lecture recording on 06 March 2025 at 10.32.56 AM

Social Norms and Social Control

• Folkways: Informal norms that govern everyday behavior. Violation results in minor social sanctions but aren't typically formal laws.

• Formal Norms/Laws: Specific rules written down; breaking them results in formal sanctions, which can include criminal charges.

• Deviance: Any action that violates social norms; it can range from minor infractions to serious crimes.

• Goal of Social Control: Maintain social order by regulating behavior through sanctions and norms.

Social Order

• Definition: The arrangement of practices and behaviors that form the basis of societal interactions.

• Stability: Social order allows individuals to perform daily activities (e.g., getting breakfast, going to school) predictably.

• Disruption Example: A natural disaster can disrupt societal order, creating uncertainty about daily activities.

Mechanisms of Social Control

• Internal Mechanisms: Internalized norms lead individuals to act according to societal expectations most of the time.

• Generalized Others: An understanding of societal expectations helps prevent deviance.

• External Mechanisms: Social control is also enforced through external sanctions, both informal (e.g., disapproving looks) and formal (e.g., legal punishments).

Types of Sanctions

• Informal Sanctions: Social disapproval from peers or family (e.g., looks, comments).

• Formal Sanctions: Official penalties for violating laws; can include imprisonment, fines, or community service.

Crime and Deviance

• Definition of Crime: Any behavior that violates formal laws; leads to official punishment.

• Types of Crime: Violent, nonviolent, hate crimes, corporate crime, street crime, and victimless crime.

• Victimless Crime: Actions that may harm only the individual (e.g., drug use); however, society intervenes due to overall stability concerns.

Criminal Justice System

• Components: The police, courts, and corrections agencies—all work to enforce norms and maintain order.

• Police Role: Restore order by stopping acts of deviance.

• Court Role: Determine law violations; assess punishment based on legal codes.

• Corrections Role: Aim to correct behavior through imprisonment, fines, or rehabilitation methods.

Functionalism and Deviance

• Deviance as Functional: Helps clarify norms by punishing deviant behavior, thus reinforcing societal values and solidarity.

• Sanctions as Deterrence: Historically, harsh punishments aimed to deter others from committing similar acts.

• Positive Deviance: Innovative actions that achieve societal goals outside the norm (e.g., entrepreneurial efforts).

Dysfunctional Aspects of Deviance

• Costly to Society: The criminal justice system requires significant resources, drawing attention to issues of inequality.

• Trust Erosion: Inconsistent enforcement can lead to public distrust in institutions such as the police and legal systems.

Strain Theory (Robert Merton)

• Definition: Deviance arises from a disconnection between societal goals and the means available to achieve them.

• Categories of Adaptation:

  • Conformist: Accepts both goals and means.

  • Innovator: Accepts goals but rejects means.

  • Ritualist: Accepts means but not the goals.

  • Retreatist: Rejects both goals and means.

  • Rebel: Challenges both the goals and means.

Conflict Theory and Deviance

• Power Elite: A small group of wealthy individuals who control resources and influence laws to uphold their interests.

• Social Conflict Perspective: Questions who defines deviance and whose interests are served by societal norms.

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

• Primary Deviance: Brief violations that do not change one's self-image or lead to long-term consequences.

• Secondary Deviance: Deviance that results from labeling, affecting an individual's self-concept and interactions with others.

• Labeling Theory: The process by which individuals are labeled as deviant affects their behavior and social interactions.

Social Stratification

• Inequality in Society: Addresses how resources, privileges, and statuses are distributed unevenly.

• Significance of Warriors: Important to recognize how institutional structures impact societal views on deviance and law enforcement.