CHAPTER 8 Any act that violates a social norm Criminal Deviance: homicide, robbery, & rape (involve violating criminal law) Noncriminal Deviance: homophobia, using pornography, mental disorder, & corporate crimes EXAMPLES OF VARIATIONS 20% of US adults suffer from problems serious enough to need psychiatric help; 12% of adolescents suffer Types of noncriminal deviance: Psychosis: loss of touch with reality Neurosis: persistent fear, anxiety, or worry about trivial matters Noncriminal deviance: prejudice & discrimination against gays & lesbians (aka “heterosexism”) #1 excuse: says it’s wrong in the Bible & those people are to be put to death (Leviticus 20:13) #2 excuse: same-sex marriages “cannot produce babies,” which is a “deviant” act to them Emile Durkheim: “ deviance is an integral part of all healthy societies” He came up with anomie = social condition in which norms are absent, weak, or in conflict (aka “normlessness”) Robert Merton agrees w/Durkheim • anomie may occur when there’s an inconsistency between goals & the socially approved ways of achieving them Problem: too much emphasis on success of the goal & not enough means for achieving it creates a strain on people (especially lower classes) Both functionalists and conflict theorists view deviance as a product of society Symbolic Interactionists say it is learned through interactions w/other people • People learn how to perform & define these acts • Ex: stealing if you’re hungry/poor = pro-deviant definition; wrong to steal = anti-deviant definition If kids pick up on enough pro-deviant definitions, then they will likely be deviant This is called differential association = process of acquiring a deviant behavior through interaction w/others Looks at societal reactions to rule violation & impact of this reaction Society looks at a rule-breaking act & labels it as deviant can forever label a person Before being forever labeled, people go through stages” 1. primary deviance = 1st time violations (kids break windows, skip school, etc) 2. leads to possible secondary deviance = if adults see these “pranks” as serious, they label the kid…leads to continued violations b/c it’s almost expected of them Almost everyone deviates at a point in their life from social norms considered deviant acts Therefore control by others to limit deviance & maintain order is known as social control (people are pressured to conform to social norms) INFORMAL Relatives, neighbors, peers, strangers Enforce control through frowning, gossip, ridicule, etc. FORMAL Police, judges, prison guards, educational institutions, welfare, media, & medicine Controlled through our criminal justice system