Deviance

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Deviance
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What is deviance?

• Behavior that violates the social norm
• Deviance varies across societies and time periods
  (Divorce, Tattoos)
• Situations within a society can also determine
  deviance (Killing)

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I am a Deviant

• Deviants are repeat offenders of norms or commit
  a serious deviant act
• Labeling
• Must be caught in deviant act
• Deviance must be made known (stigma)
• Not all deviance is criminal however committing
  crime is a deviant act

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Functions of Deviance

• Unifying the Groupus vs. them
• Clarifying normsforms boundaries
• Diffusing tensionsafety valve
• Identifying problemssocial change
• Providing jobs

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Cultural-Transmission Theory

• Learned behavior
• Interaction with deviant individuals
• Differential association deviant vs. nondeviant
  individuals
• determines likelihood of becoming deviant
• Edwin Sutherland crime cycles
• All humans are conformists

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Structural-Strain Theory

• Robert K. Merton--functionalist perspective
• Natural outgrowth of trying to achieve societies
  goals
• Goal Means
• Conformity is the preferred action
• Deviance occurs when means arent available
• Innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion

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Control Theory

• Individuals with weak ties to community are
  deviant
• Strong bonds in a community force conformity
• Bonds created through attachment to others,
  belief in moral code, commitment to traditional
  societal values and involvement in nondeviant acts

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Conflict Theory

• Competition and social inequality lead to
  deviance
• Power struggle in society (have vs. have not)
• People with power commit deviant act to maintain
  power
• People without power commit deviant acts to get
  power
• Those in power determine deviant behaviors (those
  that undermine their power)

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Labeling Theory

• All people commit deviant acts at some point in
  life
• Primary and Secondary deviance
• Primary--nonconformity that goes undetected
• Secondary--results in being labeled deviant
• Being labeled or accepting the label changes
  ones life--Master Status