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This article explores the underlying patterns of social relationships and the impact of deviant behavior on social structure and control. It discusses various theories and concepts related to deviance, norms, sanctions, and the role of different social groups. The article also delves into the study of cults and the characteristics of dangerous cults.
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Social structure – underlying pattern of social relationships • Status • Ascribed status – assigned status • Achieved status – status that is earned or chosen Social Structure/Status
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
Ways to promote conformity to norms • Social sanctions – rewards or punishments designed to reinforce norms Social control
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
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
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
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
a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable behavior pattern. Serial killers