Deviance and Social Control

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Deviance and Social Control

Deviance-a violation of a social norm Conformity-
adherence (following) a social norm
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Norm Reminder

• Norms- guidelines that govern our thoughts,
  beliefs, and behavior
• A-Prescriptive Norms- tell us what to do-
• Excuse me
• B-Proscriptive Norms- tell us what not to do-
• Thou shall not
• Three types of norms
• Mores, folkways, and Laws- See culture notes for
  definitions

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Types of Deviance

• Negative Deviance behavior that fails to meet
  certain norms (under conformity)
• -Examples dress code violation, swearing in
  class, stealing
• Positive Deviance behavior that over-conforms
• to social expectations
• -Examples anorexia, perfectionist tendencies

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Social Control- Ways to encourage conformity to
social norms

• Internal Social Control this lies within the
  individual and is developed in the socialization
  process.
• Instilling a sense on right vs. wrong
• External Social Control rewards or punishments
  that encourage conformity to social norms
• -Positive sanctions awards, money, smiles
• -Negative sanctions criticism, fines,
  imprisonment

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Tolerance of Deviant Behavior

• Range of Tolerance a scope of behaviors
  acceptable and defined as conformity, although
  technically a norm has been violated (speed
  limit)
• Sociologist Ruth Cavans Model (1961)
• There is a range of tolerance for conformity to
  a norm over-conformity and under-conformity can
  both be equally deviant. (See model)

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In defining deviance and conformity- Time, Place,
Situation, and Culture all play a factor. All
crime is deviant, but not all deviance is
considered criminal
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History-Popular Explanations for Deviance

• Historically, deviance was attributed to demonic
  possession, evil, or sinful.
• -Exorcisms, trepidation
• http//religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/07/the-real-
  exorcist-no-sympathy-for-the-devil/?irefNS1
• What do you believe?????
• In the 18-19th century people began examining
  scientific reasons for deviance/ conformity
• Cesare Lombroso- stated that atavism a
  genetic traits that distinguished criminals from
  the normal population
• Physical attributes include large lower jaw,
  high brow with ridge
• (caveman looking) also an insensitivity to pain
• Phrenology- a study of the bumps on the skull-
  linked to criminal behavior
• In the 20th century, Family Pedigree became the
  focus of attention- the key being a genetic
  predisposition for criminal behavior (ei.
  Aggression)

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Current Theories on Deviant Behavior

• 1. Blame the media
• See video clip
• Many theories link Violent/ Deviant behavior to
  the Media through Social Learning Theory (we
  model what we see).
• Media Violence and Aggressive Behavior
• Portrayals of violence show a direct increase in
  violent behavior in children in both the
  laboratory and the real world.
• Study have shown that when a famous person
  commits suicidethe overall suicide rate rises
• Music- heavy metal and rap music studies have
  shown similar results.

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Task Debate

• Topic Social Media does/ does not cause deviant
  behavior.
• Get into groups based on your opinion (no more
  than 4 per group)
• Create a hypothesis
• Find support for your hypothesis- case studies,
  research, etc.
• Create a statement (paragraph) that a member of
  your group can read to the class that includes
  you hypothesis, factual support, analysis, case
  study, etc.
• Goal To give a COMPLELLING argument supporting
  your hypothesis
• The class will vote on the most compelling
  statement and that group will receive extra
  credit---you will have 4 minutes max!

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Current theories continued

• 2. Medical Model -views deviance as an illness
• The criminal must be ill and therefore cured
  of their illness.
• Deviant people are mentally ill
• Individuals are defined as curable or
  incurable

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Sociological Analysis of Deviance and Conformity

• Structural Functionalist Perspective
• Deviance and conformity are integral to society
• There are functional consequences (changes to
  unjust laws, jobs) and dysfunctional consequences
  (people harmed, financial loss, social order
  loss)
• Examples
• H. Spencer- Social Pathology- deviance is a
  problem that threatens the survival of society
• E. Durkheim- anomie is a condition in which
  norms are weak, conflicting, or absent- this
  creates a disorganized society.
• This leads to strain Theories- is the idea that
  deviance is more likely to occur when there is a
  gap between culturally desired goals and
  legitimate ways of obtaining them.

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Stigma- any characteristic that sets people apart
and discredits and disqualifies them from full
acceptance and participation.

