Deviance & Morals

What are some of the cultural rules or social norms of behaviour that you learned as a child that are present in the following situations? 1. Being a student in school 2. Going to church/temple/mosque 3. Attending a formal dinner party 4. Visiting someone in the hospital 5. Socializing with friends

What you are is as important as what you do It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Oklahoma City. My friend and proud father was taking his 2 little boys to play miniature golf. He walked up to the fellow at the ticket counter and said, “How much is it to get in?” The young man replied, “$3.00 for you and $3.00 for any kid who is older than 6. We let them in free if they are 6 or younger. How old are they?” My friend replied, “The lawyer here is 3 and the doctor is 7, so I guess I owe you $6.00.” The man at the ticket counter said, “Hey mister, did you just win the lottery or something? You could have told me that the older one was 6; I wouldn’t have known the difference. “ Bobby replied, “Yes, that may be true, but the kids would have known the difference.”

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you are saying.” It is critical for adults/parents to set a good example for their children (who are always watching…)

Norm: This is what is considered normal behaviour for any given situation. Give examples of norms for school

More: This is what we consider to be right and wrong behaviour or ideas. Give examples of mores for school.

Values: These are the ideas that are important in our lives and our society. Give examples of personal values that you hold

Universal Values: These are ideals that are important cross culturally Give examples of universal values

Steve, a high school senior, is working at night to help support his mother, a single parent of three children. Steve is a conscientious student who works hard in his classes, but he doesn’t have enough time to study. History is not Steve’s favourite course and with his night job, he as a marginal D average. If he fails the final exam, he will fail the history course; he won’t receive the credit; he will be one credit short for graduation; and he will have to come back to high school for another semester to get this credit. He will have to change all of his university plans! He arranged to be off of work the night before the exam so that he could study extra hard, but early in the evening his boss called, desperate to have Steve come in a replace another employee who had called in sick at the last minute. His boss pressured him heavily, so Steve reluctantly went to work at 8:00 pm, and came home exhausted at 2:00 am. He tried to study, but he fell asleep on the couch with his book in his lap. His mother woke him up for school at 6:30 am. Steve went to his history class, looked at the test, and went blank. Everything seemed like a jumble. However, Jill, one of the best students in the class, happened to have her answer sheet positions so that he could clearly see every answer by barely moving his eyes. Based on what you have read here, is Steve justified in cheating on the test? How would you defend your answer?

Deviance is … Any behaviour or physical appearance that departs from norms (established standards of behaviour) of the group, violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society, i.e. violation of social norms

Deviant: A person who is deviant is one who breaks the norms of society. Give examples of behaviours that are deviant in our society.

Deviant or Not? 1. Chewing gum in class 2. Standing on desks 3. Wearing wedding clothes to a sandy beach 4. Body piercings 5. Watching television while eating dinner 6. Speeding in a car 7. Buying cigarettes under age 8. Long hair on males; bald heads on females

9. Never telling fibs even to save people's feelings 10. Giving money to anyone who asks for it 11. Driving on the wrong side of the road 12. Drinking while under age at a family function 13. Getting a tattoo 14. Getting multiple tattoos 15. Drinking while under age with friends

A deviant is someone who breaks a social rule.

Social rules can either be written (laws and rules) or unwritten (normal ways of behaving). - think of a law that we must all obey - think of any rule we must all keep even though it is not a law.

Deviant behaviour depends upon: a) The situation b) The culture

A person who is deviant in one country might be considered perfectly normal in another. Examples?

Deviant behaviour is not always criminal behaviour. - think of one law that nearly everybody breaks at some time Almost all criminal behaviour is deviant. - think of behaviours that are against the law and which everyone considers to be wrong

WHAT WOULD YOU DO??

Joe Joe is a 14 year old boy who wanted to go to camp very much. His father promised him he could go if he saved up the money for it himself. So Joe worked hard at his paper route and saved up the $ it cost to go to camp, and a little more besides. But just before camp was going to start, his father changed his mind. Some of his friends decided to go on a special fishing trip, and Joe’s father was short of the money it would cost. So he told Joe to give him the money had he had saved from the paper route. Joe didn’t want to give up going to camp, so he thinks about refusing to give his father the money.

Joe 1. Should Joe refuse to give his father the money? Why or why not? 2. Does the father have the right to tell Joe to give him the money? Why or why not? 3. Does giving the money have anything to do with being a good son? Why or why not? 4. Is he fact that Joe earned the money himself important in this situation? Why or why not? 5. The father promised Joe could go to the camp if he earned the money. Is the fact that the father promised the most important thing in this situation? Why or why not? 6. In general, should a promise be kept?

Joe 7. Is it important to keep a promise to someone you don’t know well and probably wouldn’t see again? Why or why not? 8. What do you think is the most important thing a father should be concerned about in his relationship with his son? Why is that the most important thing? 9. In general, what should be the authority of the father over the son? Why? 10. What do you think is the most important thing a son should be concerned about in his relationship with his father? Why is that the most important thing? 11. In thinking back over the dilemma, what would you say is the most responsible thing for Joe to do in this situation? Why?

Judy Judy was a 12 year old girl. Her mother promised her that she could go to a special concert coming to their town if she saved up from baby-sitting and lunch money to buy a ticket to the concert.