Deviance and Social Control
Deviance and Social Control
Deviance and Social Control
Control
Chapter 6
What is Deviance? Pages 154-157
Deviance- violation of the norms
Sociologist Howard Becker (1966) “not the act itself
but the reaction to the act that makes something
deviant”
Relativity of deviance acceptable in one culture is
deviant in another- this statement is true within
societies. Deviance is relative
Specific form of deviance is crime- a violation of
rules that are written into law
Sociologists do not view deviance as a bad thing- it is
just acts that people see as negative- all of us are
deviant at one time or another
Stigma characteristic that discredits people- includes
violations of norms of ability (handicap), appearance
(obesity) and being an involuntary member (AIDS
victim)
Some stigmas can become a persons master status
How Norms Make Social Life
Possible
Norms make life predictable by making behavior
predictable
We are socialized to follow norms, play basic roles that
society assigns us.
Norms bring social order, a groups customary social
arrangement.
Deviance undermines this predictability
Groups develop a systems of social control , formal and
informal ways of enforcing norms
Sanctions- expressions of disapproval of deviance bring
negative sanctions- range from frowns (breaking
folkways) to imprisonment (breaking mores). Positive
sanctions are used to reward for conforming to the norms.
Most negative sanctions are informal.
Other types of sanctions
Shaming- effective when members of a
primary group use it. Often used to keep
children in line and small communities.
Shaming can be part of a public ritual
Degradation Ceremony- a formal attempt
to brand somebody as an outsider.
Individual is stripped of their identity as a
group member. This dramatizes that the
member is no longer part of the group
Explanations of Deviance
Sociobiologists look for explanations within people
Assume that people have genetic predispositions.
Sociologists argue that genetics have little
influence on deviance
Psychologists focus on the abnormalities within
individuals. Examine personality disorders.
Sociologists dispute that deviant individuals fit a
particular personality
Sociologists search for factors outside the
individual. They look for social influences that
recruit people to break norms
Symbolic Interactionist
Perspective of Deviance pages 159-164
Symbolic Interactionists argue that we act
according to our interpretations of situations
Differential Association Theory
Edwin Sutherland developed the theory-we learn
deviance from the different groups we associate with
Give us messages about conformity and deviance
We receive an imbalance of these messages one
way or another that tilts us in one direction
Factors that influence us- family, friends, neighbors,
subcultures
Family, Friends, Neighborhood
and Subcultures
Family is the primary agent of
socialization, difference whether
we learn deviance or conformity.
Studies have proven that families
involved in crime, have
lawbreaking children
Neighborhoods- people want to
move our of “bad” neighborhoods
keep children away from corrupting
influences
Some neighborhoods develop
subcultures of violence (gangs,
mafia)
People have choice in the groups
we associate with- we produce
our own orientations to life
Control Theory
Control Theory (Walter Reckless)
We have two control systems that work against
our motivation to deviate.
Inner Control- internalized morality- conscience,
religious principles, ideas of right and wrong
Outer Controls- consist of people- family,
friends, police officers, etc. that influence us most
not to deviate
The stronger our bonds are with society the more
effective our inner controls (attachments,
commitments and involvements)
Control Theory
Attachments – feeling
affection and respect for
people that conform to
mainstream norms
Commitments- having a
stake in society that you
don’t want to risk
Involvements- putting time
an energy into approved
activities
Control theory how we
learn self- control. Learning
self control is achieved
through socialization
Labeling Theory
Labels- names, reputations, etc. we are
given, become part of our self- concept
Most people resist negative labels by others
Some people that are deviant do not view
themselves that way. The deflection of
societies norms are rationalized in the five
techniques of neutralization- denial of
responsibility, denial of injury, denial of a
victim, condemnation of condemners,
appeal to higher loyalties
Functionalist Perspective of
Deviance pages 164-166