SOC Chapter 7: Deviance

SOC Chapter 7: Deviance

1. Deviance

   • Behavior or trait that violates expected rules or norms. 
   • Stigma
     • A negative label that devalues a person and changes her or his self-concept and social identity. -E.g. Cause people to get cosmic surgery, join gangs, etc. 
   • Formal
     • Behavior that violates laws.
   • Informal
     • Behavior that disregards accpted social norms. Picking nose & teeth in public.
   • Crime
     • A violation of societal norms and rules or which punishment is specified by public law. 
     • Criminologist
       • Researchers who use scientific methods to study the nature, extent, cause, and control of criminal behavior. 
       • Part I (Serious)
         • Murder, rape, assault, robbery, etc. 
       • Part II
         • All other offenses including traffic violations. 
       • Victimization Survey
         • Involves interviewing people about their experiences as crime victims. 
     • Victimless Crimes
       • Acts that violate laws but involve individuals who don't consider themselves victims. 
     • Intellectual Property
       • Crime that includes offenses such as software piracy, bootlegging musical recordings and movies, selling company trade secrets, and copyright violations.

2. Social Control

   • The techniques and strategies that regulate people's behavior in society.  Purpose is to eliminate or reduce deviance. 
   • Informal Social Controls
     • Because we genuinely care about the opinions of family members, friends, and teachers, ew try to live up to their expectations. 
   • Formal Social Control
     • Exists outside of the individual to regulate social behavior. E.g. Judge, policeman
   • Sanctions
     • Punishments or rewards for obeying or violating a norm.
     • Positive
       • Rewards for a desirable behavior. Include a variety of social expressions: Smiling, hugging, "Congrats!"
     • Negative
       • Punishments that convey disapproval for violating a norm. E.g. frowns, gossip, fines, arrests, etc. 

3. Functionalism

   • Anomie
     • The condition in which people are unsure of how to behave because o absent, conflicting, or confusing social norms. (Durkheim concept)
   • Strain Theory
     • The idea that people may engage in deviant behavior when they experience a conflict between goals and the means available to obtain the goals. 
     • 1. Conform
       • Most of us aren't deviant when we face social strain, many of us conform by working harder and longer to become successful.
     • 2. Innovation
       • People have endorsed the cultural goal of economic success but turn to illegitimate means, especially crime, to achieve their goal.  -As a result, people steal much more in poverty stricken areas. 
     • 3. Ritualism
       • Live up to the go-with-the-flow attitude. Don't expect unordinary success, but take normal means of staying afloat (getting education, experience, etc.)
     • 4. Retreatism
       • People have rejected both the goals and the means of success.
     • 5. Rebellion
       • Feel so alienated that they want to change the social structure entirely by substituting new goals and means for the original ones. 

4. Conflict Theory

   • White-collar Crime
     • Illegal activities committed by high-status individuals in the course of their occupation. 
     • Occupational Crimes
       • Crimes committed in the workplace by individuals acting solely in their own personal interest. -E.g.-People working for the Veterans Administration giving unalledged money to their relatives for graduate courses. 
     • Cybercrime
       • White-collar crimes that are conducted online.
   • Corporate (Organizational) Crimes
     • White-collar crimes committed by executives to benefit themselves and their companies. -E.g.-False advertising, tax evasion, etc.
   • Organized Crime
     • Activities of individuals and groups that supply illegal goods and services for profit.  E.g.-Drug distribution, prostitution, etc. 
   • Not Criminalized
   • Minimal Enforcement
     • Xerox-$22 million in sanctions for $1.4 billion gained in the crime. 
   • Priviledge & Corruption

5. Feminism

6. Symbolic Interactionism

   • Differential Association
     • People learn deviance through interaction, especially with significant others.  -E.g. Zach (natural mother's influence), Uncle Matt's son. -47% of state prisoners have a parent or other close relative that has been incarcerated.
   • Labeling Theory
     • A perspective which holds that society's reaction to behavior is a major factor in defining oneself or others as deviant. -E.g. Men-Hypersexuality  Women-Binge eaters.
   • Primary Deviance
     • Initial violation of a norm or a law.  E.g. Not attending a funeral, stealing, or even murder. 
   • Secondary Deviance
     • Rule-breaking behavior that people adopt in response to the reactions of others.  -The more that people engage in deviant behavior, the more that they will accept the label associated with the behavior. -E.g. Kid smoking marijuana is labeled as a "druggie."

7. Criminal Justice System

   • The government agencies-including the police, courts, and prisons-that are charged with enforcing laws, passing judgment on offenders, and changing criminal behavior. 
   • Crime Control Model
     • An approach that believes that crime rates increase when offenders don't fear apprehension or punishment. -Sentencing, Incarceration, Capital Punishment.
   • Hot Spots
     • Areas of high criminal activity.
   • Rehabilitation