Crime and Deviance Flashcards
(21 cards)
Deviance
Non-conformity to a given social norm or set of norms which are considered important by a significant group in a society
Folkways
Rules of behavior that we follow in everyday life
Mores
Strong norms that are regarded as morally significant
Taboos
Most powerful social norms
Stigma
Mark of social disgrace that separates the deviant from “normal” people
Socialisation
Process through which we learn to voluntarily accept group norms
External control
Using sanctions to coerce us into conformity
Sanction
Any reaction from other people to the behavior of an individual or group who has the aim of ensuring conformity to a social norm
Informal Social Control
Takes place as sanctions are applied through the spontaneous reaction of others
Formal Social Control
Sanctions are imposed by a formal agent of social control which has been given the Statutory responsibility to ensure that particular norms are followed by sanctioning behavior
Law
Formal norms, and their violation is handled by officials in the criminal and civil justice system
Crime
Category of deviance. The violation of norms which are formally sanctioned by the criminal law system
Bureaucratisation of informal social control
We are increasingly subject to surveillance when going about out everyday activities, and private behavioral choices are becoming more subject to state regulation i.e. smoking behavior, drinking behavior
Indirect victim
Those in society who suffer the fear of
becoming victims
Conformity
People accept both the approved goals and approved methods of achieving them. Conformists want to achieve success and generally use approved means even if they are unsuccessful
Innovation
People accept the approved goals of society, but resort to unapproved means to achieve them. This is the most common form of deviance in society
Ritualism
People abandon the goals as irrelevant to their lives but still carry out the activities associated with the means
Retreatism
People abandon the approved goals and means. Viewed as a double failure - vagrant, drug addict
Rebellion
People reject the goals and means but substitute new, disapproved ones instead
Attachment
Refers to the sensitivity a person displays to other people’s thoughts and feelings
Labelling Theory
Deviance is created by the reactions of others to our behaviour: Primary deviance -> degradation - public confrontation as an offender -> stigmatisation -> Secondary Deviance (internalisation of the deviant label)
