Study Notes on Deviance and Defiance

Definition of Deviance: Behaviors and beliefs that violate social expectations and attract negative reactions or punishments.
Social Construction of Deviance: The chapter explains that deviance is not simply about an individual's actions, but is shaped by social interactions and the surrounding environment.
Social Context: Emphasizes that social settings are key in encouraging deviant behaviors, rather than just individual flaws or moral failings.

Structural Functionalism
- Origin: Coined by Émile Durkheim.
- Concept: Views society as a system where all necessary parts work together smoothly to maintain social stability.
- Role of Deviance: Seen as an important force for social change and a chance to strengthen existing societal norms.
Conflict Theory
- Concept: Suggests that society is fundamentally made up of groups with competing interests, rather than shared agreement.
- Historical Exclusion: Notes that early conflict theorists often faced being excluded from academic circles due to their race, gender, or political beliefs.

Historical Sociology: Involves collecting and analyzing historical documents and sources to understand how society has developed over time.
Surveys: Uses questionnaires to gather numerical data from individuals about different social topics.

Background of Howard Becker: Learned piano at age 12 and played jazz in strip clubs, where traditional societal norms were often ignored or challenged.
Insight into Deviance: Becker’s experiences in the jazz world led him to explore deviance in broader society, particularly focusing on marijuana use.
Article Contribution: - Title: "Becoming a Marihuana User" published in the American Journal of Sociology (1953).
- Three Steps to Marijuana Use:
1. Socialization: Learning how to use marijuana through interactions with experienced users.
2. Recognizing Effects: Learning to identify and understand both the physical and mental effects of marijuana.
3. Enjoying Experience: Developing a positive perception of the drug's effects through social interaction and shared experiences.

Social vs. Criminal Deviance:- Social Deviance: Actions that break social norms (e.g., having facial tattoos).
- Criminal Deviance: Actions that break laws (e.g., jaywalking).
Overlap: It's important to understand that some actions can be criminal without being seen as socially deviant, and some socially deviant actions aren't illegal.

Incident: The crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which ultimately led to the survivors resorting to cannibalism to live.
Survival Decisions: - Led by Nando Parrado.
- The decision was reframed using shared Catholic values, redefining cannibalism as an act similar to Holy Communion, making it acceptable for survival.
Psychological Adaptation: Cannibalism became accepted and normal within the survivor's community, as it was understood as essential for their survival.
Cultural Context: Cannibalism is viewed very differently across societies depending on the situation and culture.

Stigmatization: The process by which certain characteristics or traits become negatively viewed and devalued in society.
Criminalization: The process of defining specific behaviors as illegal through societal agreement.
Medicalization: Interpreting social behaviors or problems as medical conditions or illnesses that require treatment.

Strain Theory (Robert Merton):- Concept: Deviance arises from the conflict between widely accepted cultural goals (like success) and the legitimate ways available to achieve them.
- Responses to Strain: Includes conformity, ritualism, innovation, retreatism, and rebellion.
Differential Association Theory (Edwin Sutherland):- Concept: Deviant behavior is learned through social interactions and the groups of people an individual associates with.
- Recruitment into Deviant Behavior: Emphasizing social networks helps explain how individuals adopt deviant behaviors.
Social Disorganization Theory (William Julius Wilson):- Concept: Deviance happens more often in social environments that lack strong organization (e.g., areas with high poverty or unstable neighborhoods).
Neutralization Theory (Gresham Sykes, David Matza):- Concept: Describes the mental tricks or justifications individuals use to excuse their deviant behavior and reduce feelings of guilt.
- Rationalizations: Such as denying responsibility, denying injury, or denying a victim.
Labeling Theory (Howard Becker):- Concept: Focuses on how being labeled as deviant by society can profoundly affect an individual's self-image and subsequent actions.
- Primary vs. Secondary Deviance: Differentiates between an initial deviant act and the further deviant behaviors that occur as a result of societal labeling.

Durkheim’s Perspectives on Functions of Deviance:1. Social Change Driver: Deviance can act as a catalyst, pushing for changes and the evolution of societal norms.
1. Social Stability Maintenance: When society collectively condemns deviant acts, it reinforces and strengthens shared societal values.
2. Role of Anomie (Normlessness): Durkheim argued that a shared sense of purpose (collective efficacy) helps prevent deviance. When society lacks clear norms or rules (anomie), it can lead to confusion and societal breakdown, and thus more deviance.

Role in Capitalism: The scandal involving Olivia Jade's parents highlighted existing inequalities in privilege and educational access within a capitalist society, serving as an example of broader systemic unfairness.
Public Outcry: Demonstrated society's tendency to collectively condemn deviant acts and revealed the implications for shared social values.

Sociological Insights: Deviance is a phenomenon that society creates and defines, influenced by cultural, historical, and social settings.
Direction for Future Study: Additional study into deviance theory, structural functionalism, and conflict perspectives is crucial for understanding social dynamics and inequalities.