Social Deviance

deviance

any violation of norms (rules and expectations for behavior in society) that elicits a negative or positive response

fraud, robbery, murder

Major Acts

vaping in school, speeding, swearing, trying to trip someone

Minor Acts —> would mostly be folkways

repeated offenses

Once or repeated offenses can be considered deviant

informally

most deviance is dealt with _______.

stigma

severe disapproval or discontent on the grounds of characteristics that distinguish them from others in society

violations of norms of ability, norms of appearance, involuntary membership in a group

stigma examples

point of sitgma

Used as a form of social control to counteract deviance

why have norms

Make social life predictable, our lives are based on arrangement of norms, deviance threatens cohesiveness of society

social order

what do norms bring?

controlling deviance

Through social control (informal & formal means of enforcing norms)

frown, capital punishment (death penalty)

negative sanctions

informal

most negative sanctions are ______.

smile, material reward, getting a raise

positive sanctions

genetic disposition, personality disorders, cultural transmission, control theory, labeling theory, strain theory, conflict theory

What accounts for/causes deviance?

cultural transmission

the different groups we associate with = learn to deviate or conform

control theory

2 control systems work against our motivation to deviate

labeling theory

focuses on how individuals become labeled as deviant + the significance of reputations and how they set us on paths to propel toward or away from deviance

strain theory

strain you feel when you want a goal but society withholds the approved means of reaching the goal

anomie

the situation that arises when the norms of society are unclear or no longer applicable

conflict theory

competition and social inequality lead to deviance 

upper class

commit deviant acts to maintain power

lower class

commit deviant acts to get economic rewards or because they feel powerless

inner, outer

2 types of control

morals, values, principles

inner control

family, friends, media

outer control

primary, secondary

labeling theory types of deviance

primary deviance

nonconformity that goes undetected by authority; people who commit these acts don’t consider themselves deviant

secondary deviance

• results in individuals being labeled as deviant and accept the label as being true; change a person's life

  • can become a person’s “master status”

crime

an act labeled as such by those in authority, prohibited by law and punishable by the government

blue collar

(those financially unable to pay for the crimes & will do jail time or prison) → any crime committed by an individual from a lower social class as opposed to a white-collar crimew

white collar

nonviolent crime often characterized by deceit or concealment to obtain or avoid losing money or property (securities fraud)

corporate

crimes committed by corporations or individuals acting on behalf of a corporation`

juvenile

crime committed by young people below a specific age (18 in most societies/countries)

organized

criminal activities that are controlled and planned by powerful groups and are carried out on a large scale

hate

typically one involving violence, that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation

cyber

criminal activities carried out by means of computer or the internet

victimless

an act that is illegal but has no direct victim (public drinking, trespassing)

street

criminal offenses that typically take place in public places, such as streets, sidewalks, parks, or other open areas (robbery, assault, vandalism)

prison stats

• majority under age 35 

• almost all men

• half of all prisoners are African American

• many are never married

• less educated

• not enough prisons to house all deviants

• US has the most prisoners in the world

conformity, retreatism, rebellion, innovation, ritualism

What are the 5 deviance classifications?

conformity

using socially acceptable means to reach culture goals

retreatism

reject both cultural goals and the institutionalized means of achieving them (turn to drugs, enter a convent)

rebellion

reject both society’s goals and its institutionalized means

innovation

people accept the goals of society but use illegitimate means to try to reach them (sell drugs)

ritualism

people become discouraged and give up (burnt out teachers still teaching)

degradation ceremony

through a formal ceremony one’s identity is stripped away, they lose status and are stigmatized or labeled deviant