SOC224

deviant

tacit (implied) understandings of acts that are "wrong," "weird," or "bad"

objective view of deviance

- makes the assumption that there are qualities inherent in a person, behaviour, or characteristic that are necessarily deviant

- statistical rarity, harm, negative societal reaction, normative violation

statistical rarity

Deviance is defined as people, behaviours, or characteristics that are statistically rare in a population.

limitations of statistical rarity

- criteria for "rare" is ambiguous

- statistically common acts may be considered deviant (underage drinking)

- statistically rare acts may be considered normal (heroic acts, sports prodigies)

harm

deviance is defined as people, behaviours, or characteristics that cause harm

- physical, emotional, social, ontological harm

limitations of harm

- perceptions of harm vary over time (cannabis)

- perceptions of harm are subjective

negative societal reaction

deviance is defined as people, characteristics, or behaviour that society's masses respond to with negative emotions

limitations of negative societal reaction

- lack of consensus over norms (various groups in society have different opinions)

absolutist view of norms

(viewpoint of early objectionists)

- certain behaviours or characteristics were perceived as being inherently and universally deviant

- norms don't change, what is considered "wrong" in one place should be considered wrong everywhere

culturally specific view of norms

(viewpoint of contemporary objectivists)

- norms differ based on the culture/place you are in

- based on a given society's moral code rather than on any type of absolute moral order

consensual view

The view that suggests society's laws emerge out of consensus and should be equally applied to all

conflict view

the view that law is a tool used by the ruling class to serve its own interests (law is more likely to be applied to members of powerless classes)

interactionist view

the view that suggests society's powerful define the law in response to interest groups that approach them to rectify a social problem

- law arises out of interest of certain groups in society

high consensus norms

generally agreed upon violations of acceptable behavior - usually are coded into legislative laws

low consensus norms

non-legislative norms (ex. norms governing physical appearance)

Subjective view of deviance

The view in which deviance is defined in terms of those people, behaviours, and characteristics that society's dominant moral codes deem to be unacceptable and in need of control

dominant moral codes

moral codes that serve as the foundation for determining who or what is deviant in society

social constructionism

the perspective proposing that social characteristics are creations or artifacts of a certain society at a specific time in history

strict constructionism

the view that the world is characterized by endless relativism, there is no essential reality

- no absolute right/wrong, everything is socially constructed

contextual constructionism

the view that reality exists but is largely influenced by people's perceptions and experiences of it

- there is a reality, but rightness/wrongness depends on the different perceptions of others

individual level of social construction

our own identities, conceptions of self, and ways of understanding our own existence in the world affect the path of social construction

interactional level of social construction

our interactions with other people influence the way we think and feel about others, determining the role that each of us plays in social construction

institutional level of social construction

The structures of our society, such as government, the education system, and religion that affect social construction.

sociocultural level of social construction

beliefs, ideologies, values, and systems of meaning have an influence on the path of social construction

global level of social construction

part of globalization: the process that creates the tight global economic, political, cultural, and environmental interconnections and flows that make the most current borders and boundaries relevant

"studying the act"

objective end of the continuum

- focus on deviant acts and their qualities that make them inherently deviant

"studying the process"

subjective end of the continuum

- focus on our perceptions of and reactions to the act and the role of power in constructing those perceptions and reactions

- emphasis on the deviance dance

deviance dance

the interactions, negotiations, and debates among groups with different perceptions of whether a behaviour or characteristic is deviant and needs to be socially controlled

moral entrepreneurs

individuals/groups who identify a social problem and then try to mobilize resources to address it

social typing

the process by which some people come to be seen as deviant and others come to be seen as normal

- description, evaluation, prescription

description (the label)

putting a (deviant) label on someone

evaluation (the judgement)

individual is judged based on the label that was given to them

prescription

the consequences of being labelled as deviant

- where the processes of social control emerge

- individual is treated a certain way based on the label given to them

formal vs informal control

formal: involves processing at some type of organizational or institutional level

informal: patterns of social interactions with others

retroaction vs preventative control

retroactive: processing/social control after someone does something

preventative: trying to prevent deviance in the first place before it happens

control of others vs self control

control of others: control directed towards others (bullying, peer pressure, etc.)

self control: people regulating their own behaviours to avoid becoming labelled as deviant

how are theory and practice intertwined?

