Social Norms, Deviance, and Crime Theories in Sociology

Behavior Norms

standards of proper or acceptable behavior. Several modes of social control are important to marketing

culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.

deviant behavior

Actions that depart from the social norm. Some are considered criminal, others merely harmless aberrations.

expectational norm

Behavior that are ideal for a person enacting a certain role. (Ex. Doctor is smart in the medical field.)

process of globalization

Social Norms

The implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs of its members

Social Organization

the order established in social groups at any level

Social Roles

socially defined expectations of an individual in a given status or social position

Classical School

the theory linking crime causation to punishment, based on offenders' free will and hedonism

Control Ratio

The amount of control to which a person is subject versus the amount of control that person exerts over others.

Crime Placement

Deterrence Theory

theory of deviance positing that people will be prevented from engaging in a deviant act if they judge the costs of such an act to outweigh its benefits

Developmental Approach (life-course perspective)

attempts to understand the onset, persistence, and desistence of deviant activity across the life span

Dramatization of evil

the process by which deviant labels affect self-images and promote continued deviance

Evidence-based behavior analysis

The use of rigorous social scientific techniques to develop knowledge about causes of behavior (also called knowledge-based behavior analysis).

General Theory of Crime

A developmental theory that modifies social control theory by integrating concepts from biosocial, psychological, routine activities, and rational choice theories.

Hedonistic calculus

people weigh the costs and benefits of their actions in order to maximize pleasure and minimize pain

Hedonistic principle

the claim that people are motivated to experience pleasure and avoid pain

Rational Choice Theory

A theory that states that individuals act in their own best interest.

Reintegrative shaming

the concept that people can be reformed if they understand the harm they have caused and are brought back into the social mainstream

Routine Activities Theory

The view that victimization results from the interaction of three everyday factors: the availability of suitable targets, the absence of capable guardians, and the presence of motivated offenders

Scientific Method

A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions.

Scientific Theory

a well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations

Seduction of Crime

The exhilaration that accompanies the commission of a criminal or deviant act.

Self Control

the ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards

Self-Derogation

the process by which a person comes to accept the largely negative judgments of others

Social Bonds

the level of closeness and attachment with other individuals

social integration (Durkheim)

The extent to which individuals experience a sense of belonging to a group and obligation to its members.

Labeling Theory

the idea that deviance and conformity result not so much from what people do as from how others respond to those actions

Stigmatization

the process of becoming viewed as somehow socially unacceptable or disgraced

Symbolic Interaction Theory

theory that people make sense of the world based on their interpretation of words or symbols used by others

Anomie

a social condition in which norms are weak, conflicting, or absent

Cultural Transmission Theory

theory that views deviance as a learned behavior transmitted through interaction with others

Differential association

Edwin Sutherland's term to indicate that people who associate with some groups learn an "excess of definitions" of deviance, increasing the likelihood that they will become deviant

Dysfunctions

social patterns that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society

Feminist perspective

theoretical perspective that focuses on gender as the most important source of conflict and inequality in social life

Functional perspective

views society as an interconnected system where social institutions function like organs in a body, working together to maintain social stability and order. He emphasized the importance of collective consciousness

latent functions

the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern

Manifest functions

the recognized, intended, and obvious consequence of a social pattern, institution, or action

Social disorganization

- Rapid social change disrupts norms in society.

- When norms become weak, unclear, or are in conflict with each other, society is in a state of anomie, or normlessness.

Social integration

how strongly a person is connected to his or her social group

Strain Theory

Robert Merton's theory that deviance occurs when a society does not give all of its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals

Techniques of Neutralization (Sykes and Matza)

justifications people use to reduce feelings of guilt or moral responsibility for deviance or criminal acts

-denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of the victim, condemnation of the condemners (shifting blame to critics), and appeal to higher loyalties (justifying actions by a greater cause).  

Aggravated assault

The unlawful, intentional inflicting, or attempted or threatened inflicting, of serious injury upon the person of another.

assault

Unlawfully placing a patient in fear of bodily harm.

