deviance midterm

deviance

behaviors, beliefs, or conditions that violate significant social norms, often resulting in social disapproval or sanctions

social control

techniques a society uses to regulate individual and group behavior to maintain social order and conformity to norms and laws

norm

unwritten or established rule of conduct that dictates acceptable and unacceptable behavior within a society or group

folkways

informal, customary ways of living, thinking, and acting that guide everyday casual interactions

mores

social norms considered deeply significant to a society’s moral code and fundamental values

taboos

social or cultural prohibition against certain behaviors, practices, consiered unacceptable or forbidden

beliefs

a tenet or conviction that individuals or a society hold to be true, forming a core component of culture and worldview that shapes understanding and behavior 

values

culturally-shared standards that define what is considered good, desirable, proper, or important within a society

sociological imagination

allows individuals to connect their personal experiences and private problems to larger public issues and broader historical patterns

critical perspective on deviance

asserts that acts are not inherently deviant but are labeled as such by society’s powerful elite to maintain their dominance

what is sociology 

the study of human behavior in society; study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior

what is the difference between folkways, mores, and laws? examples of each

folkways- everyday norms—rude/polite 

mores- moral/ethical norms—right and wrong

laws- norms codified and enforced by authority

what’s the difference between beliefs and values?

beliefs—shared ideas collectively about what is true

values—abstract standards about what is good and bad

how do the positivist and constructionist conceptions of deviance differ?

positivist- an act is deviant by virtue of characteristics inherent to the act itself

constructionist- an act becomes deviant when a collectivity judges that act as deviant

altruistic suicide

persons closely oriented to fulfilling expectations of group, suicide- obligatory when they fail to meet these expectations or when necessary to carry out group goals

fatalistic suicide

suicide caused by excessive social regulation—caused by oppression

egoistic suicide

individuals are excessively self-oriented; takes precedence over relationships and community

anomic suicide

suicide increases when normal patterns of social life are uprooted

anomie

absence of norms or established standards

conformity

most of us; conforming to society cultural goals

dominent culture, subculture, counterculture

subculture- distinct group within a larger culture that has its own subset of norms, values, and behaviors, or characteristics—gamers, amish, etc

counterculture- subcultures created as a reaction against the values of dominant cultures—suffragettes, hippies, feminist, etc

anomie/strain theories in common

assumes consensus that everyone values narrow notion of success

What social factors are responsible for increases in rates of suicide, according to Emile Durkheim?

suicide varies inversely with the degree of integration of the social groups of which the individual forms a part—individual’s ties to society are crucial for the self regulation of the individual

what social factors contribute to deviance in society, according to Durkheim?

anomie, weak social solidarity, and insufficient social integration

what are some of the causes of anomie?

social inequality, industrialization/globalization, weaking of social institutions

What are the characteriscs of Merton’s Structural Strain Theory?

conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion

does not explain why people commit particular kinds of deviance and not others

not everyone has same access to the illegitimate means of achieving success- not everyone has the same opportunities to engage in deviance

what are the different ways people adapt to strain, according to Merton?

hard work and discipline → material success → highly valued in our society

people adapt to strain in different ways 

what was cloward and ohlin’s main contribution to strain theory?

different illegitimate opportunities lead to different criminal subcultures; not everyone has the same resources to achieve success

how do cloward and ohlin characterize the criminal, conflict, and retreatist subcultures?

criminal subculture- characterized by systematic, organized crime- clear authority structure; provides outlet in illegal employment for youth; older members are role models

conflict subculture- characterized by social instability; crime tends to be individualistic, unorganized, petty, poorly paid, and unprotected

retreatist subculture- adolescents can’t find a place for themselves in criminal or conflict subcultures; they retreat usually into drug use and isolation

how does Albert Cohen characterize the subcultures that develop as a result of status frustration (strain)?

lower or working class - bottom of status hierarchy- leads to status frustration

develop delinquent subculture in which middle class norms and values are replaced with their opposite

shortcomings of anomie/strain theory

assumes consensus that everyone values narrow notion of success

class bias - focus is on deviance among lower or working classes, not privileged classes

merton suggests creating more equal opportunity is solution to crime and deviance

does opiate addiction and overdose affect people from all walks of life equally, according to McLean?

opiate use and overdose strongly associated with poverty

‘risk environment’- mclean

spaces—whether social or physical—in which a variety of factors interact to increase the chances of harm occurring

what opportunity structures may encourage the drug market and drug use in Mckeesport?

deindustrialization—-massive layoffs, loss of business, population, unemployment rate

“deaths of despair”

mentality increases concentrated in particular demographic

deaths (or diseases) of despair

suicides, drug overdose, alcohol-related disease

among what demographic did case and deaton observe in mortality? what factors explain this?

middle-aged whites, especially non-college educated males

due to: deindustrialization, unemployment or uneven employment among non-educated, low skilled, low pay service jobs

social disorganization theory

high crime rates in certain neighborhoods are due to the community’s inability to reqlize common values and maintain informal social control

social ecology (socio-ecological approach)

explains deviance by linking it to the physical and social characteristics of neighborhoods, such as poverty, high population density, and dilapidated housing

collective efficacy

social cohesion among neighbors combined with the willingness to intervene on behalf of the common good 

social cohesion

neighborhood relationships characterized by positive interactions, trust, and sense of community

broken windows theory

small acts of deviance and disorder create environment that encourgages more serious deviance/crimes

revanche (revanchism)

“revenge”—mechanism for restoring balance and honor—catalyst for social change

the chicago school took an “ecological” approach. what does that mean?

focus on how groups adapt to environment and how environments shape social behavior

from the social disorganization theory perspective, what factors are responsible for crime and deviance?

blamed individuals or groups—”types of people” explanations:

physiology and temperament 

STD shifts attention from individuals to structural characteristics 

what patterns did shaw and mckay observe in the spacial distribution of crime in chicago?

delinquency clustered in certain neighborhoods, esp. “zone of transition”

deliquency declined as one moved away from CBD- zones 3-5- residents from earlier waves of immigrants

what characteristics do high delinquency neighborhoods share, according to shaw and mckay?

poverty

population turnover- residents leave to be replaced by other disadvantaged groups

racial/ethnic heterogeneity- limited dev. of community

what is the relationship between poverty and crime from the perspective of social disorganization theory?

economic deprivation:

weakens neighborhood institutions, reduces community cohesion, undermines informal social control 

is social disorganization caused by bad parenting?

no, not directly

structural variables → collective efficacy → parental efficacy → problem behaviors in children

how did “broken windows theory” influence policing in the united states?

expanded targets of policing

what are the implications of broken windows theory discussed in lecture?

encourages view of marginally deviant or even normal behaviors as serious

expands what qualifies as probable cause

widespread adoption of invasive policing practices (stop and frisk)—leads to heavy handed policing

leads to stigmatization of neighborhoods and groups

what is sampson and raudenbush’s criticism of broken windows theory?

disorder did not have direct effect on crime after controlling for collective efficacy