Chapter 5: Deviance and Social Control

Deviance

Behaviors and beliefs that violate social expectations

Social Deviance

Violation of social norms

Criminal Deviance

Breaking of the law

Strain Theory

Deviance caused by tension between valued goals and ability to attain them

Differential Association Theory

Criminal behavior taught by people in social networks

Social Disorganization Theory

Deviance more common in dysfunctional neighborhoods

Concentrated Poverty

40% or more residents in an area living below federal poverty line

Neutralization Theory

Deviance facilitated by culturally resonant rationales for rule breaking

Labeling

Process of assigning a deviant identity to an individual

Labeling Theory

Theory about how labels influence behavior

Primary Deviance

First instance of deviance that attracts a deviant label

Secondary Deviance

Further instances of deviance prompted by receipt of deviant label

Structural Functionalism

Theory that society is a system of synchronized parts creating social stability

Collective Conscience

Society's shared understanding of right and wrong

Anomie

Widespread normlessness or weakening/alienation from social rules

Survey

Research method involving completion of a questionnaire

Sample

Subset of population from which data will be collected

Generalizable

Data applicable to entire population, not just the sample

Conflict Theory

Societies characterized by competing interests, not shared ones

Social Inequality

Condition where wealth, power, and prestige favor privileged social identities

Historical Sociology

Research method involving data about past events to enhance sociological theory

Symbolic Interaction

People act based on the meaning produced through social interaction

Dramaturgy

Looking at social life as a series of performances on a metaphorical stage

Impression Management

Efforts to control how we are perceived by others

Face

Version of ourselves projected in a certain setting

Front Stage

Public space where we are aware of having an audience

Back Stage

Private or semi-private space where we can relax and rehearse

Accounts

Excuses used to explain rule breaking and affirm the rule's rightness or wrongness

Conformity

Strain theory response: Acceptance of goals and means

Innovation

Strain theory response: Acceptance of goals, rejection of means

Ritualism

Strain theory response: Rejection of goals, acceptance of means

Retreatism

Strain theory response: Rejection of goals and means

Rebellion

Strain theory response: Replacement of goals and means

White Collar Crime

Criminal behavior associated with higher social classes

Social Institutions

Widespread and enduring patterns of interaction that respond to human needs

Ideologies

Shared ideas about how human life should be organized

Social Structure

Entire set of interlocking social institutions in which we live

Structural Position

Features of our lives that determine opportunities and constraints

Institutional Discrimination

Widespread practices that disadvantage some and advantage others

Social Stratification

Persistent sorting of social groups into enduring hierarchies

Capital

Resources used to get what we want and need

Economic Capital

Financial resources that can be converted into money

Economic Elite

Minority of people who control a disproportionate amount of wealth

Social Mobility

Opportunity to move up or down in economic hierarchy

Wage

Cash payments given to workers in exchange for their labor

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and personal profit

Proletariat

Class of people employed by others and work for a wage

Bourgeoisie

Class of people who employ workers

Means of Production

Resources used to create wealth

Labor

Work people can do with their bodies and minds

Alienation

Feeling of dissatisfaction and disconnection from the fruits of labor

Crisis of Capitalism

Catastrophic implosion from which capitalism would never recover

Class Consciousness

Understanding that members of a social class share economic interests

Socialism

Economic system based on shared ownership and distribution by governments

Free Market Capitalism

Capitalist system with little or no government regulation

Labor Unions

Associations that organize workers for collective negotiation

Social Safety Net

Programs to ensure basic necessities for the economically vulnerable

Living Wage

Income that allows full-time workers to afford basic needs

Welfare Capitalism

Capitalist system with socialist policies for more equal distribution

Contradictory Class Locations

Positions in the economy resembling both proletariat and bourgeoisie

Service and Information Economy

Economy centered on jobs providing services or working with information

Precariat

New class of workers with economically precarious lives

Working Poor

People in the labor force earning poverty-level wages

Protestant Work Ethic

Idea that character is measured by dedication to paid work

Glass Ceiling

Invisible barrier restricting upward mobility

Glass Floor

Invisible barrier restricting downward mobility

Wealth Gaps

Differences in economic assets owned by different social identity groups

Wage Gaps

Differences in hourly earnings of different social identity groups

Colorism

Prejudice and discrimination based on skin color

Legitimation

Process of making a controversial social fact acceptable

Foraging Societies

Relatively equal societies with little economic inequality

Agrarian Societies

Societies with economic inequality and stratification based on birth or conquest

Industrialization

Development of class system based on wages and mobility

Institutions

Widespread and enduring patterns of interaction to meet human needs

Nation-States

Large territories governed by centralized powers granting or denying citizenship rights

Modern Thought

Belief in science as sole source of truth and rational organization of societies

Rationalization

Embracing reason to increase efficiency and effectiveness of human activities

Comparative Sociology

Research method comparing and contrasting two or more cases

Case

Instance of a thing of interest, such as a person, group, organization, event, or place

Social Organizations

Formal entities coordinating people to achieve a stated purpose

Divisions of Labor

Complicated tasks broken down into smaller parts and distributed to specialized individuals

Bureaucracies

Organizations with formal policies, strict hierarchies, and impersonal relations

Postmodern Thought

Rejection of absolute truth in favor of countless partial truths and denunciation of progress narrative

Gig Work

Labor market segment where individuals complete short-term jobs

Ideologies

Shared ideas about how human life should be organized

Social Structure

Entire set of interlocking social institutions in which we live

Structural Position

Features of our lives that determine our mix of opportunities and constraints

Institutional Discrimination

Widespread practices that disadvantage some kinds of people while advantaging others

Social Stratification

Persistent sorting of social groups into enduring hierarchies

Capital

Resources we use to get things we want and need

Economic Capital

Financial resources that are or can be converted into money

Economic Elite

Minority of people who control a disproportionate amount of wealth

Social Mobility

Opportunity to move up or down in the economic hierarchy

Wage

Cash payments given to workers in exchange for their labor

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and personal profit

Proletariat

Class of people who are employed by others and work for a wage

Bourgeoisie

Class of people who employ the workers

Means of Production

Resources that can be used to create wealth

Labor

The work people can do with their bodies and minds

Alienation

The feeling of dissatisfaction and disconnection from the fruits of one's labor