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

As a consequence of labeling, people develop deviant self-concepts, living up to the label imposed on them (a behavior that responds to the situation that then becomes true).

(Girls/Boys) Violent and property crimes for ____.

Boys

Structural Contradiction Theory

Conflicts generated by fundamental negations in the structure of society produce laws defining certain acts as deviant or criminal.

Capital Offense

Crimes punishable by death.

Type of Response: Conformity

Cultural Goals: Accept Legitimacy of Means: Accept

Type of Response: Innovation

Cultural Goals: Accept Legitimacy of Means: Reject

Type of Response: Ritualism

Cultural Goals: Reject Legitimacy of Means: Accept

Type of Response: Retreatism

Cultural Goals: Reject Legitimacy of Means: Reject

Type of Response: Rebellion

Cultural Goals: Reject/substitute Legitimacy of Means: Reject/substitute

6.1 Knowledge Check: ______ is anything that violates cultural norms or societal laws and results in some form of disapproval. -Perversion -Deviance -Crime -Sanction

Deviance

6.1 Knowledge Check: Which of the following statements is true regarding deviance? -Deviance originated in Europe. -Deviance is reserved for specific groups, genders, or generations. -Deviance can include things that are not consciously chosen. -Deviance is a broad term that includes all crimes.

Deviance can include things that are not consciously chosen.

Differential Association Theory

Deviant and criminal behavior is learned and results from regular exposure to attitudes favorable to acting in ways that are deviant or criminal (asserts the social relationship help to influence deviant behavior).

Labeling Theory

Deviant behavior is a product of the labels people attach to certain types of behavior.

6.1 Knowledge Check: All crimes are deviant acts. -True -False

False (Some minor crimes like jaywalking or driving over the speed limit are not considered deviant acts).

(Girls/Boys) Status offenses for ____.

Girls

____ an example of the way structural contradictions lead to changes in deviant behavior.

Globalization

Subcultural Theories

Identify the conflicting interests of different segments of the population (whether it be over culture or, more generally, over particular rituals or behaviors).

Social Bonds

Individuals' connections to others, especially institutions, rather that from anomie.

Pluralistic Societies

Made up of many diverse groups with different norms and values, (which may or may not change over time).

Primary Deviance

Occurs at the moment an activity is labeled as deviant by others.

Secondary Deviance

Occurs when a person labeled deviant accepts the label as part of his or her identity and, as a result, begins to act in conformity with the label.

6.1 Knowledge Check: How do we know when an action is deviant? -There is a stereotype associated with it. -Others react with disapproval. -It is a crime. -It occurs in a pluralistic society.

Others react with disapproval.

Feminist Perspectives on Deviance

Perspectives that suggest that studies of deviance have been biased because almost all the research has been done by, and about, males, largely ignoring female perspectives on deviant behavior as well as analyses of differences in the types and causes of female deviance.

Examples of deviance surrounding marriage, punishment, and drug use include:

Polygamy (have more than one spouse at a time), execution, and the legal use of drugs (specifically marijuana).

Labeling process has two steps:

Primary Deviance Secondary Deviance

Class-Dominant Theory

Propose that what is labeled deviant or criminal - and therefore who gets punished - is determined by the interests of the dominant class.

Strain Theory

That when there is a discrepancy between the cultural goals for success and the means available to achieve those goals, rates of deviance will be high.

Differential Opportunity Theory

The theory that people differ not only in their motivations to engage in deviant acts but also in their opportunities to do so. Richard Cloward & Lloyd Ohlin

Critical Race Theories (CRTs)

Theories that focus on the relationship between race, power, and racism.

Why do people engage in deviant acts?

They have nothing to lose by acting on their impulses and do not fear the consequences of their actions.

(Women/Men) ____ are especially likely to engage in deviance in response to depression.

Women

Durkheim also argued that we can describe a society lacking large-scale consensus on what is right and wrong as being in a state of anomie;

a condition of confusion that occurs when people lose sight of the shared rules and values that give order and meaning to their lives.

Researchers must decide which theory to use and why, and for others to determine whether the use of the theory was...

a success or a failure.

Durkheim did not see deviance as a potentially...

abnormal part of society.

Durkheim hypothesized that deviant behavior serves a positive function by drawing moral boundaries that establish what behavior is...

acceptable or not within a community.

