Download Ch. 7 Deviance & Social Control

Ch. 7 Deviance & Social Control
Deviance – Behavior that departs
from societal & group norms
• Ex. – criminals, wearing too much
makeup, dancing, Tyson vs. Holyfield
• Negative deviance – behavior that fails to
meet accepted norms
– Typical idea of what deviance is
• Positive Deviance – over conformity to
norms
– Ex. – anorexia
The Sociologists’ deviant – a
person that has violated one or
more of society’s most highly
valued norms
Social Control – a way to
encourage conformity to
society’s norms
• Ex. – traffic laws, business attire
• Internal – doing something b/c you know it
Is right
• External – social sanctions – rewards or
punishments that encourage conformity
Costs & Benefits of Deviance –
• Negative effects – erodes trust, which can
lead to non-conformity
• Positive effects –
– Clarifies norms
– Safety Valve
– Promotes social change
Strain Theory –
• Anomie – social condition where norms are weak,
conflicting, or absent
• Strain Theory – deviance is more likely to occur when a
gap exists b/w cultural goals & the ability to achieve their
goals by legitimate means
• Responses
– Innovation – an individual accepts goals but uses illegal means
to achieve them
• Thief
– Ritualism – rejects the goal but continues using legitimate means
• Unmotivated teacher
– Retreatism – legitimate means and approval goals rejected
• Homeless alcoholic
– Rebellion – legitimate means and goals rejected, but are
replaced by new goals and means
• Militia group member, cult
Control Theory - theory that
compliance with social norms
requires strong bonds b/w
individuals and society
• Social bonds –
– Attachment – the stronger your attachment to groups
or individuals, the more likely you are to conform
– Commitment
– Involvement
– Belief
– When social bonds are weak, the chances for
deviance increase
Symbolic Interactionism and
Deviance
• Differential Association Theory – theory
that individuals learn deviance in
proportion to number of deviant acts they
are exposed to
• 3 characteristics of differential association
– The ratio of deviant to non-deviant individuals
– Whether the deviant behavior is practiced by
significant others
– The age of exposure
Labeling Theory – theory that
society creates deviance by
identifying particular members as
deviant
• Sometimes of two people breaking the norm only one may be
labeled a deviant
– Teenage pregnant mom vs. the father
• Primary deviance – a person engages only in isolated acts of
deviance
– Ex. – college students answering that have broken one or more norms,
but have never been arrested
• Secondary deviance – deviance in which an individual’s life and
identity are organized around breaking society’s norms
– Deviance is a lifestyle and a personal identity
• Consequences of labeling
– Stigma – an undesirable trait or label that is used to characterize an
individual
– Labeling people as deviants can cause them pain and suffering, as well
as determine the direction of their lives
• Ex. – thief, cheater