Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Deviance/Social Control What is Deviance? The violation of rules, or norms. Range from minor traffic violation all the way up to murder. Think of the associated/root word of deviancedeviate. It is not necessarily the act itself, but the reactions to the act that constitutes something as deviant (i.e. the “meaning-making” of the act) Sociologists use the term non-judgmentally, to refer to any act to which people respond negatively. Crime: A specific form of deviance The violation of norms written into law. An act that is applauded by one group may be despised by another that is punishable by death (Examples?) Thought Exercise: List in Order of Severity A. Texting and Driving B. Stealing a candy bar from WCU bookstore C. Cheating on Sociology Quiz D. Identity Theft E. Adultery F. Downloading pirated mp3 G. Insider Trading H. Smoking Pot I. Cheating on Boyfriend/Girlfriend J. Underage Drinking K. Smoking Cigarettes 1.___ 2.___ 3.___ 4.___ 5.___ 6.___ 7.___ 8.___ 9.___ 10.___ 11.___ Stigma To be considered a deviant, a person does not necessarily have to do anything. Erving Goffman: used the term stigma to refer to characteristics that discredit people; violations of norms of ability and norms of appearance such as blindness, deafness, obesity, etc. Also include involuntary memberships such as being a victim of AIDS or brother/sister of criminal. (Similar to ascribed status?) Let’s revisit norms… No human groups can exist without norms! Norms make social life possible by making behavior predictable. Norms lay out the basic guidelines for how we should conduct ourselves and interact with others. Without norms, there would be social chaos! Norms bring about SOCIAL ORDER. Social Order A group’s usual and customary social arrangements, on which its members depend and on which they base their lives. Deviance can be perceived as a threat to this arrangement. How is social order maintained? Through SOCIAL CONTROL. Social Control A group’s formal and informal means of enforcing its norms. Q: What does society use to implement social control? A: Remember sanctions? (positive and negative) Examples? 3 Competing Explanations of Deviance: Sociobiologists: genetic predispositions lead individuals toward criminal behavior. Psychologists: personality disorders; “deviating personalities”; sociopathic behavior. Sociologists: Social influences “recruit” people to break norms/laws. External influences include socialization, membership to subcultures, and SES. (let’s look at the symbolic interactionist perspective on deviance…) Edwin Sutherland: Differential Association Theory The degree to which we deviate/conform to society’s norms stems from the different groups we associate with. Deviants come to learn the motivations and the technical knowledge for deviant or criminal activity from association with those who commit crime rather than with those who do not commit crime. DEVIANCE IS LEARNED! Labeling Theory: The idea that the labels people are given (i.e. names, reputations, etc.) affect their own and others’ perceptions of them, thus channeling their behavior either into deviance or into conformity. Labels open and close doors of opportunity. Now let’s look at the functionalist perspective… Durkheim: deviance/crime is functional for society. It contributes to the social order. Three main functions: clarifies moral boundaries, promotes social unity, promotes social change. Strain Theory: Merton: the strain experienced when a society socializes large numbers of people to desire a cultural goal (such as wealth), but withholds from many the approved means of reaching that goal; one adaptation to this strain is crime, the choice to deviate from the approved system to attain the cultural goal. Illegitimate Opportunity Structures: Opportunities for crimes that are woven into the texture of life. In urban slums, crimes such as robbery, drug dealing, prostitution, etc. present themselves as opportunities for attaining the cultural goal of success/money. Illegitimate Opportunity Structures are “class-specific”. White-Collar Crime The types of crime typically associated with people of a respectable and high social status in the course of their occupations (think embezzlement, inside trading, false advertising, securities violations, etc.) Corporate Crime: A specific form of white-collar crime; committed by executives in order to benefit their corporation (remember ENRON?) The poor have neither the opportunity to commit these types of crime nor the chance to make the huge profits they offer. Now let’s look at the conflict perspective… The conflict perspective examines the criminal justice system as another system run by the power elite. The idea that the law is blind/acts impartially is a cultural myth promoted by the capitalist class. The law is an instrument of oppression, a tool designed by the powerful to maintain positions of privilege. (crack/cocaine sentencing guidelines example) Conflict perspective on deviance (con’t) Because the working class has the potential to rebel and overthrow the current social order, when its members get out of line, the law comes down hard on them. Criminal justice system thus focuses on violations of the working class instead of owners of corporations that create unsafe products, pollution, price fixing, etc. Occasionally, however, a flagrant violation by a member of the capitalist class is prosecuted to maintain the illusion/stabilize the social system and prevent an uprising by the working class. Foucault and the Panopticon Michel Foucault (19-19) Argued that modern society is engaged in a system of selfregulation/self-policing. The state acts similar to the guards in a panopticon, where the inmates (members of society) become more mindful of their own behavior under the constant “gaze” of authority. The Death Penalty and Bias Where people commit murder greatly affects their chances of being put to death (see page 227). One’s SES also is a crucial factor. 51% of of the prisoners on death row have not finished high school.