Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Sociology 9th Edition Chapter 6: Deviance Social Deviance Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 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

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 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 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Stigma 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.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Norms and Social Life Norms Make Social Life Possible by Making Behavior Predictable Norms Bring About Social Order Societies have formal and informal means to enforce norms and this is referred to as Social Control Is this an example of deviance? Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective: Differential Association Theory 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? Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective: Control Theory 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.

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.

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

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.

Functionalist Perspective: Responses to Strain Conformity – This is the most common response to strain and is a non-deviant 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.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Illegitimate Opportunity Structures How do functionalists explain why some people commit street crimes while others do not? How would functionalists explain why your professor is unlikely to rob a convenience store or shoplift from the mall?

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 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 Goodfellas Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Two Types of Crime White Collar Crime Crime that is committed by those who have wealth and power Corporate crime is a type of white collar crime Street Crime Often committed by those of the lower social classes as a way to survive Includes property crime Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Conflict Perspective: Class, Crime, and Criminal Justice Laws are created by the elite to help them maintain their privileges How might this conflict theoretical idea help explain why white collar criminals generally receive lesser prison sentences than street criminals?

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The U.S. Prison System 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.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 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.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. what can you tell us about the characteristics of inmates in U.S. state prisons? Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 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.

Executions in the U.S. by State How does whether a state has the death penalty or not differ by region? Figure 6.4 Executions in the United States. Executions since 1977, when the death penalty was reinstated.

From the table below, do you think the criminal justice system is biased? Why or why not?

Gender Bias in Capital Punishment Women commit 9.6% of murders but make up only 1.7% of death row inmates and .9% of those executed in 2010. Why do you think men in the United States are so much more likely to be executed than women?

Hate Crimes in the United States Based on Table 6.5, which social groups are most likely to be the victims of hate crimes? Which social groups do you think are most likely to be perpetrators?

Medicalization of Deviance How might the living conditions of the homeless lead us to label them as mentally ill, even if they are not? Homosexuality used to be characterized as a mental illness. Do you think de-medicalizing homosexuality has changed the way that GLBT persons are treated?