chapter 6 sociology

social control

mechanisms employed by social groups to ensure conformity

what are the goals for ideological social control?

conformity to dominant ideas and resistance to competing ideologies. compliance with laws and existing distribution of societys resources and power

what are the agents of ideological social control?

family, schools, religion, sport, media, government/the state

what are the goals of direct social control?

attempts to punish or render powerless organizations or individuals who deviate from society's norms

what are the agents of direct social control?

social welfare institutions, science and medicine, government/ the states

deviance

behavior that violates the social norms and values by most people in a particular culture, violates the rules of a group

what is durkheims structural functional perspective on insight regarding deviant behavior?

deviance serves positive functions, affirms cultural values, clarifies moral boundaries, promotes social unity, encourages social change

what is robert mertons structural strain theory?

people have different opportunities to meet societal goals, this creates stress because people are aware of the goals, but do not have the means to achieve them

biological theories and critiques

argue a casual link between biological factors and deviant behavior. no matter what type of deviance, correlations with biological factors usually low, don't focus on crimes by those who epitomize success

psychological theories

assume the individuals mind or personality is the problem causing deviant behavior

labeling theory

holds that most people break social rules, but only some are labeled deviant. society defines what is illegal and who is labelled deviant

primary deviance

occurs at the moment an activity/ behavior is labeled as deviant by others

secondary deviance

occurs when a person labeled deviant accepts the label as part of their identity and as a result, acts in conformity with the label, the behavior resulting from the labeling process

tertiary deviance

redefining the stigma associated with a deviant label as something positive or normal

social conflict

focuses on the importance of power, dominant ideas serve the ruling class, so rule violations have political implications. focus on socially harmful behaviors whether considered criminal or not, focus attention on corporations as perpetrators rather than just individuals

stigma

any physical or social attribute that devalues a person or groups identity that may exclude them from social interaction and social benefits

which of the following would sociologists consider the best definition of deviance?

violations of social norms

why would using the wrong fork to eat a salad at a dinner party not usually qualify as deviance?

it is not a serious norm violation to provoke sanctions

a key emphasis of a sociological analysis of deviance is that

what is considered deviant behavior depends on social context

Some subcultures have adopted branding as a form of body art, though it is no longer used as a form of punishment in the United States. This demonstrates that

what is considered deviant changes over time

Imagine that a powerful and influential person living in San Francisco decides to tattoo most of her face with symbols. Would she be seen as deviant?

yes, but only because she lives in the united states where face tattoos are not the norm

which of the following describes how deviance can be explained from the functionalist perspective?

deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms

Our textbook discusses ________, who proposed social control theory, which suggests that individuals with stronger bonds are LESS likely to commit crime.

travis hirschi

Which theory suggests that crimes committed by the upper classes are typically treated more leniently than crimes committed by the lower classes because laws represent the interests of those in power?

conflict theory

Stealing avocados or almost any other agricultural product is a felony in California if the product is worth more than $100. A ________ would say that such laws target homeless people who have little power in society and are simply trying to eat.

conflict theorist

What is one of the principal reasons people turn to deviant behavior in the United States, according to the structural strain theory of deviance as articulated by Robert Merton?

the goal of success is shared by a majority of people, but not everyone has equal means for achieving that goal

According to labeling theory, none of the pseudo-patients in David Rosenhan's "On Being Sane in Insane Places" were discovered by hospital staff because

it is often difficult for people to see past the label once a person has been labeled mentally ill

What happened to the pseudo-patients in David Rosenhan's "On Being Sane in Insane Places"?

they were all finally released, but their illnesses were considered in remission

A person arrived at a company party dressed in a bunny costume only to discover that the party was not a costume party and he had been tricked by a co-worker. Everyone from then on saw him as crazy and eccentric and eventually he came to think of himself in this way too. The initial mistake at the party is an example of

primary deviance

Almost any ________ can have a stigmatizing effect, including a physical disability, an addiction, or a mental illness.

departure from the norm

Regarding stigma, our textbook highlights that symbolic interactionists are interested in

how people manage their stigmatized identities on an everyday basis

how does a sociological view differ from from the common sense notion that bad people do bad things?

bad is relative to the situation and behavior not the person. no action or thought is deviant, it is only deviant if society makes it

according to emile durkheim, how is deviance actually functional for society?

affirms cultural values, clarifies moral boundaries, promotes social unity, encourages social change

how does what happened to the pseudo patients in rosenhans experiment provide support for the labeling theory of deviance?

They went into the psych place and acted like they had schizophrenia, then once they were acting completely normal they still had this label and will have this label forever even though they are normal, this supports the labeling theory because they broke the social rule of going to get help and even though they act normal they will forever have this label because of how society defines them

what types of crime and deviance are are more easily analyzed using a social conflict approach?

white collar vs. street crime