Intro to Sociology (Ch.6)

Deviance

a behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction (Clarifying social boundaries).

Social control

the formal and informal mechanisms used to elicit conformity to values and norms and thus promote social cohesion.

Social control theory

a theory of crime, proposed by Travis Hirschi, that posits that strong social bonds increase conformity and decrease deviance.

Meritocracy

Hard work = Goals (The American Dream).

Conformist

individuals who don't deviate from any cultural norms and live by accepted behavior and established practices (Hard work does equal what they want, because society values them, not minorities LOL).

Innovators

individuals who accept society’s approved goals but not society’s approved means to achieve them (they want the house and cool car, but I'm not getting a PhD for that, I'm gonna start hustling).

Ritualists

individuals who have given up hope of achieving society’s approved goals but still operate according to society’s approved means (Work towards goals that they don't think they can/can't achieve, the 9-5 working class, go through the daily motions of life).

Retreatist

individuals who renounce society’s approved goals and means entirely and live outside conventional norms altogether (doesn't want a house or kids or anything, just going with the flow).

Rebels

individuals who reject society’s approved goals and means and instead create and work toward their own, sometimes revolutionary, goals using new means (Cults/Hippies).

Cyberbullying

the use of electronic media (web pages, social networking sites, email, Twitter, cell phones) to tease, harass, threaten, or humiliate someone.

Differential association theory

Edwin Sutherland's hypothesis that we learn to be deviant through our associations with deviant peers.

Labeling Theory

Howard Becker’s idea that deviance is a consequence of external judgments, or labels, that modify the individual’s self-concept and change the way others respond to the labeled person (IF you get caught stealing, you're a thief).

Primary deviance

in labeling theory, the initial act or attitude that causes one to be labeled deviant.

Secondary deviance

in labeling theory, the subsequent deviant identity or career that develops as a result of being labeled deviant.

Tertiary deviance

Redefining the stigma associated with a deviant label as a positive phenomenon.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

an inaccurate statement or belief that, by altering the situation, becomes accurate; a prediction that causes itself to come true.

Stereotype threat

a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in which the fear of performing poorly—and confirming stereotypes about their social groups—causes students to perform poorly.

Stereotype promise

a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy in which positive stereotypes, such as the “model minority” label applied to Asian Americans, lead to positive performance outcomes.

Stigma

Erving Goffman’s term for any physical or social attribute that devalues a person or group’s identity and that may exclude those who are devalued from normal social interaction.

Passing

presenting yourself as a member of a different group than the stigmatized group to which you belong.

Group orientation

among stigmatized individuals, the rejection of prevailing judgments or prejudice and the development of new standards that value their group identity.

Outsiders

according to Howard Becker, those labeled deviant and subsequently segregated from “normal” society.

Deviance avowal

process by which an individual self-identifies as deviant and initiates their own labeling process.

Crime

a violation of a norm that has been codified into law.

Criminology

the systematic scientific study of crime, criminals, and criminal justice.

Uniform Crime Report (UCR)

an official measure of crime in the United States, produced by the FBI’s official tabulation of every crime reported by more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies.

Violent crime

crime in which violence is either the objective or the means to an end, including murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery.

Property crime

crime that does not involve violence, including burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Cybercrime

crime committed via the internet, including identity theft, embezzlement, fraud, sexual predation, and financial scams.

White collar crime

crime committed by a high-status individual in the course of their occupation.

Deterrence

an approach to punishment that relies on the threat of harsh penalties to discourage people from committing crimes.

Retribution

an approach to punishment that emphasizes retaliation or revenge for the crime as the appropriate goal.

Incapitation

an approach to punishment that seeks to protect society from criminals by imprisoning or executing them.

Rehabilitation

an approach to punishment that attempts to reform criminals as part of their penalty.

Criminal justice system

a collection of social institutions, such as legislatures, police, courts, and prisons, that creates and enforces laws.

Capital punishment

The death penalty.

Positive deviance

actions considered deviant within a given context but later reinterpreted as appropriate or even heroic.