Chapter 7 Deviance

What is Deviance? The recognized violation of cultural norms Biased towards the positive Biased towards the negative “Different” or “unexpected” are words often used to describe deviance from a sociological perspective Distinct areas Crime (laws) Violation of a society’s formally enacted criminal law

Social Control The attempts a society makes at regulating thought and behavior Criminal justice system A formal response by police, courts and prison officials to alleged violations of the law Biological context Nature Biological factors may have a real but modest effect on whether a person becomes a criminal Personality factors Nurture Deviance is viewed as unsuccessful “socialization”

Social Foundations of Deviance Deviance varies according to cultural norms No thought or action is inherently deviant People become deviant because others define them as such How other perceive and label us Deviance involves social power Rule-makers, rule-breakers, and rule-enforcers Norms and applying them are linked to social position

Functionalism and Deviance: Emile Durkheim Believed deviance performed certain functions in society: Affirms cultural values Clarifies moral boundaries Promotes social unity Encourages social change

Functionalism and Deviance: Robert Merton Strain theory The “strain” between our culture’s emphasis on wealth and the limited opportunity to get rich gives rise, especially among the poor, to theft, the sale of drugs, or other street crime. Questions whether or not society provides the means (education, opportunity) to achieve cultural goals (financial success)

Robert Merton Strain is the gap between what “ought to be” and “what is”; people generally react in one of these ways: Conformity: Pursuing conventional goals through normal means (working hard at a legitimate job) Innovation: Unconventional means to achieve approved goals (drug dealing) Ritualism: Accept institutional means; Reject goals Retreatism: Rejects both the goals and means (drops out of society) Rebellion: Define new goals and means to achieve goals

Symbolic-Interaction and Labeling Theory Labeling theory is the idea that deviance and conformity result, not so much from what people do, but from how others respond to what they do. Primary and secondary deviance Primary deviance refers to passing episodes of norm violation Secondary deviance is when an individual repeatedly violates a norm and begins to take on a deviant identity (they begin to internalize the label that has been applied to them).

Labeling Theory A stigma is a powerfully negative social label that radically changes a person’s self-concept and social identity, operating as a master status. Stigmas are often attached in formal rituals called status degradation ceremonies (like going to court). Stigmas are deepened by retrospective labeling, the interpretation of someone’s past consistent with present deviance (like saying “Once a criminal, always a criminal”).

Labeling Difference as Deviance Thomas Szasz argues that “mentally ill” is a label we attach to people who are only different and concludes that we should abandon the concept of mental illness entirely The medicalization of deviance is the transformation of moral and legal issues into a medical condition. Whether deviance is defined morally or medically has three profound consequences It affects who responds to deviance It affects how people respond to deviance It affects whether the deviant is regarded as being personally competent

Edwin Sutherland: Differential Association Deviant behavior is learned in associations with deviant others Frequency of association with deviant others is central to the development of deviant behavior If friends are prone to norm violation, the person is more likely to take part in these acts Conformity reaps rewards while lack of it reaps punishment

Travis Hirschi: Control Theory Social control depends on imagining the consequences of one’s behavior Conformity arises from four types of social controls: Attachment Commitment Involvement Belief

Conflict Theory and Deviance Deviance and power Norms or laws reflect interests of rich and powerful Powerful have resources to resist deviant labels Belief that norms and laws are natural and good masks political character