sociology 1301 chapter 6 quiz

How does structural theory explain the existence of deviance?

Deviance is the result of the tension between socially approved goals and an individual's ability to meet those goals through socially approved means

How does structural strain theory explain the existence of deviance?

Deviance is the result of the tension between socially approved goals and an individual's ability to meet those goals through socially approved means.

According to Merton's structural strain theory, and individual who deals drugs in order to get rich would be called a/an:

Innovator

Johnny got sick and missed a week of school. He failed the test when he came back. His friends called him stupid. He was so upset that he didn't want to go back to school, so he skipped a lot of his classes. His teachers said that he wasn't a good student, so he decided to drop out of school. What happened?

Self-fulfilling prophecy

What did Robert Merton call a prediction that came true only because the prediction was made?

a self-fulfilling prophecy

Angela's mother says to her, "I don't want you to hang around with Melissa. She's going to be a bad influence on you." The mother may not know it, but she's subscribing to which theory?

differential association theory

The idea that individuals learn to be deviant by interacting with others who are already deviant is called

differential association theory

Robert Merton's Strain Theory sees deviance as the result of a person's position in a structural structure. What do you think that Jack Katz, author of Seductions of Crime would say about structural strain theory?

A focus on social position misses the emotional appeal that a deviant act has for an individual

Why was imprisonment such a rare type of punishment before the nineteenth century?

Earlier societies did not have sufficient resources to operate prisons

According to labeling theory, why were none of the pseudopatients in David Rosenhan's "On Being Sane in Insane Places" discovered?

Once a person has been labeled "mentally ill," it is very hard for anyone to see past the label

Which sociological theory would agree with the following statement: "Deviance helps society clarify moral boundaries and promotes social cohesion?"

Structural functionalism

According to the structural strain theory of deviance as articulated by Robert Merton, what is one of the principle reasons that people turn to deviant behavior in the United States

The goal of success is shared by a majority of people, but not everyone has equal means to achieve that goal

Examine the graphic depiction above of Robert Merton's typology of deviance. Why do you think that those who embrace both new means and new goals are depicted as being just barely connected to the other types that Merton described?

They advocate a radical alternative to the existing social order and are trying to break free from everyone else

The peak age for committing both properly and violent crimes is under twenty years old

True

Which of the following would sociologists consider the best definition of deviance?

Violations of social norms

How do self-fulfilling prophecies work?

We respond not only to the objective features of a situation, but also to its meaning. Once meaning has been assigned to our behavior, the consequences of that behavior are determined by the meaning.

Which sociological theory would agree with the following statement: "Deviance is defined by the powerful, and the behaviors of the less powerful are more likely to be criminalized than the behaviors of the powerful?"

conflict theory

In order for a behavior, trait, or belief to be considered deviant, itmust

depart from a norm and generate a negative reaction

If you get pulled over for speeding, and the punishment was 20 years in prison, it might make you reconsider the speed at which you drive, right? This idea is called:

deterrence

A man is riding on a bus when suddenly, for no reason, he stands up and yells, "FIRE! FIRE!" There is clearly no fire, and people are really irritated at the delay this causes. His behavior was:

deviance

If someone breaks into your house or car, that person has committed

property crimes

In "On Being Sane in Insane Places" David Rosenhan suggests that

researchers posing as "psuedopatients" in a mental hospital, but otherwise acting normally, were nonetheless treated as insane by the hospital staff

The differential association theory of deviance focuses on peer pressure and "bad influences" to show how deviance is a process of social learning

true

according to structural functionalist, the function of deviance is to help clarify moral boundaries and affirm social norms

true

Insider trading is an example of

white-collar crimes