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DEVIANCE AND CONTROL. CHAPTER 8. WHAT IS DEVIANCE?. Any act that violates a social norm Criminal Deviance : homicide, robbery, & rape (involve violating criminal law) Noncriminal Deviance : homophobia, using pornography, mental disorder, & corporate crimes. EXAMPLES OF VARIATIONS.
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DEVIANCE AND CONTROL CHAPTER 8
WHAT IS DEVIANCE? Any act that violates a social norm Criminal Deviance: homicide, robbery, & rape (involve violating criminal law) Noncriminal Deviance: homophobia, using pornography, mental disorder, & corporate crimes
MENTAL PROBLEMS & DEVIANCE 20% of US adults suffer from problems serious enough to need psychiatric help; 12% of adolescents suffer Types of noncriminal deviance: Psychosis: loss of touch with reality Neurosis: persistent fear, anxiety, or worry about trivial matters
HOMOPHOBIA Noncriminal deviance: prejudice & discrimination against gays & lesbians (aka “heterosexism”) #1 excuse: says it’s wrong in the Bible & those people are to be put to death (Leviticus 20:13) #2 excuse: same-sex marriages “cannot produce babies,” which is a “deviant” act to them
DEVIANCE IS HELPFUL AND HARMFUL Emile Durkheim: “ deviance is an integral part of all healthy societies” He came up with anomie = social condition in which norms are absent, weak, or in conflict (aka “normlessness”)
DEVIANCE IS HELPFUL AND HARMFUL • Robert Merton agrees w/Durkheim • anomie may occur when there’s an inconsistency between goals & the socially approved ways of achieving them • Problem: too much emphasis on success of the goal & not enough means for achieving it creates a strain on people (especially lower classes)
3 PERSPECTIVES OF DEVIANCE • Both functionalists and conflict theorists view deviance as a product of society • Symbolic Interactionists say it is learned through interactions w/other people • People learn how to perform & define these acts • Ex: stealing if you’re hungry/poor = pro-deviant definition; wrong to steal = anti-deviant definition
LEARNING THROUGH DEVIATION If kids pick up on enough pro-deviant definitions, then they will likely be deviant This is called differential association = process of acquiring a deviant behavior through interaction w/others
LABELING THEORY Looks at societal reactions to rule violation & impact of this reaction Society looks at a rule-breaking act & labels it as deviant can forever label a person
DIFFERENT LABELS Before being forever labeled, people go through stages” 1. primary deviance = 1st time violations (kids break windows, skip school, etc) 2. leads to possible secondary deviance = if adults see these “pranks” as serious, they label the kid…leads to continued violations b/c it’s almost expected of them
WE HAVE CONTROL Almost everyone deviates at a point in their life from social norms considered deviant acts Therefore control by others to limit deviance & maintain order is known as social control (people are pressured to conform to social norms)
TYPES OF SOCIAL CONTROL INFORMAL FORMAL • Relatives, neighbors, peers, strangers • Enforce control through frowning, gossip, ridicule, etc. • Police, judges, prison guards, educational institutions, welfare, media, & medicine • Controlled through our criminal justice system