Sociology of Deviance Exam 1 Study Material - Dr. Richard Abel @ Texas A&M University

deviance

any behavior that is different from societal norms or, anything perceived as wrong

Positivists Perspective

deviance can be examined by using research methods

absolutism

deviance is real and deviant behavior does exist (positivists)

Objectivism

behavior is observable or measurable (positivists)

determinism

deviance has causes that must be unraveled (positivists)

constructionists perspective

nothing is deviant unless defined as such (3 parts: relativism, subjectivism, voluntarism)

relativism

individuals become labeled by others from definitions developed in society (constructionists)

subjectivism

knowing the social world comes from immersing yourself in it (constructionist)

voluntarism

deviant behavior comes from our conscious decision, or free will, no true causes of deviance (constructionist)

Akers

Differential Reinforcement Theory (who)

differential reinforcement theory

inappropriate behavior is more likely to be repeated when it is frequently reinforced and infrequently punished

merton

status based deviance (who)

status based deviance

people are expected to behave according to social status

Becker

Labeling theory (who)

labeling theory

only deviant if labeled as such

Erickson

social construction theory (who)

social construction

no behavior is inherently deviant, but based on perceptions, deviance is subjective (ex. tattoos)

Hirschi

our bond to society keeps us out of trouble, less likely to deviate is involved and enjoys society

subculture

any aspect of social life in which young people, style, and music intersect

a group in society differentiated by values, norms, and lifestyle

non-normative values and resistance to mainstream

counter culture

group in society that openly rejects or actively opposes society, values and norms

different from subculture because they reject society

strain theory

merton, society puts pressure on individuals to attain socially accepted goals, even though they lack the means to do so

crime and deviance

not all crime is deviant and not all deviance is criminal

differential association

deviant behavior not inherited, but effected by who you associate with

field study

going into a social setting and observing first hand what is taking place (observation)

survey research

way of the sociologist

can be:

person to person

telephone

mail

secondary analysis

analyzing data collected by others

what does secondary Analysis allow for

reanalysis and evaluation

who came up with deviance

emile durkheim

Anomie

sense of not knowing what one is expected to do or not to do, the result of norms becoming unclear

causes norms to lose their hold on people

Durkheim

structural theories

deviance is the result of social breakdown and social change, more likely to occur when social cohesion is threatened and individuals are blocked from achieving goals

control theory

humans need to be controlled

deviance occurs when methods of control fail

feminist

explains deviance from a women's perspective

where was first soci. dept.

university of Chicago

social ecology

ways individuals interact with the social environment, and how these interactions effect the environment around them

CCCS

Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies

Mainstream

widespread attitudes and values of society, set by adults of "how you should be"

Neo-Tribe

looser structure than a subculture which is organized around lifestyle themes and consumer choices, ever-changing hybrid of styles and scenes, consumer groups who come together in settings (ex. concert)

deception

participants are unaware of the project or groups they are in

code of ethics

guidelines set to avoid situations that cause harm to participants

value free sociology

weber, researcher should identify facts without allowing beliefs or bias to interfere

quantitative

translates social world to numbers (research method)

qualitative

research with non-numerical values

scientific method steps

1. identify a problem

2. conduct literature review

3. hypothesis

4. choose research method

5. collect data

6. analyze data

7. discuss findings

replicability

ability of research to be replicated

ethnography

studying people in their own environment

participant observation

researcher observes and becomes member in a social setting

rapport

positive relationships with participants (trust)

reflexivity

how identity and activities of researcher influence field study

Mechanical solidarity

Durkheim, less Developed more homogeneous agrarian societies, people are alike morally, religiously and socially

organic solidarity

more developed heterogeneous industrial societies, division of labor and specialized labor, more diverse

3 parts of strain theory

Agnew

1. inability to achieve positively valued goals

2. positively valued stimuli are removed or there is a threat to remove

3. introduction of negative stimuli and includes negative relations

5 adaptions to strain

1. conformity

2. innovation

3. ritualism

4. retreatism

5. rebellion

conformity

conform to the strain

innovation

accepted goal but not using conventional means to achieve it

ritualism

reject wealth and riches but happy where they are in society

Retreatsim

individuals renounce society and cultural norms all together

rebellion

individuals achieve new goals by any means necessary

delinquent subcultures

malicious, destructive and negativistic

conflict subculture

engage in violence as a result of frustration

retreatist subculture

failures of society

criminal subculture

subculture that emerges in where criminal role models and financially rewarding crimes are available

stereotypes

over simplified generalizations applied to all members of a group (half-truths, distorted facts and negative connotation)

skinheads

made of the working class, rejected mainstream, core values: pride in family self country and working class, hyper masculine

social class

designates ones standing in society and therefore many of their opportunities (upper, middle, lower)

hegemony

means dominance, people in power preserve dominance not only by politics but through cultural dominance, dominance of one thing over another

SHARP

skinheads against racial prejudice

ARA

anti-racial action

symbolic interaction

human beings are meaning makers, we interpret the world around us and create meaning through interaction, how humans use and interpret symbols

symbolic interaction parts

1. based on assumptions

2. meaning is created through interaction between people

3. we learn meanings

4. meanings change over time through interpretive process, meaning is socially constructed (same objective reality can hold different meaning based on individual filters)

definition of the situation

we interpret our surroundings based on how we define a situation, interpretation of reality

scene

participant coming and going and few living completely in the subculture

spuriousness

two independent factors appear to be related but are not

culture

merton, normative values or governing behavior of members of a society or group

validity

The ability of a test to measure what it is intended to measure

reliability

when a study can be replicated using the same data and instruments and you can get the same results

conflict theory

society is characterized by inequalities and conflicts

who came up with conflict theory

Marx

quasi experiment

type of experiment that is experimental but occurs in a natural setting

operationalization

process of strictly dividing concepts or terms into measurable factors to allow subjective ideas to be measured objectively

comparative historical research

research that uses existing sources to study relationships among elements of society in various regions and time periods

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A committee at each institution where research is conducted to review every experiment for ethics and methodology.

generalizability

the extent to which we can claim our findings inform us about a group larger than the one we studied

cultural imperialism

the promotion of one culture over others, through formal policy or less formal means, like the spread of technology and material culture