According to the differential association theory, the more we associate with people whose behavior is deviant, the greater the likelihood that our behavior will...

also be deviant.

Like many interactionist approaches, labeling theory and differential association theory point out that we see ourselves through the eyes of others...

and our resulting sense of ourselves conditions how we behave.

Deviance can be attached to...

any social group or individual.

Since private property is a key foundation of capitalism, those who engage in acts against property, such as stealing or vandalism, will be labeled...

as criminal.

Since profits are realized through buying and selling things in the capitalist marketplace, unregulated market activities (such as selling drugs on the street, making alcohol without a license, or even operating a catering service out of one's home without proper licensing) will also be defined...

as deviant and criminal.

Theories that try to explain why deviance does (or does not) occur, including...

biological, functionalist, and conflict perspectives

Cesare Lombroso and William Ferraro believed that women offenders were...

biologically more primitive than men.

Each of these theoretical orientations can be useful in explaining...

certain facets of deviance and crime.

Émile Durkheim (1858-1917) is associated with foundational statements about the role of...

crime and deviance in society.

Once and act is labeled ____, formal sanctions can be applied to control it and the people who engage in it.

criminal

Most people in a society share a common understanding of the goals they should pursue and an understanding of the...

culturally legitimate means for achieving those goals.

Merton's theory helps us understand that structural conditions can lead to high rates of ____.

deviance (including crime).

Biological, functionalist, and conflict perspectives differ from interactionist theories which seek to understand how...

deviance is defined, constructed, and enacted through social processes such as labeling.

Biological, functionalist, and conflict perspectives also differ from critical theories that focus specifically on...

deviance, power, and social inequalities (such as gender, race, and their intersections).

Moral, social, and legal judgments play a role in decisions regarding what is or is not ____.

deviant

Trapped in the contradiction between norms valuing consumerism and an economic system that can make consumption of desired material goods and services difficult or even impossible for many, some (but not all) people will resolve the conflict by resorting to...

deviant and criminal acts such as cheating on income taxes and writing bad checks, or profiting from illegal markets by selling drugs or committing theft.

immigrants and refugees may bring norms and values with them from their original cultures that conflict with the norms and values of the adopted country. Thus, they may be perceived and sometimes punished as...

deviant by the dominant culture.

Since labor is central to the functioning of capitalism, those who do not work will be labeled as...

deviant in capitalist societies.

Merton's theory, however, neglects that fact that not everyone has the same access to...

deviant solutions.

Not every act labeled a crime is considered ____ by all of society's members; nor is every form of deviance ____.

deviant;criminalized

Conformity is not considered a ____ response, but rather the "____."

deviant;norm

Cesare Lombroso thought that "atavisms" had body types and physical features that...

differed from those who did not commit crimes.

In general, functionalism regards widespread deviance as an abnormality that society seeks to ____. At the same time, it sees a certain amount of deviant behavior as normal and useful—or functional—for society. It suggests that deviance—or the labeling of some behaviors as deviant—contributes to social solidarity by enhancing members' sense of the boundary...

eliminate (much as an organism seeks to rid itself of a parasite). between right and wrong

Functionalist approaches to deviance...

emphasize that society is characterized by a high degree of consensus on norms and values.

Deviant but not criminal:

having extensive tattoos or piercings.

Structural contradiction theory holds that societies with the greatest gaps between what people earn and what they are normatively enticed to consume will have the...

highest levels of deviance.

Critical race theories are particularly important in their emphasis on the contradictions between...

ideals of justice and realities of practice. They are also aimed at social action. As you will see in the sections that follow, including a racial lens is important in understanding sociological factors in justice (and injustice).

Biosocial approaches have influenced social policy making in deviance and crime in...

important ways.

Critical perspectives of deviance and crime emerge from...

inequalities in society.

Forming strong social bonds with people and institutions that disapprove of deviance, they argue...

keeps people from engaging in deviant behaviors.

Interactionist approaches also explain why some people are...

labeled deviant and behave in deviant ways while others do not.

Interactionist perspectives provide a...

language and framework for looking at how deviance is constructed, including how individuals are connected to the social structure.

In The Female Offender (1895) they examined incarcerated women's physical characteristics, describing what they saw as possible physical abnormalities or features that they believed...

led to criminal behavior.