Battery

unlawful touching of another person without consent

Criminal Homicide

causing the death of another person without legal justification or excuse

excusable homicide

unintentional, truly accidental killing of another person

justifiable homicide

the lawful killing of another person such as when a law enforcement officer or a citizen kills in self-defense or to defend another

malice

the intention or desire to do evil; ill will

Malice Aforethought

originally the mental state of intentional killing, with some amount of spite, hate, or bad will, planned in advance of the killing

manslaughter

unlawfully killing another without planning in advance

Murder

the intentional killing of another person

Premeditation

considering the criminal act beforehand, which suggests that it was motivated by more than a simple desire to engage in an act of violence

Provocation

An action or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, especially deliberately

Victim-precipitated homicide

refers to those killings in which the victim is a direct, positive precipitator of the incident

Child Abuse and Neglect

The intentional harm or mistreatment of a child under 18 years old; it involves any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caregiver; it results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation; and it presents a likely or immediate risk for harm

Child Maltreatment

intentional harm to or avoidable endangerment of anyone under 18 years of age

corporal punishment

the use of physical force to discipline a child

Cycle of violence

pattern of repeating violent or abusive behaviors from one generation to the next

Domestic violence

physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by spouses, intimate partners, or family members

Emotional abuse

a pattern of behavior that attacks the emotional development and sense of worth of an individual

Learned helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

sexual abuse

Any sexual contact that is forced upon a person against his or her will

Power Dominance Theory

Broad social-structural conditions produce stress and conflict in family systems. When stress is coupled with violent childhood experiences, domestic violence is more probable. Straus (1995)

Feminist Theory

a theoretical approach that looks at gender inequities in society and the way that gender structures the social world

Gender/Inequality Theory

Second feminist theory. The difference between men and women in terms of wealth and status. Patriarchy teaches men how and when to use violent techniques. Men maintain power and control through violence against women. • Yllö (1984 Dobash and Dobash (1988)

Subculture Theory

Participation in subcultures of violence increases the acceptance of subcultural customs and values for violence as a response to frustrating conditions. Acceptance of such values increases the likelihood of committing domestic violence.

Differential reinforcement

Individuals who hold attitudes that disapprove of domestic violence are less likely to commit domestic violence. The greater the costs for domestic violence, the less likely the individual is to commit domestic violence. Akers (1994)

Differential identification

Individuals are more likely to commit domestic violence if they identify with another person who views domestic violence as acceptable. (Glaser 1956)

Control/Exchange Theory

Family members are more likely to use violence in the home when they expect that the costs of being violent are less than the rewards. The absence of effective social controls over family relations decreases the costs of one family member being violent toward another. Gelles (1994)

Certain social and family structures serve to reduce social control in family relations and therefore reduce the costs and/or increase the rewards of being violent.

General Strain Theory

The greater the strain experienced by an individual, the greater the experience of negative emotions. The greater the negative emotional experience, the more likely it is that an individual will commit domestic violence. Agnew (1992)

Self-Control Theory

Lower self control causes crime

-increase in impulsivity, risk-seeking, anger, and self centeredness

-self-control & criminality FIXED BY AGE 7

Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990)

Frustration-Aggression Theory Dollard and colleagues (1939)

High levels of frustration increase levels of aggression. Increased levels of aggression are likely to result in domestic violence.

Unreciprocity Palmers

Unreciprocity increases levels of frustration.

Increased levels of frustration are likely to result in higher levels of domestic violence.

Altruistic suicide

it benefits the interests of group

Egoistic suicide

enhance their own needs

fatalistic suicide

suicide that occurs as a result of too much social regulation

as social intergration rises…

so does social regulation

for female victim-offendors most victims are

family members

Homicide Victim-Offender (males)

Most victims are friends or acquaintances

Individual Risk Factors for Domestic Violence

low self-esteem, low income, younger, delinquency as youth, insecurity, history of victimization

folkways

norms that are not scrictly enforced

Taboos

behaviors heavily discouraged by a culture

persistent deviance

behavior may transcend boundaries

The Conflict Perspective

a social construct created by dominant groups to maintain power and control by labeling behaviors that threaten their interests as deviant, while ignoring their own transgressions

Balance of Power

Social order exists when society accepts and support the legitimacy of those in power

Age of Enlightenment

A period in which reason was advocated as the primary basis of thought and authority.