the explanations offered by theory guide our practical actions; it is through theory that we come to understand the world we live in

early 20th century theories of criminality

- Cesare Lombroso explained criminality based on evolution

- people were born to be criminal, evolutionary throwbacks (atavists)

positivist approaches to deviance

an interest in finding out why people become deviant - why they violate norms, or engage in behaviours that are atypical, or cause harm, or act in ways that result in a negative societal reaction

- objectivist interest

functionalist theories

theories concerned with the functions of society/institutions as a whole, society is seen as comprising various structures, each of which fulfills necessary functions for the smooth running of social order

core assumptions of functionalist theories

-Social structures fulfill functions

-Society is based on consensus

-Concern with maintaining the social order

manifest functions

the recognized and intended consequences of any social structure

latent functions

the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern

Durkheim's Anomie Theory

A certain level of deviance is functional for society, it serves a purpose in helping maintain society's equilibrium and balance, beyond a certain level

mechanical solidarity

the characteristic of smaller societies where most people follow the same norms, held together by likeness or a collective commitment to conformity

- minimal specialization in the division of labour, interactions are personal and kin-based, everyone knows each other

- a collective way of thinking

organic solidarity

- society is bonded together by difference/interdependence through a highly specialized division of labour

- the tasks that keep society running are divided among different institutions, interactions are somewhat impersonal and based primarily on our dependence on others individualism

anomie

a state that arises from rapid social change, a situation where traditional norms deteriorate, processes of social control decline, and institutions become dysfunctional

- due to weakened social cohesion and diminished moral regulations

Merton's Anomie and Strain Theories

deviance originates from both the macro and the micro level

institutionalized goals

goals that are culturally exalted, the ones we are taught we are supposed to want to achieve

- wealth, status, power, prestige

legitimate means

the legitimate, accepted ways of attaining those institutional goals

anomie (Merton)

when society's emphasis on the goals of wealth, power, and prestige exceeds the emphasis on the means of achieving them

strain (Merton)

structural gap between the goals and the legitimate means of attaining them

conformity (Merton)

- hard work, accepting goals and means of society

innovation (Merton)

- accepting the goals but not the means, seeking alternatives to achieve the goals

Ritualism (Merton)

- rejecting the goals but accepting the means, going through the motions

Retreatism (Merton)

rejecting the goals and the means of society, retreating into isolated worlds often characterized by substance abuse

rebellion (Merton)

rejecting the goals and means, but substituting new goals and means, having a "vision" of a different world and acting to bring that vision to life

Agnew's General Strain Theory

deviance is the result of strain + negative affect

Strain (Agnew)

when we are unable to achieve goals, when valued stimuli are removed, when negative stimuli are presented

cognitive coping strategies

- thinking about the strain differently, reinterpreting the experience

- transforming the way that strain is thought of

- reducing negative emotions by reinterpreting the strain and pre-empting any deviant outcomes

emotional coping strategies

- reduce negative emotions

- may be deviant or conforming in nature; can turn to substance abuse to reduce those emotions (deviant) or go for a run (conforming)

behavioural coping strategies

- changing the source of the strain, eliminating it

why is GST still a functionalist theory?

introduces psychosocial factors, but still argues that society is structured in a way that facilitates differential experiences and consequences of strain among people in various locations

status frustration theory

claims that inequalities in the structure of society are reproduced in the classroom, resulting in delinquent subcultures among lower-class boys

middle-class measuring rods

The standards by which classrooms evaluate lower class children

- delayed gratification, politeness, value of hard work

status frustration

a situation similar to strain when lower-class boys are unable to succeed according to the standards set in class

reaction formation

a set of oppositional standards at which lower class boys are able to succeed, they turn to this in situations of status frustration

mutual conversion

The way in which lower-class boys join with similar others in response to status frustration

core assumptions of learning theories

- processes of learning cause deviance

- different learning processes are highlighted by various learning theories

differential association theory

deviant behaviour is learned through the same process by which conforming behaviour is learned, central to the learning process is the interaction and communication that occurs in small, intimate groups

frequency, duration, priority, intensity

frequency: the groups we interact with more frequently will have more of an influence on our learning

duration: interactions of longer duration will have more of an impact

priority: intimate groups we interact with earlier in life have greater influence

intensity: the more important a particular group is to us, the greater its influence on our learning processes

neutralization theory

also suggests that deviance emerges from a learning process in group interactions, focus is on the motives that differential association theory referred to

