Essentials of Sociology

9 th Edition

Chapter 6: Deviance ce

This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program

n What is Deviance? n The Conflict n The Symbolic Perspective

Interactionist n Types of Crime

Perspective n The U.S. Prison System n The Functionalist

Perspective

“It is not the act itself, but the reaction to the act, that make something deviant.” Howard Becker, 1966

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t3 Deviance and Social Control What is Deviance? —Deviance is a violation of societal norms —What is deviant to some is not deviant to others —“Deviance” is a nonjudgmental term

Stigma –Erving Goffman — A person can have a stigma and be considered deviant — A stigma is a blemish on ones identity — A stigma is a violation of norms of appearance and ability — A person can have a stigma by being a member of an involuntary group

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t5 Deviance and Social Control Norms and Social Life — Norms Make Social Life Possible by Making Behavior Predictable — Informal and Formal Norms (crimes) — Norms Bring About Social Order — Societies have formal and informal means to enforce norms and this is referred to as Social Control

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t6 Deviance and Social Control Explanations of Deviance —Sociobiology Look for Answers Inside Individuals Genetic Predispositions —Psychologists Focus on Conditions Within Individuals Personality Disorders —Sociology Sociologists look for Answers Outside Individuals

Created by Edwin Sutherland We learn to deviate by those we associate with in our lives — This includes family, friends, and neighbors — 50 % of people in prison also have a father, mother, brother, or sister that have also committed a crime — Prison or freedom?

Created by Travis Hirschi We all want to commit deviant acts but we don’t because of inner and outer controls — The stronger the controls, the less likely deviance is to occur — Inner controls: Conscience, Morals, Religious Beliefs — Outer controls: Attachments, Commitments, Involvements in society

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t9 Deviance and Social Control Symbolic Interactionist Perspective: Labeling Theory — Created by Howard Becker — Labels propel us into deviance or can divert us away from it — Techniques of Neutralization: 5 ways people reject labels — Denial of Responsibility, Denial of Injury, Denial of a Victim, Condemnation of the Condemners, Appeal to Higher Loyalties

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t10 Deviance and Social Control Functionalist Perspective Can Deviance Be Functional? — According to Durkheim, deviance is functional because: 1)It affirms moral boundaries 2)Promotes Social Unity 3)Promotes Social Change

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t11 Deviance and Social Control Functionalist Perspective Strain Theory — Robert Merton created the Strain Theory We are all socialized to want certain cultural goals but we don’t all have the means to attain those goals — People develop strain and a sense of anomie (normlessness)

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t12 Deviance and Social Control Functionalist Perspective: Responses to Strain — Conformity – This is the most common response to strain and is a nondeviant response — Innovator – Wants to achieve cultural goals but uses illegitimate methods — Ritualism – Has given up on attaining cultural goals but still clings to conventional means of conduct — Retreatism – Rejects cultural goals and means to attain those goals — Rebellionism – Rejects cultural goals and tries to replace them with own goals

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t13 Deviance and Social Control Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t14 Deviance and Social Control Conflict Perspective

— The law is used as a means to oppress the masses — Those who have the wealth and power often bypass the law and others must pay full penalties — Every once in a while someone from the upper social classes is “showcased” so as to appear fair

White Collar Crime Street Crime — Crime that is — Often committed by committed by those who those of the lower social have wealth and power classes as a way to — Corporate crime is a survive type of white collar — Includes property crime crime

— The U.S. has the highest amount of prisoners in the world — Many prisons face overcrowding — The recidivism rate is high; 2/3 of those who commit violent crimes are rearrested — The majority of prisoners are male, have a high school education, and are from the lower to middle social classes — What should be the purpose of prisons?

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t17 Deviance and Social Control Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t18 Deviance and Social Control Figure 6.1 Some States Are Safer: Violent Crime in the United States Note: Violent crimes are murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. As this figure illustrates, violent crime varies widely among the states. The chance of becoming a victim of these crimes is seven times higher in South Carolina, the most dangerous state, than in Maine, the safest state. Washington, D.C., not a state, is in a class by itself. Its rate of 1,508 is thirteen times higher than Maine’s rate. Source: By the author. Based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009:Table 297.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t19 Deviance and Social Control Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t20 Deviance and Social Control Figure 6.3 Recidivism of U.S. Prisoners Note: The individuals were not necessarily rearrested for the same crime for which they had originally been imprisoned. Source: By the author. Based on Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 2003:Table 6.50. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. t21 Deviance and Social Control