• Erving Goffman (1963) identifies three principal
  types of stigma experienced by those rejected by
  society
• Abominations of the body physical limitations,
  deformity, of any physical condition not seen as
  normal
• Blemishes of Individual Character individuals
  seen as immoral, dishonest, mental disorders,
  addiction, diseases that could e linked to some
  types of deviant behavior AIDS, Lung Cancer
• Tribal Stigma- Individuals who are discredited
  because they are associated with a group seen as
  deviant- race, ethnicity, religion, sexual
  orientation, or an affiliation with a group.
• Often stigmatized people are treated as less
  than human

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How do people respond to social strain?

• Mertons theory- people adapt in various ways in
  a chaotic situation or anomie
• (2-5 all are considered deviant)
• Conformity- accept and pursue culturally
  acceptable norms
• Innovation- rejects means or it is no available
  to them and they substitute deviant means to
  achieve goals (drug dealer).
• Ritualism- appears to accept goals and means, but
  confuses them (gets caught up with means-never
  achieves goal).
• Retreatism- rejects goals and means- drops our of
  society.
• Rebellion- rejects goals and means and replaces
  them with deviant ones

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• E. Durkheim- Theory of Suicide-Made connections
  between the act of suicide and social structure.
• 4 types of suicide
• Egoist- occurs in large societies where
  individuals do not feel integrated into society
• Altruistic- in small societies where suicide in
  seen necessary for survival (religious martyrs)
• Anomic- feel a lack of control, chaotic situation
  (natural disasters, social upheaval)
• Fatalistic- feel a lack of freedom/hope (love
  pacts, prisoners)

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Control Theory

• Travis Hirshis Theory -2001
• Conformity depends on strong social bonds between
  individuals and society
• Social Bond theory- the stronger the attachment
  to a social institution (family, school, church)
  to more likely conformity is affirmed
• 4 Basic elements of social bonds
• Attachment
• Commitment
• Involvement
• Belief

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• Containment theory- individuals who have strong
  inner containment (internalized norms, morals,
  values) and outer containment (agents of social
  control- parents, teachers, police officer) the
  more likely they are to conform
• Techniques of Neutralization people who are
  conformists do not rationalize deviant behavior-
  they see it as irrational. Deviance uses one of
  the following techniques to rationalize their
  behavior
• Denial of responsibility
• Denial of injury
• Denial of a victim
• Condemnation of Condemners
• Appeals to a Higher Authority

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Conflict Perspective

• Deviance arises when groups with power attempt to
  impose their norms and values on the less
  powerful group
• Power Theory
• Those in power have more opportunity to make and
  enforce norms- they determine who and what is
  deviant
• Only few individuals are in power, only they have
  access to commit certain types of deviance.
• The more emphasis that are in place on the
  criminal justice system and individual deviance,
  the less people will be focused on those who make
  and enforce the laws.
• Elite Deviance- all aspects of white collar crime
  and all deviant acts committed by those in power
  (pollution, deceptive advertising, fraud)
• Even though the cost to the tax payers hundreds
  of billions of dollars a year- they are treated
  even more leniently than other criminals. Why?

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Conflict Perspective continued

• Race, ethnicity, and crime
• In the criminal justice system-
• African Americans and Latinos are treated more
  harshly in indictments, convictions, sentencing,
  and parole than people who are white- even when
  the offense is the same
• Examples
• 1- African Americans account for 1.3 of the
  population, but 42 of the death row population
• In interracial murders (which are not of the
  norm) an African American is sentenced for the
  murder of a white person is much more likely to
  be sentenced to death that visa-versa.
• Nearly ½ of all homicide victims are black, yet
  the vast majority of people on death row are
  there for murdering people who are white.

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Why are minorities and whites treated so
differently

• Conflict Theory Suggestions
• Unequal access to good legal resources
• Victim discounting reduces the seriousness of
  crimes directed at the members of lower classes.
• If the victim is seen as less valuable, the crime
  less serious, the penalty is less severe.

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• Interactionists Perspective- deviance in a result
  of social interaction.
• Labeling- deviance and conformity are labels
  assigned to certain people and certain acts-
  deviance is relative
• When two people break the same norms- only one
  may be labeled deviant. Why?
• Primary Deviance- a person engages in only
  isolated acts of deviance- it is not part of
  their lifestyle
• Secondary Deviance- deviance in part of the
  individuals self- concept/lifestyle- they have
  been labeled

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Interactionist Perspective cont

• Social Learning- all behavior (including deviant)
  is learned
• Differential Association Theory- deviant behavior
  is learned through interaction with other deviant
  individuals
• The ratio of deviant to non-deviant individuals
• Whether the deviance is practiced by a sig. Other
• The age of exposure
• Differential Reinforcement- conformity or
  deviance in dependant upon who an individual
  associates with and their reactions to the
  deviant behavior

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The costs and benefits of Deviance

• Negative Effects
• Erodes Trust
• Causes non- conforming in others
• Can be expensive/costly
• Positive Effects
• Clarifies Norms
• Temporary safety value- relieving pressure
• Increases Unity
• Promotes needed social change

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Crime and Punishment

• U.S. crime statistics come from the FBI and the
  US Census
• Crime- a violation of a statute law
• There are more than 4,000 federal crimes alone...
• Crime in the USA is on the decline
• Approx. 17 million US households (15) experience
  on or more crimes (down 25 since 1994)
• 2003, more than 3 million households reported
  being victims of a violent crime

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Four Approaches to control and punish law breakers

• 1- Deterrence- discourages criminal acts by
  threatening punishment
• When does deterrence work? When the offenders are
  likely to be caught and the punishment is known
  to be quick and severe.
• Does Capital punishment deter crime?
• 2-Retribution- punishment intended to make
  criminals pay compensation for their acts
• 3- Incarceration- a method of protecting society
  from criminals by keeping them in prison
• 3 strikes law. Does it work?
• Rehabilitation- process of changing or reforming
  a criminal through socialization
• Recidivism- a repetition of or return to criminal
  behavior
• More than ½ of people released from prison will
  be back within 3-5 years

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• Pros/Cons
• Stats.
• US is one of the only industrialized nations with
  the death penalty- UN highly criticizes the US
  for this
• US has one of highest homicide rates via the use
  of handguns (over 10,000 deaths per year on
  average)
• 38 states have the death penalty- five different
  methods are still on the books with lethal
  injection being the most utilized method
• Federal system uses the death penalty
• Capital punishment is costly 2.1 million dollars
• Cost or life imprisonment800,000 dollars/40
  years
• The 1 factor in determining probability of
  getting the death penalty- socioeconomic status.
  2 race
• The race that has the highest percentage of
  people on death row while _at_51, followed by
  blacks _at_42
• Many factors in determining if the death penalty
  applies, but main causes are homicide with
  extenuating circumstances and lack of remorse.
• See Handouts

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Sociopaths/Psychopaths

• currently there is debate whether they are the
  same or different
• most debate centers around the sociopathic
  tendency to try to integrate into society,
  whereas a psychopath has a tendency to be very
  open about their deviant tendenciescould this
  lead to the nature/nurture debate?
• Define lack of regard for moral or legal
  standards in the local culture- marked by an
  inability to get along with others/rules

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Diagnostic criteria Antisocial personality
disorder

• -repeated acts that could lead to arrest
• -conning for pleasure/profit
• -repeated assaults on others
• -repeated lying or the use of aliases
• -reckless when it comes to the safety of others
• -poor work behavior, failure to honor obligations
• -rationalizing the pain they cause others
• -at least 18 years old
• - evidence of conduct disorder with onset before
  15
• - symptoms not sue to another mental disorder/
  drug use

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Profile of a Sociopath/Psychopath

• Glib/Superficial Charm
• Manipulative and Conning
• Grandiose sense of self
• Pathological liar
• Lack of remorse, shame, guilt
• Shallow emotions
• Incapacity for love
• Need for stimulation
• Callousness /lack of empathy
• Poor behavior controls/impulsive nature
• Early behavioral problems/Juvenile Delinquency
• Irresponsibility/Unreliability
• Promiscuity/ Infidelity
• Lack of Realistic Life Plan/Parasitic Lifestyle
• Criminal Versatility

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Assignment Profile a Sociopath

• See worksheetdue Monday!
• Examples
• Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer
• http//www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/14/easy.prey.gree
  n.river.survivor/index.html?hptT2
• Jeffrey Dahmer
• http//www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/stone-phill
  ips-jeffrey-dahmer-interview-segment-1-part-4-of-6
  /c30ee03589a83b4a6d7cc30ee03589a83b4a6d7c-28636951
  4645?qjeffrey20Dahmer20interviewsFORMVIRE5

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Examples

• Jack the Ripper Responsible for the murders of
  prostitutes from the Whitechapel Area of London
  in 1888, Jack the Rippers identity is yet
  unknown. His victims were prostitutes and they
  were brutally murdered and some of their internal
  organs were surgically removed by the killer.
  Ed Gein He was a famous serial killer and
  proved to be an inspiration for Thomas Harris for
  creating the famous character of Hannibal Lecter
  in "The Silence of the Lambs". Ed Gein would skin
  his victims, exhume corpses and then decorate his
  home with parts of their bodies and use the skin
  to make clothes and furniture items. He died on
  the 26th of July, 1984 in a mental institution.
• The Zodiac Killer He was responsible for five
  known murders in North Carolina in the 1960s. His
  identity remains unknown till date. He would
  target men and women between the ages of 16 and
  29 and would leave a taunting sign of a crosshair
  like symbol in subsequent letters to the Police
  Department. A few of his cryptic messages are
  still not de-coded.Charles Manson This serial
  killer has re-defined evil. He was the leader of
  a hippie cult in San Francisco called as "The
  Family" formed around 1967. Members were mostly
  men and women who were rebelling against their
  parents and in deep emotional trouble. He used
  drugs and convinced them to go on killing
  rampages to rob the wealthy to provide for "The
  Family". They would then write messages soaked in
  the blood of the victims on the walls of the
  house.

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Examples

• Ted Bundy One of the most notorious serial
  killers in history, he was responsible for the
  rape and murder of several women between 1974 and
  1978. An educated and charming young man, he
  either raped and then killed the women or killed
  and then raped them. His method of killing was
  either by strangulation or by bludgeoning the
  women. He was arrested on the 16th of August,
  1975, but escaped within 17 hours of his capture.
  He was subsequently arrested on the 15th of
  February, 1978. On the 24th of January, 1989, Ted
  Bundy was sent to the electric chair.David
  Berkowitz Known as the "Son of Sam", he was
  responsible for killing six women and wounding
  several others in shootings using a .44 caliber
  pistol in the 1970s in New York City. He was
  arrested by the Police on the 10th of August,
  1977 outside his apartment in New York.

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Here is a list of Famous Female Serial Killers

• Mary Ann Cotton She was an English Serial
  Killer and had killed more than 20 people,
  including her own children, by using arsenic and
  then collected their insurance money. She was
  hanged on the 24th of March, 1873 at the Durham
  County Jail.Marybeth Tinning Working as a
  nurses aide, she was notorious for having killed
  nine of her own children by strangulating them
  and taking them to the hospital almost dead. She
  went un-noticed by the hospital authorities for a
  very long time, since they thought that these
  deaths were a genetic problem in the family. When
  she brought her adopted son to the hospital in an
  unconscious state, and he was later declared to
  be dead, the doctors began to suspect foul play.
  She was convicted on the 17th of July, 1987 and
  was sentenced to life imprisonment.Nannie Doss
  Also known as the "Giggling Granny" she was
  responsible for the killing of 11 people between
  1920 and 1954. Her victims included her two
  sisters, her mother, a grandson, a nephew and her
  four husbands. She was sentenced to life
  imprisonment in 1955 and died 10 years later of
  leukemia.

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• Belle Gunness Born in 1859, her whereabouts
  still unknown, she was responsible for the
  killings of more than 20 suitors and all of her
  children. Belle was also famous for burning down
  houses and collecting insurance money for the
  property and for her dead husbands. Later on, she
  progressed to placing an advertisement for a
  husband in a newspaper and luring prospective
  suitors to her home and killing them. She would
  bury the bodies in her farm and hog
  pen.Dorothea Puente In 1988, this 60 year old
  woman was sentenced to serve two terms of life
  imprisonment for the murders of at least 9
  people. She would run a boarding house for
  elderly disabled people, and rob them of their
  benefit money. She would also kill them and keep
  on taking the government benefits by forging
  their checks.Aileen Wuornos An American Serial
  Killer, she was a prostitute and was put to death
  by lethal injection on the 9th of October, 1992.
  She was charged with killing seven men, who she
  claimed (attempted to) rape her while she was
  working as a prostitute.