Deviance and Social Control Final Guide

Differential Association Theory

A theory proposed by Edwin Sutherland stating that deviant behavior is learned through interactions with others.

Social Learning Theory

A theory suggesting that behaviors are learned through reinforcement and the observation of others.

Techniques of Neutralization

Strategies used by individuals to justify or rationalize their deviant actions.

Labeling Theory

A sociological perspective that focuses on how the labels assigned to individuals affect their self-identity and behavior.

Primary Deviance

Initial acts of rule-breaking that may not affect a person's self-concept.

Secondary Deviance

Deviance that occurs as a result of being labeled as deviant, leading to further criminal behavior.

Capitalism

An economic system where private ownership and the market drive the production of goods and services.

Moral Panic

A widespread fear, often exaggerated, that some deviant behavior or group is threatening societal norms and values.

Social Structure

The organized pattern of social relationships and social institutions that together compose society.

Social Control Theory

A theory suggesting that people’s relationships, commitments, values, and beliefs encourage them not to break the law.

Symbolic Interactionism

A theoretical perspective focusing on the meanings individuals derive from social interactions.

Reinforcement (Operant Conditioning)

A method of influencing behavior by providing consequences for actions, either rewarding or punishing.

Residual Rule Breaking

Violations of norms that are unclear or undefined within the social context.

Master Status

A social status that overshadows other statuses and influences a person's identity.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

The phenomenon where a person's belief or expectation about an event or behavior brings about that very outcome.

Code of the Street

A cultural adaptation in which people respond to the lack of trust in institutions with a code that supports aggression and certain behavior standards.

Positive Rite

In Rios's study, a societal recognizing event that marks a positive transition in status or identity.

Looking Glass Self

A concept that suggests an individual’s self-concept is developed through the perception of how others view them.

Edwin Sutherlands theory

differential association

differential association

the idea that criminal behavior is learned

Ronald akers

social learning theory

social learning theory

a theory suggesting that behavior is learned through social interactions and reinforcement, emphasizing the role of observation and imitation in the learning process.

idea of Sykes and matza

that delinquents develop techniques of neutralization to justify their behavior. sort of don’t think

Akers developed this theory, linking social structure processes and the process of learning deviant behavior

SSSL (Social structure and social learning theory)

Armstrong, Hamilton and Sweeney used this to explain the prevalence of sexual assault on campus

the specific social environments and situations that breed such on campuses

Differential Social Organization

refers to the way that different social groups, communities, or societies are organized in a way that can either encourage or discourage deviant behavior. It suggests that some groups or areas have a higher concentration of deviant behavior due to factors such as social structures, relationships, and norms that are conducive to or tolerant of deviance, while other areas may promote conformity.

Basic Assumptions of Social Control Theory

People are inherently deviant, Conformity requires social bonds, and The strength of social bonds determines conformity

What are the four clusters of social control outlined by F. Ivan Nye?

1. Direct control 2. Alternative control methods 3. Internal control 4. Indirect control

Internal control

refers to the internalization of societal norms and values, which guide individuals' behavior and promote conformity without the need for external enforcement.

indirect control

refers to the influence of social relationships such as with family on individual behavior, shaping conformity through expectations and social pressure

direct control

refers to the use of formal rules and regulations, including laws and sanctions, to regulate behavior and maintain social order.

alternative control

jobs, things keeping someone “on track” leading to less chance of deviance

Why don’t most people engage in deviance and crime, according to Travis Hirschi?

Hirschi argues that most people refrain from deviance and crime due to strong social bonds, which include attachment to family, commitment to societal norms, involvement in conventional activities, and belief in the moral validity of rules.

How does Hirschi characterize the four parts of social bonds?

Attachment, commitment, involvement, belief

Attachment

The emotional connection an individual has to others, particularly to family, friends, and community. Like a teen girl being close with her mother.

Commitment and involvement

The investment an individual has in conventional activities, such as education, career, or personal goals.

Belief

The extent to which an individual believes in and accepts the societal norms and values. Those who have strong belief in the moral legitimacy of rules are less likely to break them.

affects of labeling theory on people

stigmatization, self-fulfilling prophecy, social isolation

labeling is a relational process. What does that mean?

Labeling as a relational process means that the process of labeling is dependent on the interaction between the individual and society. It's not just about an individual's actions, but how those actions are perceived and responded to by others in a given social context. EX: A poor persons actions might be perceived worse than if a rich person did the same thing.

primary deviance

This refers to the initial act of rule-breaking or deviant behavior that does not result in a significant label or social reaction. It is often a minor or isolated act.

secondary deviance

This occurs when the individual is labeled as deviant and begins to engage in further deviant behavior because of the label. The label becomes part of their self-identity and influences their future behavior.

