SOCIOL 2BB3 Midterm

Sociological Definition of Deviance

• anything that causes us to view another as an “outsider”, “other”, “different/strange”, abnormal.

Deviance is a _______ of socially accepted norms, rules, or expectations

• violation

  • e.,g ideas, beliefs, actions, customs, embodiment others find weird, strange, immoral, etc.

conceptions of deviance are ________ and ________ specific

• historically; culturally.

  • differ across time and place.

Deviance is a _______ concept.

• broad.

  • includes non-conformities & transgressions → e.g. swearing, faking illness, etc.

  • includes formal rule (law) breaking → e.g., fraud.

Sociological definition of Crime

• a violation (breaking) of formally enacted laws.

  • involved formal legal systems.

• based on objective, formal legal standards that are universally applicable (vary based on time and place).

All _______ are _______, but not all _________ is _________.

• crimes; deviant

• deviance; criminal

Positivist Paradigms

• macro approaches, focus on social structures (e.g., democracy, capitalism) and patterns.

  • absolutist, scientific, objectivist, factual.

Interpretivist Paradigms

• micro approach, focus on meanings and interpretations of individuals.

  • relativist, subjectivist, socially constructed.

    • “we decide what’s real”

Positivist Assumption about Deviance

• it is real, tangible, material, measurable, and obvious.

Positivists beliefs about deviance

• it’s an inherent property/characteristic of individuals and social systems.

  • it’s naturally occurring.

• all non-conforming behaviour is a violation of social norms and “natural” moral order.

• definitions are universally known and shared based on “commonsense”

Causes of Deviant Behaviour (Positivist)

• sociocultural conditions, environments, and socialization.

• biological, physiological, and psychological

Sociocultural Conditions, Environments, and Socialization → Causes of Deviant Behaviour (Positivists)

• caused by poverty, “bad” neighbourhoods, poor parenting, and peers.

  • individuals become bad/deviant due to external factors/forces.

Biological, Physiological, and Psychological→ Causes of Deviant Behaviour (Positivists)

• goodness/badness is inherent.

  • it exists in pathology of individuals body/mind.

    • e.g., genes, brain chemistry, facial features, body type, etc.

Interpretivist Approaches to Deviance

• how individuals and groups engage in the creation of their perceived social realities.

• focus on shared meanings, language, consciousness, and symbols → what’s normative and lawful.

Interpretivist Assumptions about Deviance

• it is relative and contextual/situational.

  • differs across time and place.

  • differs within cultures.

• it is socially constructed → doesn’t exist naturally.

  • constructed by those with power.

Interpretivist Beliefs about Deviance

• how behaviours, ideas, and ways of being come to be defined as deviant.

  • social definition, exists in reactions of others, result of defining or labelling individuals and their actions.

Interpretivist Questions about Deviance

• who’s involved in defining what is and isn’t.

• how certain things come to be defined.

• by what means are things defined.

• consequences of labelling behaviours.

Differences between Positivist and Interpretivist Definitions

Pos

• it is innate → who you are.

Inter

• it is socially constructed.

Early Explanations of Deviance

• pre-scientific method.

• supernatural → paranormal forces causing all things.

  • God, Devil, witches, demons, spirits, etc.

Deviance and Supernatural

• themes of cosmic struggle between good and evil (God and Devil) → Christianity.

  • battle for possession of human soul.

• Devil responsible for turning someone.

  • via temptation or possession.

Factors Leading to Shift Away from Supernatural Explanations

• separation of church and state → Roman Catholic authority & power challenged.

• scientific revolution → logical explanations sought for understanding causes.

• emerging capitalist social system → separation of home & work.

Creation of the Classical School of Deviance

• reaction against the irrationality of supernatural explanation.

• based instead on ideals of rationalism.

  • shaped by enlightenment → justice, liberty, people’s rights, humanism → surrender freedoms for social order and safety.

  • rise of mercantile-middle classes.

Classical School of Deviance

• believed human behaviour was rational by nature.

  • free will, know right from wrong.

• rationality governed individuals actions in obtaining pleasure & avoiding pain.

Classical school of deviance assumes deviance & crime is a _______ ________.

rational choice

Tenets of Classical Approach (Bentham)

• we avoid criminal activity when penalties are involved (e.g., jail time)

• fear of pain and punishment act as deterrent.

• punishment should fit the crime.

  • and be applied equally regardless of social class/status.

“Scientific” theories of deviance emerged around the ______ as a reaction against ________ & ________ ________ explanations.

1850s; supernatural & classical school.

Goal of “Scientific” Theories of Deviance

• separate “FACT” from superstition & speculation.

Central Claim of “Scientific” Approach

• the physical body mirrors the individuals moral capacity.

  • innate link b/w body/physiology & moral & deviant behaviour.

Deviance & criminality are understood as an ___________ according to “scientific” approach

embodiment

• result of physiological anomalies.

• observable signs on the body.

Features of a criminal according to “Scientific” Approach

• large nose & forehead, bad hair, etc.

The degree of an individuals __________ could be determined by measuring the number & degree of _________ _________

criminality; physical “deformities”

Social Context for “Scientific” Theories of Deviance

• gilded & progressive eras.

• social anxieties/problems.

Gilded & Progressive Eras

1870s-1910

• period of rapid economic growth.

  • industrialization, technological innovations, urbanization.

• better wages for working class.

• widespread immigration.

  • Britain, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Poland, etc.

• rapid social, political, and scientific change.

  • education, women’s suffrage, prohibition, etc.

*a belief that we are always improving as a society & that science could solve all issues*

• Comte, Marx, Darwin & Spencer Ideas

Consequences of rapid urbanization & industrialization

• “the worst of times”

• increased crime rates, vagrancy, prostitution, STIs, poverty.

• poor health of the nation → too sick to fight in war.

• rising birth rates of working class → fear of upper class being outnumbered.

• immigration of ‘undesirables’ from Eastern Europe.

*social context for “scientific” approach.

Theory of Degeneration

• civilization is in a decline due to the devolution of certain groups.

  • result of interbreeding of:

    • criminals, lower class, new immigrants, physically & mentally disabled.

  • rather than a result of disruptive social change.

Tenets of Degeneration Theory

• crime & deviance is the result of defective human biology & physiology.

• forces of degeneration opposed those of evolution.

  • the afflicted represent an earlier stage of human evolution.

    • conditions passed down through generations.

Two Theories of Degenerative Inheritance

1. Direct Degenerative Lineage

2. Indirect Degenerative Lineage

Direct Degenerative Lineage

• criminals produce criminals.

  • both parents are criminals.

Indirect Degenerative Lineage

• one parent possessed degenerative elements and passed it on.

• physical and mental defects increased with each generation.

  • from nervous temperament, immorality (first generation) to physical deformities, imbecility (4th generation)

Theory of Degeneration Ended with…

• the discovery of the scale of the Nazis atrocities.

  • following Holocaust Theory, couldn’t be taken seriously.

  • too many extremist views.

Lombroso’s Theory

1835-1909

• claimed criminality, madness, & genius were all linked and part of the same psychobiological condition.

• criminal anthropology.

• new “human science" for explaining deviance.

  • based on observation and measurement.

• 5 types of criminals

Lombroso’s 5 Criminal Types

• madmen

• born criminals

• criminals by habit

• occasional criminals

• crimes of passion

Born Criminals

• were regressed ancestral forms of human beings.

  • underdeveloped, evolutionary throwbacks, uncivilized.

• claimed this was 1/3 of offenders.

• possessed hereditary physical, psychological & moral signs of degeneration.

  • body features (e.g., small cranial capacity) & behaviour (e.g., cowardly)

Occasional Criminals’ deviance is due to ___________ _________, where Born Criminals’ deviance is _______ & ________.

• environmental factors.

  • lack of education, poverty, geography, etc.

  • could be rehabilitated.

• innate & deterministic.

  • who they are.

  • couldn’t be rehabilitated.

Other “Scientific” Theories of Embodied Deviance

• physiognomy

• craniometry

• phrenology

• Sheldon’s somatotyping

• XYY monster male

Physiognomy → Theories of Embodied Deviance

widespread during 18th & 19thCs

• ‘science’ of judging individuals character/personality based on type & shape of their facial features.

  • shifty eyes, weak chins, large noses, uni-browns, etc.

• was unscientific.

• aspects remain today → typecasting of character actors.

Craniometry → Theories of Embodied Deviance

• methodology used to determine personality traits, mental & moral faculties.

• moral character & criminality based on skull size & configuration.

• large brain = intellectual superiority.

• *theory revised when largest female brain was a lady who murdered her husband.

  • reflected social biases and stereotypes → inferiority of women and non-white people.

Phrenology → Theories of Embodied Deviance

• personality & intellect are located in distinct parts of the brain.

  • stronger functions manifested as large bumps of the skull.

    • innate deviance located in the lumps & contours of the skull.

Sheldon’s Somatotyping → Theories of Embodied Deviance

• relationship between human physique, personality, & criminal propensity.

• three body types:

  • Ectomorph → asthenic

  • Mesomorph → athletic

  • Endomorph → pyknic

Ectomorph → asthenic

• skinny, frail, and weak.

• introspective, sensitive, nervous.

Mesomorph → athletic

• muscular, hard, rectangular.

• restless, energetic, insensitive.

• body type of the criminal.

Endomorph → pyknic

• short and round

• jovial, sociable, self-indulgent.

• e.g., Santa.

XXY Monster Male Myth → Theories of Embodied Deviance

1969-1977

• attempt to link genetic anomalies to criminality.

  • belief anything other than X & XY was an anomaly.

    • but a range of sex chromosome configurations exist.

• believed this specific configuration of men were predisposed towards deviance.

• discredited → but gene theory popularity remains today → e.g., “gay gene”

Structural Functionalism

• concerned with causes and prevention of deviance.

  • includes prediction and control.

• a positivist approach.

• crime & deviance are threats to society & social order.

• seen as somehow functional to society → exists for a reason.

Structural Functionalisms main focus is to explain…

how society is organized, structured, and functions.

• intended (manifest →jail for reformation) and unintended (latent → jail time & learning new ways to commit crimes) functions.

Structural Functionalism is a philosophical _____ ______ enlightenment ideals.

reaction against

• disruptive to existing status quo of hereditary privilege, tradition, community, & order.

Structural Functionalism sees social change as ________ to society.

dysfunctional

• too rapid or too much caused disequilibrium, disharmony, and deviance in society.

Tenets of Structural Functionalism Theory

• explain society as a whole social system operating in a unified way.

• employs biological metaphor to explain how society operates.

  • society analogous to human body.

• the parts function in an orderly, harmonious manner.

• society exists in a natural state of equilibrium.

• changes in one part of the system will affect all other parts.

• rules of society are consensual.

• prolonged conflict is unnatural, pathological, and deviant.

Two Theories of Deviance/Crime within Structural Functionalism

1. Deviance as a Norm Violation

2. Deviance as functional to the social system

Deviance as Norm Violation → SF

• disruption of natural order & social disequilibrium.

• two models that both result in anomie (defined differently).

  • Durkheim → Anomie as a state of social normlessness

    • breakdown of values & expectations.

    • arises from excessive, too rapid social change.

  • Merton → anomie as alienation

    • disconnect from self.

    • arises when individuals experience blocked opportunities in stratified society

Deviance as Functional to the Social System → SF

• integrates people into society → social solidarity & community.

• allows for social change → otherwise stagnation and death of society.

Rising suicide rates during 19thC Europe in individualistic communities due to:

• low levels of social integration, social control, & moral regulation within these groups.

• noted by Durkheim.

  • was also during a period of rapid urbanization, immigration, industrialization → social changes lead to more deviance & crime.

Durkheim argued suicide is not solely due to mental illness but is also from…

• rapid social change → breakdown of norms that control behaviour.

• unclear social goals & expectations b/c of the lack of social regulation.

  • confusion, despair, worthlessness, etc.

    • results in anomie → normlessness.

Four types of Suicide → Durkheim

1. Egoistic

2. Altruistic

3. Anomic

4. Fatalistic

Egoistic Suicide → Durkheim

• social integration is too low.

• social isolation → cut off from society.

• weakly integrated into society → emotionally disconnected.

• suffers from prolonged disappointment & misery → unfulfilled passions, needs, relationships with others.

Altruistic Suicide → Durkheim

• social integration is too strong

• overly integrated into a group/society.

• subordinates passions/impulses for greater good.

  • e.g., military, religious cults.

• when group/society is threatened → individual sacrifices self for others.

Anomic Suicide → Durkheim

• moral regulation is too low

• results in a state of normlessness or normative confusion.

• due to rapid social or economic change.

  • e.g., divorce, unemployment, etc.

• individuals passions become unregulated → become depressed, etc.

• traditional rules of behaviour no longer apply.

  • social norms broken down.

• not enough rules in society.

Fatalistic Suicide → Durkheim

• moral regulation is too high

  • society has become over-regulated.

• life has become too strict → hopes for future are blocked.

• passion is impeded by oppressive forces

• too many rules.

When social change is too rapid or sudden:

• traditional norms & means of social control begin to fail.

• people lose their sense of purpose and meaning in life.

• social bonds between individuals weaken.

• well-being of society is compromised

all resulting in anomie.

Anomie and chaotic structures of society result in…

• harmful levels of social deviance and dysfunction for society.

Merton’s Classic Strain Theory

• a general theory of social deviance.

• focus on link between anomie & social strain.

• the structure of society itself can encourage too much deviance.

  • forces external to and beyond the individuals control.

    • society made you do it.

What in the organization of society allows some but not others to deviate?

• when a gap emerges between culturally prescribed goals and the legit means of obtaining those goals.

  • goals → wealth, success, status, power, etc.

  • means → education, hard work, sacrifice, perseverance.

  • gap → the means don’t = the goals.

    • lack equal access → poverty, cultural minorities, disadvantaged.

Blocked opportunities can lead to deinstitutionalization of mean causing individuals to…

find ways to adapt to those blockages → if they don’t they’ll experience anomie (alienation) from society.

• often use illegitimate means to bridge the gap.

  • e.g., theft, fraud, murder, etc.

Merton’s Five Modes of Adaptation

• the adjustments individuals pursue to achieve society’s goals during social strain.

• involves changing goals, pursuing other means, or both.

1. Conformists

2. Innovators

3. Ritualists

4. Retreatists

5. Rebels

Conformists → Merton’s Five Modes of Adaptation

• individual accepts both cultural goals & institutionalized means.

• will take the steps to reach the goal even if their efforts don’t pay off.

• have faith.

• most common.

• don’t threaten social order.

Innovators → Merton’s Five Modes of Adaptation

• criminals.

• adhere to defined goals despite periods of social strain → abandon legit ways of pursuing goals and instead pursue illegal means.

• found among all social classes.

Ritualists → Merton’s Five Modes of Adaptation

• alter goals because legitimate means are unavailable or unrealistic.

• continue to behave in socially acceptable ways → don’t break formal rules.

  • violate informal cultural norms → e.g., not trying to get a leg up, just working because you have to.

• goals don’t really exist anymore.

• don’t threaten social order.

Retreatists → Merton’s Five Modes of Adaptation

• give up goals of success & following legitimate means.

  • don’t value success or wish to actively pursue it.

• substance users, mental illness, etc.

  • e.g., laid-off worker who stops looking for jobs, hippies, etc.

• deviant but not usually criminal.

Rebels → Merton’s Five Modes of Adaptation

• reject goals and legitimate ways of achieving them.

  • substitute new goals and means to achieve them.

• seek radical change to social order.

  • e.g., rebellions, revolutions, etc.

• nonconformists, revolutionaries, & “terrorists”

• deviant.

Durkheim’s Functions of Deviance Theory

• sees deviance as normal & functional to maintain society.

• all societies differ over what’s considered deviance/crime.

  • no society is free of either.

• crime is a universal & persistent feature of society so it must perform a vital function for society.

Durkheim’s 4 Functions of Deviance

1. deviance integrates members into social system.

2. deviance clarifies community’s moral boundaries.

3. deviance reward & motivates saintly behaviour.

4. deviance allows for social change & flexibility in the social system.

Deviance integrates members into social system → Durkheim’s Functions

• unites people via common sentiments against a common enemy.

• reactions to deviance promote social solidarity.

  • e.g., horror & outrage after a tragic event.

Deviance clarifies community’s moral boundaries → Durkheim’s Functions

• establishes what is un/acceptable.

