deviance and social control

Laws

Formal rules established by a governing authority to regulate behavior.

Beliefs

Convictions or acceptance that something is true or exists, often without proof.

Values

Core principles or standards that guide behavior and judgments.

Sociological imagination

The ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and larger social influences.

Critical perspective on deviance

An approach that examines the social context and power dynamics influencing definitions of deviance.

Deviance

Behavior that violates societal norms or expectations.

Social control

Mechanisms, strategies, and institutions that regulate individual behavior to conform to societal norms.

Norm

Social expectations that guide behavior within a group.

Folkways

Informal norms that govern everyday behavior, such as manners and customs.

Mores

Strongly held norms that are essential to the welfare of society and often have moral significance.

Taboos

Prohibitions against certain behaviors that are considered unacceptable or forbidden.

Anomie/Strain Theory

A theory suggesting that societal breakdown or strain leads to deviant behavior.

Core assumptions of anomie/strain theories

These theories share the belief that societal structures can create pressures leading to deviance.

Durkheim's social factors for suicide

Factors such as lack of social integration and regulation can increase suicide rates.

Merton's Structural Strain Theory

A theory that explains how societal structures can create pressure to engage in deviant behavior.

Adaptations to strain

Different ways individuals respond to societal pressures, including conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion.

Cloward and Ohlin's contribution

They introduced the concept of different access to deviant opportunities affecting behavior.

Criminal, conflict, and retreatist subcultures

Cloward and Ohlin characterized these subcultures based on their responses to strain and available opportunities.

Cohen's characterization of subcultures

Cohen described subcultures that develop from status frustration as having their own norms and values.

Examples of subcultures and countercultures

Subcultures exist within the dominant culture, while countercultures oppose it.

American Dream and deviance

Messner and Rosenfeld argue that the pursuit of the American Dream can lead to deviant behavior due to societal pressures.

Institutional anomie

A concept referring to the breakdown of social norms and values in institutions, leading to deviance.

Shortcomings of anomie/strain theory

Critiques include its inability to explain all forms of deviance and its focus on societal factors over individual agency.

Risk environment

McLean's term for contexts that increase the likelihood of drug use and overdose.

McKeesport's risk environment

Factors such as poverty, lack of resources, and high crime rates contribute to McKeesport being a risk environment.

Criminalization of drug use

The presence of law enforcement can increase the likelihood of opiate overdose by creating a dangerous environment for users.

Relationships among opiate users

McLean characterizes these relationships as influencing the likelihood of overdose, often through shared risk behaviors.

Opportunity structures in McKeesport

Cloward and Ohlin's concept applied to McKeesport suggests that local conditions encourage drug markets and use.

Deaths of despair

Case and Deaton refer to increasing mortality rates due to drug overdoses, suicides, and alcohol-related diseases.

Dominent culture

The main culture of a society that holds the most power and influence.

Subculture

A cultural group within a larger culture that has distinct values and behaviors.

Counterculture

A culture that actively rejects and opposes the dominant culture.

Social status

The position or rank of a person or group within a social hierarchy.

Altruistic suicide

Suicide that occurs when individuals feel excessively integrated into a group.

Fatalistic suicide

Suicide that occurs when individuals experience extreme regulation and oppression.

Egoistic suicide

Suicide that occurs when individuals feel detached from society.

Anomic suicide

Suicide that occurs due to a breakdown of social norms and values.

Anomie

A state of normlessness in society where social norms are unclear or absent.

Conformity

The act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms.

Ritualism

A form of deviance where individuals strictly adhere to rules but lose sight of the goals.

Innovation

The act of creating new methods or ideas to achieve societal goals.

Retreatism

The rejection of both societal goals and means, leading to withdrawal from society.

Rebellion

The act of rejecting societal goals and means, while advocating for new ones.

Social disorganization theory

A theory that attributes crime and deviance to the breakdown of social structures.

Social ecology (or socio-ecological approach)

An approach that examines the relationship between individuals and their social environment.

Collective efficacy

The shared belief in a community's ability to act together for the common good.

Social cohesion

The bonds that bring society together and promote solidarity among its members.

Broken Windows Theory

A theory suggesting that visible signs of disorder and neglect cause an increase in crime.

Revanche (or revanchism)

A political strategy aimed at reclaiming lost territory or status.