Who developed the ideas of primary and secondary deviance

Charles Lemert

The rosenhan experiment

aimed to study the effects of psychiatric labels. The objective was to test whether psychiatric diagnoses were valid and whether the label of "mentally ill" could affect how patients were treated. After being labeled as something, people had assumptions of the people, even after hey acted normally.

William Chambliss’s saints and roughnecks study

boys from a wealthy area, “saints”, were able to avoid getting in trouble for their deviant actions. Boys from a more povertous area, “roughnecks”, were labeled as deviant gangsters and were therefore more likely to continue to commit crimes later in life.

Carlos Rios’ theory of “labeling hype”

the exaggerated or amplified focus on an individual’s deviant behavior due to the label they have been given. Leading to more deviance

What is a “positive rite”?

A positive rite is a socially approved and supportive rite of passage that marks an individual’s entry into a new role or stage in life. Like a job, for example, being denied such will lead to an individual becoming more deviant most likely.

Looking-glass-self

concept developed by Charles Horton Cooley, suggesting that a person’s self-concept is shaped by how others perceive them. It involves three steps: imagining how we appear to others, imagining how others evaluate us, and developing a self-concept based on these perceptions.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

a prediction or expectation about someone or something that causes the person or situation to act in ways that confirm the original belief.

Residual Rule Breaking

Ways of acting out that don’t technically fit into any definitions of deviance or go against any written social norms. Like an adult acting babyish and immature for their age.

Master Status

a status that dominates all other statuses that an individual holds, often because it is highly visible or stigmatized. Like being a “criminal” and no other possible characteristics about the person being noticed or acknowledged.

Ethnography

a qualitative research method used in sociology and anthropology where researchers immerse themselves in a community or social group to observe and study its members in their natural environment.

Purpose of capitalism

To generate wealth by keeping money in the hands of the few, encouraging competition and profit driving.

How society is structured in capitalist societies, according to Marx?

The Bourgeoisie (Capitalists): The ruling class, who own and control the means of production (factories, land, resources, etc.) and The Proletariat (Workers): The working class, who sell their labor to the capitalists in exchange for wages. They do not own the means of production and are exploited by the bourgeoisie.

What role do laws, values, norms, and ideas play in a capitalist society, according to Marx?

Protect the laws and interests of the ruling class, maintain social control, legitimate inequality, and define what is deviance

William bonger

marxists criminologist sociologist

According to William Bonger, what is the connection between economic conditions and crime?

capitalism inherently promotes crime. In capitalist societies, there is a deep conflict of interests between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. This exploitation and the inequality it produces can lead to:

• Social alienation and Criminalization of the poor.

What are the two functions of law, according to Joseph Gusfield?

Instrumental Function: to protect, like traffic laws

Symbolic Function: Express the beliefs of the dominant group in society. Ex: Laws against drug use put in place mainly to control marginalized groups.

Steven Spitzer’s term of “problem populations”

Groups that are seen as deviant or undesirable because they challenge or fail to integrate into capitalist economic structures

Steven Spitzer’s “social junk”

People who are economically redundant or unproductive in a capitalist system (e.g., the permanently unemployed, people with mental illnesses, elderly individuals who no longer work). They are often ignored, marginalized, or treated as burdens

Steven Spitzer’s term of “social dynamite”

Groups that pose a threat to the status quo because they actively challenge capitalist systems

Who coined the term “moral panic”

Stanley Cohen

definitions of Moral panic

a process by which a perceived threat to societal values and norms is exaggerated, leading to widespread fear and overreaction by the public, often driven by the media. A moral panic is typically fueled by the idea that a specific group, activity, or behavior poses a danger to the moral fabric of society

moral entrepreneurs

someone who takes it upon themselves to try and mobilize people against a social movement

"Law and Order" Rhetoric of the 1950s-1960s:

central to the way politicians and media framed issues of poverty and crime. This rhetoric criminalized race by associating Blackness with criminality. It framed poverty not as a structural issue caused by systemic inequality, but as a moral failing or a consequence of bad behavior by individuals or communities, often those of color.

“Southern Strategy”

Used as a term by Nixon and Reagan to appeal to southern voters fear about civil rights movements, preached things would return to “law and order”.

How Controls on the Formerly Incarcerated Affect Re-incarceration:

The controls placed on formerly incarcerated individuals, such as probation, parole, and restrictions on voting or employment, create a system in which people are at high risk of re-incarceration: