Chapter 2 - Explaining Deviance - The Act Flashcards
(30 cards)
Theory
a set of statements or principles intended to explain a fact or phenomenon
Why is theory necessary?
because facts never interpret themselves
- theory and practice must be connected for either to be meaningful
What did early theories of deviance focus on, and what became emphasized later on?
Early theories of deviance focused on the supernatural (e.g., demonology, witchcraft) but with the Enlightenment came an emphasis on rationalism and science (e.g., Cesare Lombroso’s theory of atavism, heritability)
Biological Theories
- Cesare Lombroso’s theory of atavism - Stigmata, ape-like characteristics- people with these qualities are not as “evolved”, not as civilized and more likely to be involved in deviant behavior
- criminality based on HEREDITY. According to those theories, just as the colour of one’s eyes is biologically inherited, so is social behaviour like criminality
- X and y chromosome theories
Objective theories and What are they called
focus on ACTS
- focuses on RULE-BREAKING
- called POSITIVIST theories
Positivist theories
Understanding is based on observation and science (objective)
- cause-effect relationships
- modelled after approaches in the natural sciences, which identify the unchanging laws of nature that govern the environment
- In pursuing the rules that govern the social environment, positivist sociologists seek to explain why people act in certain ways—the variables or social factors that are associated with a certain behaviour
- coupled with measures of social control
What do Objective / Positivist Theories do
Are used to explain the WHY of deviance
Attempt to establish cause and effect as well as generalizable, universally applicable laws with the goal of improving society
What are the three kinds of Objective / Positivist theories
functionalist, learning, and control theories
What do Functionalist theories assume?
The social structure creates deviance
- In this perspective, society is seen as comprising various structures (e.g., the family, the education system, the political system), each of which fulfills important functions (manifest functions vs. latent <dys>functions) for the smooth running of the social order
- the rules that make up the social order are based on consensus
therefore, if rules are typically functional (i.e., they contribute to social order), and if rules are based on consensus, we need to understand why some people break the rules so order can be restored
- Social structures include institutions, such as the economic system, government, education, the family, and the roles that we play within these institutions as well- things that structure human experience</dys>
Manifest functions
intended and recognized
- For example, a manifest function of post-secondary education is to train young adults for employment
Latent functions
unintentional and unrecognized
- Post secondary offers more though, like the formation of friendships and romantic relationships
What specific theories are included in functionalist theories?
Include Durkheim’s anomie theory, Merton’s anomie and strain theories, Cloward and Ohlin’s differential opportunity theory, Agnew’s general strain theory, and Cohen’s status frustration theory
What did Durkheim suggest about deviance?
That a certain level of deviance is functional for society:
- increases social solidarity
- Deviance is functional in that seeing someone break the rules leads the rest of us to realize how important the rules are and the necessity of following the rules
- helps determine moral boundaries
- tests society’s boundaries
- when certain rules no longer work and need to be changed
- reduces societal tensions
Deviance serves a useful purpose in helping maintain a society’s balance or equilibrium
Beyond this optimal level, deviance becomes dysfunctional (interferes with the social order)
What creates deviance according to Durkheim?
The structure of society
- mechanical solidarity -> organic solidarity
What are the two ways in which deviance reduces societal tensions?
when there is some sort of scapegoat that can be blamed for a social problem, since blaming a scapegoat takes the pressure off society at large.
The second way that societal tensions can be defused is when individuals engage in small acts of minor deviance that act as a safety valve and let off some steam
What do Parsons and Smelser suggest about letting off steam through minor acts of deviance?
Subsequently activates social processes that return deviant actors to their acceptable roles in society
- Socialization – deviant actors letting off steam have internalized society’s rules enough so that they return to their legitimate social rules
- Profit - which teaches citizens that there is a payoff or benefit accorded to those who conform to society’s rules
- Persuasion - through advertising, the sermons of religious leaders, psychologists’ advice, etc.
- Coercion - punishment for those who do not return to their legitimate social roles
Mechanical Solidarity
Durkheim - society was bonded together by LIKENESS or by a COLLECTIVE commitment to conformity
- characterized by minimal specialization in the division of labour; people produced whatever they needed for survival
- interactions between individuals in this type of society were quite personal and often kin-based; everyone knew and had a personal relationship with everyone else. Each person in this society had much in common with every other person
Organic Solidarity
society was bonded together by DIFFERENCE or interdependence through a highly specialized division of labour
- tasks that keep society running smoothly are divided among different institutions
- interactions between people are somewhat impersonal, based primarily on our dependence on others because of the degree of specialization in the division of labour
- collective way of thinking and interacting is replaced by INDIVIDUALISM
Under what conditions keeps deviance at a functional level according to Durkheim?
Under conditions of both mechanical and organic solidarity, social integration and moral regulation have the potential to keep deviance at a functional level and facilitate the degree of conformity necessary to maintain social order
What does rapid social change cause according to Durkheim?
anomie (normlessness) that can result in harmful levels of deviance, beyond the degree functional for society
What did Robert Merton suggest deviance originates from?
originates from both the macro level (of larger social structures and processes) and the micro level (of individual choices and experiences).
At the macro level, characteristics of the social structure are important.
At the micro level, individual adaptations to these structural characteristics propel some people into deviance
Robert Merton Anomie and Strain Theory key concepts
institutionalized goals (culturally identified goals for “success”) and legitimate means (culturally approved ways of obtaining goals)
How do anomie and strain result according to Merton?
Anomie results when the goals become more important than the means (“deinstitutionalization of the means”) and strain results when there is a structural gap between the goals and the means
What did merton develop in his strain theory
modes of adaptation (conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion)