• what’s deemed as “crossing the line”

Deviance reward & motivates saintly behaviour → Durkheim’s Functions

• allows conformists to compare themselves to deviants.

  • i.e., look down on them.

• feel virtuous, respectable, superior when law-abiding.

Deviance allows for social change & flexibility in the social system → Durkheim’s Functions

• deviance and crime are preconditions for social change → e.g., decriminalization of weed.

• some levels of deviance have + effects for society.

  • too much results in disorder, anomie, and societal breakdown.

Criticisms of Structural Functionalism Theories

• official crime data may be used but it is limited & biased:

  • not all crimes are reported, court more likely to prosecute the poor, ignore white collar crime.

• assumes consensus of societal goals → not everyone wants to be doctor, lawyer, etc.

  • alternative values = deviant???

• north american societies are pluralistic → not homogeneous

  • values differ between classes, ethnicities, genders, age, religions, etc.

• depicts working class as miserable…not true.

• most violence is emotional not instrumental

  • i.e., crimes of passion.

• can’t really explain social conflict & change.

• not all deviant responses are class based.

Significance of the Chicago School

• first major approach to urban sociology (1920-1930s) → moving into cities.

• applied “natural laws of causation” to study of city life.

• goal: improve social conditions in society.

The Chicago School claims the cause of deviance is found in structural forces…

external to the individual.

• physical & social environment of cities shape human behaviour, community life, & social problems.

  • environment: landlocked, green spaces, near water, etc.

The Chicago School claims the cause of deviance is found in people’s…

environment

• where people live & how they interact with others creates conditions for criminal behaviour.

• subcultural groups’ norms reflect material circumstances.

  • e.g., Little Italy, China Town, etc.

Ecological Model of Deviance → Chicago School

• deviance is a result of social disorganization.

• breakdown of social controls in families, neighbourhoods, and communities due to rapid city growth & urbanization.

Subcultural Model of Deviance → Chicago School

• deviance is a result of differential associations.

• individuals learn both conforming and nonconforming norms, values, motives, beliefs vial interaction with intimate others.

  • peers, family, etc.

Why was there so much deviance in Chicago (19th C)?

• because it was the fastest growing city.

• rapid growth = increased social problems

  • youth running wild in the streets, involved in gangs, etc.

• lack of social control agents to deal with problems → e.g., police, public health, social workers, etc. → no order.

• communities left to solve their problems.

• strain of rapid urbanization, industrialization, & mass immigration resulted in chaos & anomie.

Ecological Theory of Deviance (Park)

• empirical observation of city life → studying lived experiences of groups and individuals.

• looked at social problems that emerged from rapid social change & urban growth.

  • violence, crime, prostitution, ghettos, inequality.

What Ideas from Plant Ecology did Parks Borrow for His Theory of Deviance

1. symbiosis

2. competition

3. invasion

4. dominance

5. succession

Symbiosis & Deviance → Park’s Theory

• People: groups that are similar in many ways will be compatible → community.

• Plants: all organisms are mutually dependent on each other.

Competition & Deviance → Park’s Theory

• People: individuals fight for economic resources like housing, jobs, land, etc. which drives the layout of the city.

• Plants: new species and old species fight for scarce resources.

Invasion & Deviance → Park’s Theory

• People: a new group of people (e.g., immigrants, businesses) come in and destabilize a once stable area → people leave others stay.

• Plants: a new plant species comes into an area populated by existing plant communities.

Dominance & Deviance → Park’s Theory

• People: a certain demographic controls the area and establishes economic & social control over it.

• Plants: a species of plant has taken over the area and dictates the ecosystem conditions.

Succession & Deviance → Park’s Theory

• People: the invading group completely displaces the previous one, changing the culture, character, etc. → the old community moves to a different neighbourhood (probably displacing the current residence there) and a new group may come again to displace the previous invaders (cyclical process)

• Plants: the natural progression where one plant community is gradually replaced by an entirely different one over time.

Ecological Model suggests as the inner city expands & __________ invade residential areas, strain is created and results in social ____________.

industries; disorganization

• strain leads to breakdown and chaos in neighbourhood stability.

  • impacts informal social controls of family & community.