Module 1

Definitions: Deviance: provides the boundaries of acceptable behavior and it promotes integration. It has the consequence of keeping society in check. It provides integration. Social Controls: are organized methods for teaching and enforcing conformity. Two forms of social control: Informal: relationships with significant others (people’s whose affection and approval are important to us) Formal: defined by legal sanctions and enforced by institutions such as the police, courts, and various local, state, and federal legislatures. The enforcement of norms is done through the threat of and implementation of rewards and punishments by those who represent an organization or institution or the whole society. Formal Agents of social control act on the basis of rules and laws (most of the rules and laws are written) Social Groups: collections of people who interact on the micro-level. Each of these social groups has its own interests. Not all groups have similar interests, many of the groups may conflict with one another. They create the rules and violation that constitute deviance behavior. Theories: provide different ways of understanding why deviant behavior is ever-present in society. Laws: strongest norms supported by formal code of sanctions, violations may include fines, imprisonment or death Mores: moral norms based on social values, violations seen as a threat to social order. Folkways: everyday norms based on custom, traditions and etiquette, violations are seen as not serious but may cause a person to be viewed as weird. 1) Define deviance as a norm violation and identify the kinds of behavior that fall into this category. Deviance is the violation of norms. Provides the boundaries of acceptable behavior and it promotes integration. It has the consequence of keeping society in check. It provides integration. Deviance is a relative issue, and standards for deviance change based on a number of factors, including location, age, social status, individual societies. It can serve as a positive and negative in our society. Behaviors that fall into deviant category: Crimes of violence Obesity Unwed pregnancy Violating dress or speech conventions Kinky sexual behaviors Using drugs Violent acts Overt acts ABC’s of Deviance: Attitudes, Behaviors, Conditions: Attitudes: Being branded deviant for alternative attitudes or beliefs Examples: religious cult members, Satanists or political extremists such as terrorists. Mental illness also falls into this category. Behaviors: Overt acts that are regarded as deviant Examples: violating dress or speech conventions, kinky sexual behavior, using drugs, or violent acts Achieved deviant status: people cast into deviant label for overt act Conditions: Seen as deviant for condition or quality that may be achieved or ascribed deviant status: Based on condition from birth about which the person can do nothing May also be achieved by disfiguring oneself or getting full body tattoo 2) Distinguish deviance from crime and apply this distinction to concrete examples. Crime: the violation of laws enacted by society. Crime is a legal definition created by the agents of the dominant class in power, it is decided by the judgement of others. The greater the definition of crime the greater the amounts of crime. *crime and deviance overlap in some ways, some act can be both and crime and deviant behavior, they overlap with liberated extents. Deviance: a violation of any social rule or law. 3) Understand the problematic nature of definitions of deviance by becoming aware of different theoretical assumptions, controversies and challenges relating to the contrasting perspectives of cultural relativism (Becker, Quinney) versus normative objectivism (Heckert-Heckert, Costello). Norms: rules we learn that guide our behavior and thought in certain situations. The enforcement of norms is done through the threat of and implementation of rewards and punishments by those who represent an organization or institution or the whole society. Cultural Relativism: not having absolute moral objectives or values that transcend culture. The culture's changing social norms become the moral standard by which one's actions are measured. Social Control: are organized methods for teaching and enforcing conformity; the enforcement of conformity by society upon its members either by law or by social pressure. Normative objectivism: of deviance and more precisely distinguishes positive deviance, along with three other categories of deviance. Negative deviance, the traditional focus of the sociology of deviance, refers to behaviors that involve under conformity or nonconformity to norms and negative evaluations. 4) Explain the four main ways deviance has been defined: absolutist approach, statistical approach, normative/objectivist approach and reactivist/subjectivist approach. Absolutist Approach: ethical view that particular actions are intrinsically right or wrong. Normative/objectivist approach; Argues that social problems are harmful, ex/ poverty--poverty statistics to see if its harmful Reactivist/subjectivist approach: Reactivist: any action that produces a reaction (violates a norm) Subjectivist: The Subjectivist approach would be to measure it based on the claims about poverty. When social problems are defined by people's subjective understanding of what is or isn't a social problem. Quality of a social condition, but rather the subjective reactions to that condition, that make something a social problem. 5) Explain how society creates deviance by defining the rules that become the basis for the labeling of deviance. Who is branded as deviant, and what people decide to do about deviance all have to do with the way a society is organized. Deviance, then, is viewed as the result of unsuccessful socialization. Boundaries are not always clear cut, or fixed so that violations are consistent. Changes in society or the surrounding environment may cause society to define certain behaviors that were not considered crimes to become crimes over time. 6) Explain the role of ideology in crime control and to argue convincingly on behalf of a conflict perspective for interpreting crime in society. Crime control refers to the methods taken to reduce crime in society. The system of ideas and ideals, which forms the basis of economic or theory and policy against crime. Crime policy, lawmakers and those that explore legislature and attitudes and positions on criminal justice policy issues. Strict and swift punishment for crimes; in return, this strict adherence benefits society by striking fear in criminals because they will be harshly punished. 4) Explain the four main ways deviance has been defined: absolutist approach, statistical approach, normative/objectivist approach and reactivist/subjectivist approach. Absolutist Approach: ethical view that particular actions are intrinsically right or wrong. Normative/objectivist approach; doing what is right because it is right. Reactivist/subjectivist approach: Subjectivist: When social problems are defined by people's subjective understanding of what is or isn't a social problem. Quality of a social condition, but rather the subjective reactions to that condition, that make something a social problem. 5) Explain how society creates deviance by defining the rules that become the basis for the labeling of deviance. Society decides what is acceptable and what is not, it is done by rules, laws and community deciding what behavior is viewed as appropriate and inappropriate. 6) Explain the role of ideology in crime control and to argue convincingly on behalf of a conflict perspective for interpreting crime in society. Ideology of crime is constructed and diffused by the dominate class to secure its hegemony. It is the idea of crime viewed by the dominant class who incorporate laws, social views, crime and criminals. A conflict of law may be loitering, where one sees another as being bothersome by just hanging around their property, the person hanging around may feel it is their right to go be anywhere for any amount of time. Definitions: Deviance: provides the boundaries of acceptable behavior and it promotes integration. It has the consequence of keeping society in check. It provides integration. Social Controls: are organized methods for teaching and enforcing conformity. Two forms of social control: Informal: relationships with significant others (people’s whose affection and approval are important to us) Formal: defined by legal sanctions and enforced by institutions such as the police, courts, and various local, state, and federal legislatures. The enforcement of norms is done through the threat of and implementation of rewards and punishments by those who represent an organization or institution or the whole society. Formal Agents of social control act on the basis of rules and laws (most of the rules and laws are written) Social Groups: collections of people who interact on the micro-level. Each of these social groups has its own interests. Not all groups have similar interests, many of the groups may conflict with one another. They create the rules and violation that constitute deviance behavior. Theories: provide different ways of understanding why deviant behavior is ever-present in society. Laws: strongest norms supported by formal code of sanctions, violations may include fines, imprisonment or death Mores: moral norms based on social values, violations seen as a threat to social order. Folkways: everyday norms based on custom, traditions and etiquette, violations are seen as not serious but may cause a person to be viewed as weird. 1) Define deviance as a norm violation and identify the kinds of behavior that fall into this category. Deviance is the violation of norms. Provides the boundaries of acceptable behavior and it promotes integration. It has the consequence of keeping society in check. It provides integration. Deviance is a relative issue, and standards for deviance change based on a number of factors, including location, age, social status, individual societies. It can serve as a positive and negative in our society. Behaviors that fall into deviant category: Crimes of violence Obesity Unwed pregnancy Violating dress or speech conventions Kinky sexual behaviors Using drugs Violent acts Overt acts ABC’s of Deviance: Attitudes, Behaviors, Conditions: Attitudes: Being branded deviant for alternative attitudes or beliefs Examples: religious cult members, Satanists or political extremists such as terrorists. Mental illness also falls into this category. Behaviors: Overt acts that are regarded as deviant Examples: violating dress or speech conventions, kinky sexual behavior, using drugs, or violent acts Achieved deviant status: people cast into deviant label for overt act Conditions: Seen as deviant for condition or quality that may be achieved or ascribed deviant status: Based on condition from birth about which the person can do nothing May also be achieved by disfiguring oneself or getting full body tattoo 2) Distinguish deviance from crime and apply this distinction to concrete examples. Crime: the violation of laws enacted by society. Crime is a legal definition created by the agents of the dominant class in power, it is decided by the judgement of others. The greater the definition of crime the greater the amounts of crime. *crime and deviance overlap in some ways, some act can be both and crime and deviant behavior, they overlap with liberated extents. Deviance: a violation of any social rule or law. 3) Understand the problematic nature of definitions of deviance by becoming aware of different theoretical assumptions, controversies and challenges relating to the contrasting perspectives of cultural relativism (Becker, Quinney) versus normative objectivism (Heckert-Heckert, Costello). Norms: rules we learn that guide our behavior and thought in certain situations. The enforcement of norms is done through the threat of and implementation of rewards and punishments by those who represent an organization or institution or the whole society. Cultural Relativism: not having absolute moral objectives or values that transcend culture. The culture's changing social norms become the moral standard by which one's actions are measured. Social Control: are organized methods for teaching and enforcing conformity; the enforcement of conformity by society upon its members either by law or by social pressure. Normative objectivism: of deviance and more precisely distinguishes positive deviance, along with three other categories of deviance. Negative deviance, the traditional focus of the sociology of deviance, refers to behaviors that involve under conformity or nonconformity to norms and negative evaluations. 4) Explain the four main ways deviance has been defined: absolutist approach, statistical approach, normative/objectivist approach and reactivist/subjectivist approach. Absolutist Approach: ethical view that particular actions are intrinsically right or wrong. Normative/objectivist approach; Argues that social problems are harmful, ex/ poverty--poverty statistics to see if its harmful Reactivist/subjectivist approach: Reactivist: any action that produces a reaction (violates a norm) Subjectivist: The Subjectivist approach would be to measure it based on the claims about poverty. When social problems are defined by people's subjective understanding of what is or isn't a social problem. Quality of a social condition, but rather the subjective reactions to that condition, that make something a social problem. 5) Explain how society creates deviance by defining the rules that become the basis for the labeling of deviance. Who is branded as deviant, and what people decide to do about deviance all have to do with the way a society is organized. Deviance, then, is viewed as the result of unsuccessful socialization. Boundaries are not always clear cut, or fixed so that violations are consistent. Changes in society or the surrounding environment may cause society to define certain behaviors that were not considered crimes to become crimes over time. 6) Explain the role of ideology in crime control and to argue convincingly on behalf of a conflict perspective for interpreting crime in society. Crime control refers to the methods taken to reduce crime in society. The system of ideas and ideals, which forms the basis of economic or theory and policy against crime. Crime policy, lawmakers and those that explore legislature and attitudes and positions on criminal justice policy issues. Strict and swift punishment for crimes; in return, this strict adherence benefits society by striking fear in criminals because they will be harshly punished. 4) Explain the four main ways deviance has been defined: absolutist approach, statistical approach, normative/objectivist approach and reactivist/subjectivist approach. Absolutist Approach: ethical view that particular actions are intrinsically right or wrong. Normative/objectivist approach; doing what is right because it is right. Reactivist/subjectivist approach: Subjectivist: When social problems are defined by people's subjective understanding of what is or isn't a social problem. Quality of a social condition, but rather the subjective reactions to that condition, that make something a social problem. 5) Explain how society creates deviance by defining the rules that become the basis for the labeling of deviance. Society decides what is acceptable and what is not, it is done by rules, laws and community deciding what behavior is viewed as appropriate and inappropriate. 6) Explain the role of ideology in crime control and to argue convincingly on behalf of a conflict perspective for interpreting crime in society. Ideology of crime is constructed and diffused by the dominate class to secure its hegemony. It is the idea of crime viewed by the dominant class who incorporate laws, social views, crime and criminals. A conflict of law may be loitering, where one sees another as being bothersome by just hanging around their property, the person hanging around may feel it is their right to go be anywhere for any amount of time.