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Questions and Answers
Define deviance.
Deviance is the recognized violation of cultural norms.
Which of the following is considered a violation of society's formally enacted criminal law?
Deviant actions or attitudes always have a negative connotation.
False
According to Cesare Lombroso, what physical characteristics did he associate with criminals?
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Deviance is a recognized violation of cultural __.
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Match the deviance theory with its description:
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What is the term used when a person is discredited in the minds of others and becomes socially isolated?
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What is the term for a formal stigmatization of a person by a community?
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Retrospective labeling involves interpreting someone's past in light of their present deviance.
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What does projective labeling of a stigmatized person involve? Using the person's deviant identity to predict future _______.
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What has led to the medicalization of deviance according to the content?
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Match the type of social control from Hirschi's Control Theory with their descriptions:
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Study Notes
Definition of Deviance and Crime
- Deviance: recognized violation of cultural norms, a broad concept varying from culture to culture or group to group.
- Crime: violation of society's formally enacted criminal law, a category of deviance.
Social Control
- Social control: attempts by society to regulate people's thoughts and behavior, often informal.
- Informal control: from parents, friends, and community, can be praising or scolding behavior.
- Formal control: involves the criminal justice system, including police, courts, and prisons.
The Relativity of Deviance
- Deviance is relative, varying according to cultural norms and context.
- What is deviant for some people may not be deviant for others.
Biological Explanations of Deviance
- Biological explanation of deviance: rooted in the idea that human behavior is the result of biological instincts.
- Early theories suggested that criminals had distinct physical characteristics, but these were later discredited.
- Recent research investigates the connection between genes and crime.
Psychological Theory of Deviance
- Psychologists see deviance as caused by abnormalities in individual personality.
- Personality traits are shaped by social experience, and deviance is a result of unsuccessful socialization.
- The containment theory: a personality that controls deviant impulses helps individuals stay out of trouble.
Social Foundations of Deviance
- Deviance varies according to cultural norms and context.
- People become deviant as others define them that way.
- How societies set norms and define rule-breaking involves power.
Structural-Functional Theories of Deviance
- Deviance is an essential part of social organization, serving several important social functions.
- Durkheim's functions of deviance:
- Affirms cultural values and norms.
- Clarifies moral boundaries.
- Brings people together.
- Encourages social change.
- Merton's Strain Theory:
- Deviance is a result of imbalance between cultural goals and approved means.
- People may respond to strain in different ways, including conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion.
Symbolic-Interaction Theories of Deviance
- Labeling theory: deviance and conformity result from how others respond to actions.
- Differential association theory: people learn deviant behavior through associations with others.
- Control theory: conformity depends on anticipating the consequences of behavior.
Labeling Theory
- Deviance is a result of how others respond to actions.
- Primary deviance: initial norm violation that provokes a slight reaction from others.
- Secondary deviance: when a person begins to employ deviant behavior as a means of defense, attack, or adjustment.
- Stigma: a powerfully negative label that greatly changes a person's self-concept and social identity.
Differential Association Theory
- Learning any behavioral pattern, including deviant behavior, takes place in groups.
- Associations with deviant groups or conformists influence behavior.
- Studies confirm that young people are more likely to engage in delinquency if they believe their peers encourage it.
Control Theory
- Social control depends on people anticipating the consequences of their behavior.
- Hirschi's control theory links conformity to four types of social control:
- Attachment: strong social attachments encourage conformity.
- Opportunity: greater access to legitimate opportunities encourages conformity.
- Involvement: involvement in legitimate activities inhibits deviance.
- Belief: strong belief in conventional morality and respect for authority figures control deviance.
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Description
This quiz explores the concept of deviance, including its definition, biological and psychological explanations, and social foundations. It also delves into theoretical approaches to understanding deviance, including structural-functional and symbolic-interaction theories.
