Deviance, Social Control, and Crime Part I

Key Terms

• conflict theory: a theory that examines social and economic factors as the causes of criminal deviance

• deviance: a violation of contextual, cultural, or social norms

• formal sanctions: sanctions that are officially recognized and enforced

• informal sanctions: sanctions that occur in face-to-face interactions

• positive sanctions: rewards given for conforming to norms

• sanctions: the means of enforcing rules

• social control: the regulation and enforcement of norms

• social order: an arrangement of practices and behaviors on which society’s members base their daily lives

​Social Structure

• ​The blueprint for social living, which is a culture’s norms and values, is learned through socialization.

• To act appropriately in any group, a person must understand the underlying social structure.

• The importance of social structure is that it helps people interact, or relate to one another, more smoothly.

• Learning the structure of each group includes learning about statuses and roles, which are major elements of social structure.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes how deviance is defined?

• Deviance is defined by federal, state, and local laws.

• Deviance’s definition is determined by one’s religion.

• Deviance occurs whenever someone else is harmed by an action.

• Deviance is socially defined.

Nature of Deviance

​Deviance can help society progress.

•It can challenge people’s current views. 

•For example, participating in a protest that involves marching and showing signs outside of a business that mistreats its workers is a deviation from social norms, but it can bring awareness and improve the situation.

•It can reaffirm social norms through punishment.

•When someone is prosecuted and punished for committing a crime, it helps provide an example for others that crime is not tolerated. 

•It can lead to societal cohesiveness through the “collective consciousness.”

•“A crime is a crime because we condemn it.”

•How would Durkheim respond to the gambling example – is it a crime if we don’t condemn it?

Multiple Choice

During the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks and other Black protestors spoke out against segregation by refusing to sit at the back of the bus. This is an example of ________.

• An act of social control

• An act of deviance

• A social norm

• Criminal mores

​Social Control

​Social Control is the regulation and enforcement of norms

Social Order is an arrangement of practices and behaviors on which society’s members base their daily lives

Sanctions are the means of enforcing rules

Positive Sanctions are rewards given for conforming to norms

Negative Sanctions are punishments for violating the norms Informal Sanctions are sanctions that occur in face-to-face interactions

Formal Sanctions are sanctions that are officially recognized and enforced

Multiple Choice

A student has a habit of talking on their cell phone during class. One day, the professor stops the lecture and asks the student to respect others in the class by turning off the phone. In this situation, the professor used __________ to maintain social control.

• Informal negative sanctions

• Informal positive sanctions

• Formal negative sanctions

• Formal positive sanctions

Multiple Choice

One day, you decide to wear pajamas to the grocery store. While you shop, you notice people giving you strange looks and whispering to others. In this case, the grocery store patrons are demonstrating _______.

• deviance

• formal sanctions

• informal sanctions

• positive sanctions

Functionalists point out that deviance is a social necessity since it reinforces norms by reminding people of the consequences of violating them. Violating norms can open society’s eyes to injustice in the system

​

​Functionlist Theory

​Émile Durkheim: The Essential Nature of Deviance

​Émile Durkheim believed that deviance is a necessary part of a successful society. One way deviance is functional, he argued, is that it challenges people’s present views (1893). For instance, when black students across the United States participated in sit-ins during the civil rights movement, they challenged society’s notions of segregation. Moreover, Durkheim noted, when deviance is punished, it reaffirms currently held social norms, which also contributes to society (1893). Seeing a student given detention for skipping class reminds other high schoolers that playing hooky isn’t allowed and that they, too, could get detention.

Open Ended

Pick a famous politician, business leader, or celebrity who has been arrested recently. What crime did they allegedly commit? Who was the victim? Explain their actions from the point of view of Functionist Theory. What factors best explain how this person might be punished if convicted of the crime?