Chapter 6 sociology (Deviance)

deviance

a behavior trait belief or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction

criminal justice system

a collection os social institutions such as legislatures police courts and prisons that crew and enforce laws

deviance and conflict theory

concerned with both informal and formal social control which can both be exercised unequally in a hierarchical society and

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 and 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

interactional context

cyberbullying

structural strain theory

developed by robert merton -it states that there are goals in our society that people want to achieve but they cannot always reach these goals. this creates stress (or strain) because people are aware of the goals but do not have the means to achieve them

deviance and functionalism

deviance can help a society clarify its moral boundaries it helps social cohesion by bringing people together in the event of a crime -structural strain theory -innovators -ritualists -rebels

conflict theory

deviance is a result of social conflict -in order tfor the powerful to maintain their power they marginalize and criminalize the people who greaten the power. in equality is reproduced in the way deviance is defined -vagrancy laws reproduce inequality

functionalism

deviance serves a function in our society according to emile durkheim deviance serves a positive social function by clarifying moral boundaries and promoting social cohesion

symbolic interactionism

differential association labeling theory

retreatists

don't accept the goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals

rebels

don't accept the goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals so they create their own goals using new means

differential association theory

edwin sutherlands hypothesis that we learn to be deviant through our associations with deviant peers

in the US

serious cremes are punched by imprisonment in other cultures types of punishments can include --shunning --banishment --corporal punishment

deviant is a

social construction

passing

sometimes stigmatized individuals will try to pass as if they are part of the mainstream

crime and demographics

statistics show us that crime rates are higher in poor classes and lower in high classes but this may still not suggest an increase in criminal behavior age- the younger individuals are the higher crime rates gender- males are more likely to commit crime in fact males constitute 78% of all violent crimes arrests this correlates with the position of individuals in a social hierarchy race- controversial (self fulfilling prophecy present)

stigma and deviant identity

stigma is the Greek word for tattoo

stigma

term coined by ervin goffman describes any physical or social attribute that devalues a person or group's identity and which may exclude those who are devalued from normal social interaction (character flaw)

what is important to remember about the usage of the rem deviant?

that sociologists use it as a social judgment never a moral one

what must be though of with deviance?

that what is deviant in one culture may be socially acceptable in another

capital punishment

the death penalty

social control

the formal and informal mechanisms use to increase conformity to values and norms and thus promote social cohesion

retribution

retaliate or take revenge for a crime that's been committed

body modification

branding has found a comeback especially in African American fraternities where they bare the mark of a Greek letter

labeling theory

a symbolic interactionist perspective developed by Howard becker -states that deviance is caused by external judgments (labels) that change a person's self concept and the way others repond to him or her becker suggests that labeling can lead to self fulfilling prophecy a prediction that causes itself to come true

differential association

a symbolic interactionist perspective developed by edwin sutherland -states that we learn deviance from interacting with deviant peers

crime

a violation of a norm that has been codified into law

conformists

accept the goals of the society and the means of achieving those goals

innovators

accept the goals of the society but they look for new or innovative ways of achieving those goals

outsiders

according to Howard Becker those labeled deviant and subsequently segregated from normal society

positive deviance

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

in group orientation

among stigmatized individuals the rejection of prevailing judgments or prejudice and the development of new standards that value their group identity

rehabilitation

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

retribution 2

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

deterrence 2

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

incapacitation

an approach to punishment the 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 become true -this happens with the perception that cops have of african americans

uniform crime report

an official measure of crime in the US produced by the FBI ffical tabulation of every crime reported by more than 18000 law enforcement agencies

ritualists

aren't interested in the goals of the society but they do accept the means of achieving those goals

stigma 2

erving Goffmans term for any physical or social attribute that devalues a person or groups identity and that may exclude those who are devalued from normal social interaction

what are the influences of vagrancy laws?

establish a deceptive false scene of reality by removing particular deviants from social settings in order to allow a particular place to appear normal and in good condition

studying deviance

focus on crime sexual deviance and illness -however this nuts and sluts approach tends to focus on the deviance of the poor and powerless while accepting the values and norms of the powerful in an unacknowledging way -a sociological perspective requires that we seek insight without applying judgment (a difficult track indeed)

theories of deviance

functionalism conflict theory symbolic interactionalism

labeling theory

howard beakers idea that deviance is a consequence of external judgements or labels that modify the individuals self concept and change the way others respond to the labeled person

crime

if a behavior is considered deviant it means that it violates the values and norms of a group not that it is inherently wrong -however research on deviance also includes crime

primary deviance

in labeling theory the initial cat or attitude that causes one to be labeled deviante

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 world toward their own (sometimes revolutionary) goals using new means

c wright mills

intersection of biography and history sociological imagination

deviance 2

is a behavior trait or belief that departs from a norm and generates a negative reaction in a particular group -defining something as defiant requires us to examine the group norms and how the group reacts to the behavior

positive deviance

is defined as an act that is outside of the norma but may actually be heroic rather than negative

what do the amish practice?

meidung which means shunning those who violate the strict norms of the group

emotional attraction of doing bad deeds

most sociological perspectives on deviance focus on aspects of a person's background that would influence him to act in deviant ways -attracted to deviant acts because of the thrill of it or the rush rather than the actual deviant action committed

deviance avowal and voluntary outsiders

outsiders deviance avowal

passing 2

presenting yourself as a member of a different group than the stigmatized group you belong to

deterrence

prevent crime by threatening harsh penalties

applying deviant labels can lead to

primary deviance to secondary deviance to tertiary deviance

deviance avowal

process by which an individual self identifies as deviant and initiates her own labeling process -helps a person avoid the pressures of having to adopt certain conventional norms

tertiary deviance

redefining stigma associated with a deviant label as a posit phenomenon

rehabilitation

reform criminals so that they may reenter society

incapacitation

remove criminals from society by imprisoning them

cyberbullying

the use of electronic media (web pages social networking sites, email instant messengers and cell phones) to tease harass threaten or humiliate someone