There is a fundamental structural contradiction in capitalist economies between the need to ____ ____ (which keeps wages down) and the need to ____ ____ (which requires high wages).

maximize profits; maximize consumption

What is considered deviant can include things that are no consciously chosen, such as...

medical or physical conditions and mental or physical illnesses.

Differential opportunity theory three opportunities has deviance, then, is more likely to occur in a community, place, or time when the opportunities for it exist and when it provides a...

monetary, social, political, or individual reward.

Crime applies to acts that are widely agreed to be deviant in nature such as...

murder, robbery, rape, the sexual exploitation of children, and arson (setting fire).

Deviance is a broad term that may include crimes but often refers to...

noncriminal attitudes, practices, beliefs, and conditions.

Most of the attitudes, practices, and conditions considered deviant by society at any given time are...

not criminal.

Deviance is a label applied to the attitudes, practices, or conditions of...

other people or groups.

Deviance is relative and subjective -- definitions of deviance vary from...

place to place, across time and space, and among groups within society.

6.1 Knowledge Check: A ______ society is diverse with many varying standards of -deviance. -pluralistic -normative -capitalist -class-dominant

pluralistic

The diversity of opinion surrounding deviance and criminality stems from the fact that most societies today are ____.

pluralistic

A universal standard of deviance does not exist in...

pluralistic societies.

The debate and interaction between theories is essential to the development of...

scientific knowledge.

From the labeling theory perspective, deviance is seen as...

socially constructed.

Also connected to primary and secondary deviance is the concept known as...

the self-fulfilling prophecy

Cesare Lombroso claimed that deviants were "atavisms," or...

throwbacks to primitive early humans.

Advances in medical technology, especially increased use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and fMRI [functional MRI]), have enabled researchers to uncover patterns of brain function, physiology, and response...

unique to some deviant or criminal individuals.

Crimes that lack societal consensus about their deviance include...

use of illegal drugs, some types of gambling, vagrancy (homelessness), and adult prostitution.

In the case of marijuana, deviance and criminality can ____ dramatically even between state borders.

vary

John Muncie

while researchers have examined many biochemical factors ("hormone imbalances; testosterone, vitamin, adrenalin and blood sugar levels; allergies; slow brain-wave activity; lead pollution; epilepsy; and the operation of the autonomic nervous system") no research has found a "direct causal relationship" between deviance and these factors.

People who do not form strong social bonds...

will engage in deviant acts

In a pluralistic society, what is deviant for one social group may be acceptable or normal in another, and even long-held beliefs and practices are sometimes subject to transformation over time both...

within and between groups.

Differential association theory example:

A corporate executive who embezzles company funds may have learned the norms and values appropriate to this type of criminal activity by associating with others already engaged in it.

Structural Strain

A form of anomie that occurs when a gap exists between the culturally defined goals of a society and the means available in society to achieve those goals. Robert K. Merton

In the U.S. Supreme Court, it is unconstitutional to execute anyone for a crime they committed before the age of ____.

18

Before the execution before the age of 18 ruling, ____ individuals had been executed for crimes they committed while younger than age 18.

22

Durkheim sought to show that anomie is a principal cause of suicide, itself a deviant act. He gathered extensive data on suicide in France and Italy and found that these data supported the theory that societies characterized by high levels of anomie also have high levels of suicide. Moreover, he argued that his research demonstrated that suicide rates vary depending on the level of social solidarity, the social bonds that unite members of a group. He discovered, for example, that single men had higher rates of suicide than married men, Protestants a higher rate than Catholics, and men a higher rate than women. He suggested that the higher rates were correlated with lower levels of social solidarity in the groups to which people were attached.

Durkheim sought to show that anomie is a principal cause of suicide, itself a deviant act. He gathered extensive data on suicide in France and Italy and found that these data supported the theory that societies characterized by high levels of anomie also have high levels of suicide. Moreover, he argued that his research demonstrated that suicide rates vary depending on the level of social solidarity, the social bonds that unite members of a group. He discovered, for example, that single men had higher rates of suicide than married men, Protestants a higher rate than Catholics, and men a higher rate than women. He suggested that the higher rates were correlated with lower levels of social solidarity in the groups to which people were attached.

Social Control Theory

Explains that the probability of delinquency or deviance among youth is rooted in social control. Gottfredson & Hirschi