Chapter 7

Outline What is deviance?

Deviance across Cultures

Theories

Stigma and Deviant Identity

Crime and Punishment

Demographics

Deterrence and Punishment

Deviance Deviance-behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic

that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction in a particular group

Must be serious enough to get a negative reaction (salad fork at dinner or eating w/ hands?)

Definitions of deviance are constructed from cultural, historical, and situational norms

Deviance Across Cultures In sociological study, the term “deviance” is used to

make a social judgment, not a moral one

Modern America-most crime is punished with imprisonment, but that requires funds-rare until 19th century

Amish-meidung-shunning those who violate norms-temporary

Many cultures have practiced banishment-Russia, Native Americans, British prisoners, etc…

Colonial America-Branding-not only painful, but marked offender

Body Modification Although branding is no longer a method of

punishment in U.S., it’s now coming back as body decoration

Michael Jordan and Emmitt Smith

Extension of tattoos

Body modification practiced by many if not most Americans on some level

Ex.: Corsets, Botox, haircuts, shaving legs, plastic surgery, etc…

Which can we say is deviant?

Theories of Deviance Functionalism What’s the function of deviance?

Durkheim-

1. Deviance can help society clarify its moral boundaries

2. Provide social cohesion

Conflict Theory

Inequalities are present in our definitions of deviance

Rules are applied unequally and punishments for rule violators are unequally distributed

Strain theories

Theories of Deviance Structural Strain

Theory-(Merton) argument that in an unequal society, the tension or strain between socially approved goals and an individual’s ability to meet those goals through socially approved means will lead to deviance as individuals reject either the goals, the means, or both

Goals/means

Theories of Deviance Structural Strain Theory-modes of adaptation

Conformity-those that obey; aren’t deviant

Innovators-accept society’s approved goals, but not means

Ritualists- have given up hope of achieving society’s approved goals, but still operate according to approved means

Retreatists-(ex. dropouts or hermits)-reject both society’s approved goals and the means by which to achieve them

Rebels-reject society’s approved goals and means and instead create and work toward their own (sometimes revolutionary) goals using new means

Symbolic Interactionism Interactionists focus on definitions of deviance

Differential Association-Edwin Sutherland-hypothesis that we learn to be deviant through our associations and interactions with deviant peers We learn from others

Labeling Theory-Howard Becker-idea that deviance is a consequence of external judgments (labels) which both modify the individual’s self-concept and change the way others respond to the labeled person Deviant labels can exert powerful effects on self-image,

treatment by others, and social policies

Labeling Theory Primary deviation-the act or attitude that causes one

to be labeled

What are the consequences of labeling?

Secondary deviation-the deviant identity or career that develops as a result of a being labeled deviant

Tertiary deviation-the rejection of the stigma of a deviant identity

Self-fulfilling prophecy-(Merton) an inaccurate statement or belief which, by altering the situation, becomes accurate, a prediction that causes it to become true

Stigma and Deviant Identity Stigma-(Goffman)any physical or social attribute that

devalues a person or group’s identity-may exclude those who are devalued from normal social interaction

Greek “tattoo”-something shameful about the bearer

Physical, tribal and moral stigmas

Passing-concealing stigmatizing information

Denying/hiding the identity that will be stigmatized

In-group orientation-orientation away from mainstream society

Crime Crime-violation of a norm that has been codified into

law (you could be arrested and imprisoned for breaking it the law)

Uniform Crime Report-(UCR) official measure of crime in the U.S.; FBI’s tabulation of every crime

Murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft, arson

Track patterns

Violent crime-violence is either the objective or means to an end (murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery)

Crime Violent crime-violence is either the objective or

means to an end (murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery)

Dramatic 44% drop in homicide rates between 1991 and 2000

Property crime-crime that did not involve violence (burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft and arson)

Occur more frequently than violent crime

Larceny theft most common crime

Burglary and motor vehicle theft trail far behind

Crime and Demographics Even numerical data can be clouded by preconceived

notions of criminal types and stereotypes

Class-police concentrate on urban areas

White-collar crime-crime committed by a high-status individual in the course of her or his occupation

Ex. Fraud, embezzlement, insider trading…

Age-the younger the population, the more likely its members are to commit crimes (steady since 1935)

Desistance-tendency to age out of crime over the life course

Crime and Demographics Gender-males more likely to commit crime

Males account for 80% of all violent crime arrests

Messerschmidt-women’s lower crime rate explained by their lower status in the power hierarchy

1992-2002-women’s arrest rates rose by 18%-men’s declined by 4%

Race-African-Americans 12% of population/37% of violent crime and 31% of property crime

Class variables and self-fulfilling prophecy (labels)

Deterrence and punishment Deterrence-approach to punishment that relies on

the threat of harsh penalties to discourage people from committing crimes

California’s “three strikes” law

Retribution-emphasizes retaliation or revenge

Capital punishment-the death penalty

Incapacitation-seeks to protect society from criminals by imprisoning them or executing them

Rehabilitation-attempts to reform criminals as part of their penalty

Positive Deviance Deviance is a judgment of

a cultural place and time, and acts that are judged to be deviant at one time may later be seen as normal or even celebrated as heroic Rosa Parks Three soldiers who

airlifted survivors of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam (pg. 189) Hugh Thompson, Lawrence

Colburn, and Glenn Andreota