Deviance and Social Control

1. Deviance and Social Control

2. Deviance • Behavior that violates significant social norms. • Not every social norm is socialized into every individual. • Even with rewards and punishments there are still people that break social norms of every kind.

3. Nature of Deviance • All societies have norms • Not all violations of norms require a labeling of deviant • Stigma: mark of social disgrace that sets the deviant apart from the rest of society. • Examples?

4. Social Functions of Deviance • Clarifying Norms • Unifying the Group • Diffusing Tension • Promoting Social Change • Providing Jobs

5. Clarifying Norms • Defines social boundaries • Punishment serves as a reminder to society that norms keep social control • Many people follow social norms because of fear of punishment

6. Unifying the Group • Brings conforming members of society together and often isolates the deviants • Reinforces the sense of community • Makes people look out for each other

7. Diffusing Tensions • May serve as a relief of frustration with society by participating in a mild display of deviance. • Ex: Participating in a large protest against a government or a corporation

8. Promoting Social Change • Prompts social change because problem areas get identified quickly. • When large number of people violate a social norm… it may be time to change the norm.

9. Providing Jobs • Judges, lawyers, police officers, prison personnel, parole officers. • Criminologists – Social scientist that study criminal behavior.

10. Functionalist Perspective on Deviance • Strain Theory: developed by sociologist Robert Merton. The major functionalist explanation. • Views deviance as the natural outgrowth of the values, norms, and structure of society. • Anomie: situation that arises when the norms of society are unclear or are no longer applicable.

11. Merton’s Strain Theory • Conformist- most common response • Innovator- accepts goals, but not the means • Ritualist- Reject goals and means: status quo • Retreatist- reject both, drop out of society • Rebel- want new goals through new means.

12. Conflict Perspective on Deviance • Believe that competition and social inequality lead to deviant behavior. • Comes from the struggle of the ruling class and the lower classes of each society. • People with power commit deviant acts to maintain power and people without power commit deviant acts to obtain economic rewards or for power and/or recognition.

13. Interactionist Perspective on Deviance • 3 Major explanations of deviance: • Control Theory • Cultural Transmission Theory • Labeling Theory

14. Control Theory • Deviance is a natural occurrence • Conformity comes with acceptance and integration into society by the individual • The stronger the bond in a community the lower the amount of deviance

15. Cultural Transmission Theory • Deviance is a learned behavior • Learned through interaction with others • People learn deviance as their norms • Differential Association- the frequency & closeness of associations a person has with deviant or non-deviant individuals. • Techniques of Neutralization- Suspension moral beliefs to commit deviant act(s)

16. Labeling Theory • Focuses on how individuals come to be identified as deviant • Primary Deviance- nonconformity that goes undetected by those in authority. Not considered deviant by individuals or by society • Secondary Deviance- individual being labeled as deviant and accepting that label to be true. • Degradation Ceremony- Event leads to labeling of deviant… a trial or life-changing event.