Soc 180 Potential Final Essay Exam Study Concepts

Flashcards covering key sociological theories including social control, strain, stigma, and labeling theories, based on the provided lecture notes and transcript.

Social control theory

A broad criminological theory that primarily attempts to explain why people do not engage in deviance and focuses on conformity.

Braithwaite’s theory

A theory about social control that explains how society controls individuals through shaming and fosters conformity.

Shaming

An expression of social disapproval that seeks to invoke remorse in the wrongdoer.

Disintegrative shaming

A type of shaming that involves no attempt at reconciliation with the offender and the community, which can provoke future criminal activity.

Reintegrative shaming

A type of shaming likely to help prevent future crime by sparing the individual the criminal label.

Functionalist theory

A perspective where crime and deviance are not pathological disruptions but are universal, inevitable, and parts of all healthy societies.

Theory of social organization

A theory focused on the patterns of relationships between deviant actors and how deviance is linked to the practical advantages of an organization.

Radical feminists (on sex work)

A perspective that views any type of sex work as exploited due to patriarchal conditions and posits that all individuals are harmed by participation.

Sex radical feminists

A perspective claiming sex work subverts patriarchy because women capitalize on their sexuality and profit from it.

Polymorphous paradigm

A nuanced stance that acknowledges the complexity of the sex work industry, rejecting the idea that it is always purely oppressive or empowering.

Cultural Deviance Theory

A theory positing that engagement in deviant behavior results from adhering to a set of values and norms reinforced by personal social networks.

Life-Course Perspective (Sampson and Laub)

A theory focused on desistance and the identification of 'turning points' in the life cycle that create social bonds or psychological shifts necessary for change.

Desistance

The process of ceasing criminal activity.

Character stigma

A form of stigma involving perceived blemishes of individual character, such as weak will or dishonesty, often inferred from a known record of imprisonment.

Tribal stigma

A form of stigma where individuals experience stigmata of race, nation, or religion that can be transmitted through lineages.

Stigma theory

An ideology used to explain an individual's perceived inferiority or the danger they represent, leading to varieties of discrimination.

Passing

A coping strategy for those with a non-perceivable status involving the careful concealing and revealing of information to establish a favorable identity.

Vocabulary of motive

A concept by C. Wright Mills describing the language by which people describe their motivations and account for their conduct based on social context.

Neutralization techniques

Interactional strategies and rationalizations used by individuals to neutralize social rules and the dominant order while maintaining a positive self-image.

Justifications

A type of neutralization where individuals accept responsibility for an action but provide reasons to legitimate the behavior as not being deviant.

Excuses

A type of neutralization where individuals acknowledge the wrongfulness of an act but deny having full responsibility for it.

Hirshi’s bond theory

A variant of social control theory positing that people choose not to commit deviant acts because of their attachment, belief, commitment, and involvement in society.

Attachment (Bond Theory)

The bond representing an individual's affection for and sensitivity to others, such as parents, teachers, and mentors.

Belief (Bond Theory)

The bond where individuals assent to the society's value system and respect its laws and institutions.

Commitment (Bond Theory)

The bond where an individual avoids deviance to protect things they are at stake to lose, such as scholarships or opportunities.

Involvement (Bond Theory)

The bond where an individual is too busy to engage in deviance due to participation in sports, clubs, or extracurriculars.

Merton's Strain Theory

A theory focusing on the disjuncture between cultural goals and institutional norms, creating a blocked opportunity cycle.

Institutional Anomie Theory (Messner and Rosenfeld)

A macro-level strain theory centered on the American Dream, arguing society encourages monetary success but devalues legitimate means to achieve it.

General Strain Theory (Agnew)

An expanded strain theory focusing on the anger and frustration resulting from being treated poorly by others as a motivator for crime.

Secondary deviance

A consequence of labeling where a person eventually accepts a deviant label as their primary identity.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A labeling consequence where society's treatment of an individual based on a label leads them to continue engaging in deviance to survive.

Authorization (Kelman)

A social process where members follow orders from a hierarchy and view acts as automatically justified, shifting personal responsibility to superiors.

Routinization (Kelman)

A social process where extreme behaviors become routine, reducing the need for daily decision-making and focusing the participant on mechanical details.

Dehumanization (Kelman)

A social process that strips individuals of their identity, often by treating them as property or through physical marking.

Charismatic authority (Weber)

Power legitimized by the extraordinary personal qualities and unique persona of a leader rather than by office or tradition.