- the learning of rationalizations enables people to think that what they are doing is not really wrong

denial of responsibility

shifting the blame or responsibility off the individual and directing it elsewhere (at other people, situations, environments)

denial of injury

accused deviants express the perception that what they have done harms no one

denial of the victim

perception that the victim was somehow deserving of their fate

condemnation of the condemners

shifts the focus from the deviant's own behaviour to the deviant behaviour of others, especially people from the social groups that have pointed to the person's deviance, others are 'hypocrites'

appealing to higher loyalties

deviant behaviour is justified as serving a higher purpose, people acknowledge they have violated norms, but in service of other more important norms, values, or principles

social learning theory

highlights the role of learning processes not only in deviant behaviour but in behaviour more generally

- suggested that all behaviour is the result of definitions, differential association, imitation, and differential reinforcement

core assumptions of control theories

- deviance is inherently attractive

- through certain forms of restraint some of us do not become deviant

- focus on what causes conformity, rather than what causes deviance

the four social bonds (Hirschi)

attachment, commitment, involvement, belief

self control theory

self-control is central to explaining why some people are predisposed to deviant acts while others are not

- self-control restrains us

self-control

- determined by parenting in early life

- result of ineffective parenting, absence of attachment, weak supervision, lack of discipline when deviant behaviours occur

- characterized by impulsivity, a preference for simple tasks, risk-seeking, a preference for physical tasks, self-centredness, and quick temper

Verstehen (Weber)

understanding social behavior by putting yourself in the place of others

non-positivist theorizing

claim that moral codes emerge from a process of interpretation that is intertwined with structures and processes of power, rather than from any type of absolute morality

- interest is not in the act but in the perceptions and reactions to the act, as well as the role of power in influencing these perceptions and reactions

interpretive theorizing

based on the assumption that the only "reality" is that which emerges through reciprocal, intersubjective, understanding between people

- emphasize how people develop understandings of the world around them

symbolic interactionist theory

social action emerges from meaning, and meaning is "constantly created and recreated through interpreting processes during interactions with others"

- we communicate with others using symbols, create meaning in our lives and understandings of the world around us, of others, and ourselves

the four processes that contribute to the meanings and understandings that each of us creates

role taking: vicariously placing ourselves in the roles of others and seeing the world from their respective POVs and determining our own actions accordingly

looking-glass self: imagining how we appear to others and what they think of that

significant others: people who are important to us, whose perceptions and reactions matter

generalized others: "other" people, more general

labelling theories: becoming an outsider

analyzes the process of being labelled as deviant, and the consequences of that label, when individuals are given a deviant label, others start to treat them differently, over time this changes their lifestyle, behaviour, and life choices

the labelling process

deviant label is applied -> rejection by the conforming world -> changes in lifestyle and identity

Tagging, Dramatization of Evil

tagging: applying a deviant label

dramatization of evil: the label is generalized from the behaviour to the person, the person is deemed "evil"

primary deviance

little acts of rule breaking that are seldom noticed and rarely caught by others

secondary deviance

subsequent acts of rule breaking that occur after primary deviance and as a result of your new deviant label and people's expectations of you

"master status"

a core characteristic by which others identify you, one that overrides other characteristics you might have

stigma by association

stigmatized for the actions of others

dramaturgy

seeing social life as being analogous to being in a theatre

Front and back stage behavior

front stage: when we are in front of certain groups of people, playing the role in certain ways and controlling the images we present and the messages we convey to the audience

back stage: when we leave that audience and step out of that role

stigma management

managing the impressions we leave when we have a stigmatized characteristic

tertiary deviance

Stage in labeling theory which occurs when a person who has been labeled a deviant seeks to normalize the behavior by relabeling it as nondeviant, trying to resist that label, changing social norms, etc.

the deviant career

the way that deviance unfolds through people's lives, the way people enter deviance, manage those experiences, and quit or exit deviance, like a traditional career path

career contingencies

in deviant career, significant turning points that influence the directions that people take at various points in the deviant career

- what causes people to enter/leave the career