Deviance and Social Control

Tyler Ruby and Chris Coup

To analyze and interpret deviance and social Control and how it has affected our society in recent years.

Thesis

Refers to Any Action or Behavior That Differ from Cultural Norms Including Formally Enacted Rules.

Examples Include: Intelligence, Athlete, Ethnicity, Crime, and Fashion.

The Relativity of Deviance

Every society decides what is deviance and what is not.

Functionalism: Each group enforces its norms among the members

Who Defines Deviance

Each group is dominated by a group of elite people.

Basic purpose is to maintain that power. Society is groups that are controlled

uneasily by this group of people

Conflict Theory

Inner and Outer controls help determine crime

Ex: Conscious, values, morals, integrity, police, family, and friends

These form a person’s self-control Children who lack this are more likely to

become criminals.

Control Theory

Meanings people derive from labels, symbols, and reactions.

Certain behaviors aren’t deviant unless society claims them to be deviant.

Powerful individuals impose the more significant labels

Labeling Theory

A learned phenomenon People learned to be criminals by being

associated with areas of high criminal activity

Crime is matter of the ordinary

Differential Association

Arises when social norms conflict or don’t exist

Kept from reaching a certain goal “Make a Point”

Anomie Theory

Looking for answers within individuals Something in their makeup forces them to

become a deviant Environmental factors encourage deviance

Sociological Explanation

Focuses on inborn tendencies 1.) Intelligence- Usually low intelligence

leads to crime 2.) The XYY theory- The extra Y

chromosome leads to crime 3.) Body Type- the more bulk you are the

more likely you are to commit a crime.

Biological Explanation

Abnormalities within the individual Personality disorders Bad experiences

Psychological Explanation

Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms

Deviance promotes social unity Deviance promotes social change

Functionalist Perspective

Innovators: people who accept the goals of society (embezzlers and robbers)

Ritualism: Cling to conventional goals of conduct

Retreatism: Reject both cultural goals and institutionalized means of achieving them

Rebellion: Convinced that their society is corrupt

4 types of Deviance

Power and Social inequality is the primary characteristic of a society

Those who sell labor, and those who buy labor

Marginal Working Class: People with few skills

Most likely to commit street crimes

Conflict Perspective

Sanctions: Negative and Positive◦ -Most negative are informal◦ -Gossip, Glares

Degradation Ceremonies: Designed to strip the individual of his or her identity in the group.

Imprisonment

Reactions to Deviance

“The death penalty” Up to the state whether to employ capital

punishment Financial costs tend to be higher Blatant deterrent of crime Typically supported by most religions

Capital Punishment

Deviance such as crime is considered a mental illness

Rape, murder, and robbery are seen as internal disorders

Usually depends on peoples experience in life, not mental illnesses

Medicalization of Deviance

How do you feel deviance is brought about in society?◦ - He really thinks that deviance is encouraged by the area that

they live in. Their social environment gives them opportunities to commit deviance.

Do you think that we do enough as a society to control deviance?- He thinks that we try to do the most we can. He hopes that we would use the death penalty a little more, but we need to make sure we are putting people in jail for credible crimes

Have you ever been guilty of giving an informal reaction to someone violating a social norm?- Yes, he admits to laughing at people who just look absolutely ridiculous in public. I admit that I often laugh aloud with him.

Interview

Video http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzn6-WTcqNE&feature=related

CliffsNotes.com. Theories of Deviance. 12 May 2009<http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTopic/topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26873.html>.

GORDON MARSHALL. "differential association." A Dictionary of Sociology. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 12 May. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Henslin, James. Sociology: A Down to Earth Perspective. 3. Needham Heights: A Pearson Education, 2001.

"Deviance (sociology)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 13 May 2009, 21:09 UTC. 14 May 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deviance_(sociology)&oldid=289749757

>. Hughes, Michael. “The Nature of Deviance.” Online Learning

Center. 11 May 2009. www.highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites.

Works Cited