SYG 2000: Lecture 16. Chapter 6: Deviance and Social Interactionism
I. Deviance:any violation norms/rules;Chagnon:not act itself, but reactions to it make dev
A. relativity of deviance: what deviant to some not to others; dif groups have dif norms
1. Pokot of
2. ideal may not be real norms: Zapotec condemn adultery, yet not doing seen deviant
B. crime: violation
rules written down; in
C. stigma: characteristics that discredit people; violations of norms of ability/appearance
1. eg. : blindness, deafness; facial birthmark, obesity; involuntary member: aids victim
D. social order: a group’s customary social arrangements; lives based on, why dev threat
E. social control: formal & informal means of enforcing norms
1. negative sanctions: eg frowns/gossip for break folkways to jail/death for break more
a. most are informal: eg stare at inappropriate clothing; gossip about infidelity
i. shaming: >effective primary group uses; eg keep children in line
1. urbanism undermines: loss sense community;pink underwear—sheriff use in jail
2. positive sanctions: eg smiles/formal awardsn used reward for conforming to norms
3. degradation ceremony: Harold Garfinkel (1956): formal attempt brand as outsider
a. scarlet letter:Hester Prynne proclaimed moral outcast/”A” means “not one” of them
F. term not a judgment:refer all violations rule,regardless seriousness/is relative to group
1.marriage
in
a. charges: father charged with child abuse for arranging; husbands charged with rape
b. front page news
2. Hmong marriage by capture: try do so for fem in
a. when have sex with her without her agreement, charged with rape
II. Competing Explanations of Deviance: Sociology, Sociobiology, and Psychology
A. sociobiologists: look for answer within individuals; focus on genetic predispositions
1. intelligence: low intelligence leads to crime
2. “XYY” theory: extra Y chromosome in males leads to crime
3. body type: “squarish, muscular” bodies predispose street crime (mug/rape/burglary)
4. theories not hold up well: eg most crimes commit by normal “XY” chromosome etc
B. Psychologists: look at personality disorders; subconscious motives may drive to dev.
C. sociologists: look for answers outside individuals; assume environmental influence
1. eg: socialization/subcultural membership/SES; soc infl “recruit” people break norms
III. Symbolic Interactionist Perspective:act accord how interpret situations,not predispose
A. Differential Association Theory: Edwin Sutherland: learn from dif groups assoc with
1. “excess of definitions”: >of 1 than other if message mixed, tilt us to conform/deviate
2. families: delinquents more likely come from families that get into trouble with law
a. study 25000 delinquents (Beck et al. 1988): ½ w/ mom,dad,broth, or sis serve time
3. neighborhoods: some develop subcultures in which killing considered honorable act
4. mafia: to kill is a measure of manhood; concept of “honor” encourages deviance
a. norms relative: for mafia, not to kill “squealer” is deviant because threaten group
B. Control theoy (Walter Reckless): inner controls/morality (conscience/religion/ideas)
1.disincline to deviate:includes fear punish/feeling of integrity/desire be “good person”
2. outer controls: people—family/friends/police, who influence us not to deviate
3. attachments: feeling affection/respect for people who conform to society’s norms
4. commitments: having stake in society that you don’t want to risk, eg good job etc
5. involvements: putting time/energy into approved activities
6. beliefs: believing that certain actions are morally wrong
C. Labeling Theory labels affect people’s own/others’ perception them, channel to dev
1. techniques of neutralization: way think/rationalize that help deflect society’s norms
Gresham Psyches & Davis Matza (19880: identify 5 techniques after study boys
1. denial of responsibility: happened as accident or were victim of society
2. denial of injury: claim no wrong because no one hurt; stealing cars=borrowing
3. denial of victim: think self avenger: eg vandal teacher car avenge unfair grade
4. condemnation of condemners: deny other’s right judge/”hypocrites”/”on take”
5. appeal to higher loyalties: loyalty to gang more important than society’s norms