Deviance, Social Structure, & Control

Social Structure/Status Social structure – underlying pattern of social relationships Status Ascribed status – assigned status Achieved status – status that is earned or chosen Social Structure/Status

Groups Social category – people who share a social characteristic Social aggregate – people who happen to be in the same place at the same time Primary group – people who are emotionally close Secondary group – impersonal and goal oriented Groups

Negative deviance – behavior that fails to meet accepted norms Positive deviance – overconformity to norms Deviant – person who has violated one or more of society’s highly valued norms deviance

Social control Ways to promote conformity to norms Social sanctions – rewards or punishments designed to reinforce norms Social control

Functionalism Deviance erodes trust Deviance is expensive Deviance clarifies norms – promotes needed social change Anomie – social condition where norms are weak, conflicting, or absent Strain Theory – deviance occurs when there is a gap between culturally desired goals & a legitimate way of obtaining them Control Theory – conformity of social norms depends on the presence of strong social bonds between individuals & society Functionalism

Differential association theory – individuals learn deviance in proportion to the number of deviant acts they are exposed to Labeling theory – society creates deviance by identifying particular members as deviant Primary deviance Secondary deviance Stigma Symbolic Interaction

Victim discounting – process of reducing the seriousness of the crimes that injure people of a lower social class White-collar crime – job-related crimes committed by high-status people Conflict Theory

crime Acts in violation of statute law Deterrence – discouraging criminal acts by threatening punishment Retribution – punishment intended to make criminals pay compensation for their acts Incarceration – method of protecting society from criminals by keeping them in prisons Rehabilitation – process of changing or reforming a criminal through socialization Recidivism – a repetition of or return to criminal behavior crime

Cults First studied in the 1930s Grew in popularity in the 70s Characteristics: Beliefs are seen by most as “strange” or unorthodox Members show strong devotion to leader, idea, or thing Leaders use unethical/manipulative methods of persuasion & control Cults

Dangerous Cults Members show unquestioning devotion to the leader Members are exploited & manipulated by the leader Members are subjected to mental/physical stress or harm Leader is charismatic & claims to have some kind of exclusive knowledge or ability Leader tells followers how to think, act, feel, etc. Leader isolates members from rest of society Daily activities are strictly regulated A culture of “reporting” is encouraged Dangerous Cults

What kind of People join cults?

SERIAL KILLERS!!!!!

a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable behavior pattern. Serial killers

Categories Type Characteristics Medical People who work in the medical industry to perpetrate their crimes; feel like they have the perfect cover Organized Highly intelligent & meticulous; makes them difficult to identify & capture; usually stalk their victims; pay close attention to media coverage; take pride in their work Disorganized Low intelligence & antisocial; don’t plan their attacks; tend to move around a lot; blame voices in head or higher power Categories

subCategories Type Characteristics Thrill Seekers Enjoy outsmarting the law; like the media attention; send messages & journal their work Mission Oriented Feel like they are doing the world a service; generally NOT psychotic; Visionary Suffer psychotic breakdowns; believe they are mandated to kill by a higher power Power & Control Enjoy victim’s terror, suffering, & screaming; usually have a history of child abuse; motivated by lust subCategories

Let’s practice!

Psychopaths vs. sociopaths Person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior Person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial behavior and a lack of conscience Don’t experience remorse Lack of empathy Master Manipulators Can’t discern right from wrong Extremely charming Wit & charm Arrogant, take big risks Impulsive, arrogant, aggressive Psychopaths vs. sociopaths