Introduction: Welcome!
Oh hey! Welcome to Sociology 12-0!
Introduction: Welcome!
0 So, you have found yourself thrown in to the world of
Sociology!
0 It’s a lot to take in especially right now looking at the
three main theories and deviance at the same time!
0 I don’t claim to know it all, I am however offering the
things that helped me during sociology! 
0 Rule #1: Don’t Panic!!
0 Keep your cool and get things done and study hard!
0 The first thing you should look at is the main
definitions!
Definitions
GAH! THESE DEFINITIONS!!
Definition Know How!
0 Rule #2: Know your definitions & remember them
through examples.
0 So this is what helped me studying all of the
definitions;
0 1. Read the definitions.
0 2. Write out the definitions.
0 3. Remembering the definitions and theories are easier
with examples so create those.
Definitions
0 Conflict Theory: The difference between the people
in control and the people under them. Issues between
different groups in society.
0 Functionalism Theory: Social stability and the ways
that all parts of society interact and contribute to the
whole.
0 Symbolic Interactionism: People’s interactions to
symbols and such things as that.
Definitions
0 Deviance: behavior that’s different from what
society’s norms are defined as.
0 Deviant: a person who breaks society’s rules. You
remember that kid that would always spit spit balls
into the back of your head and get in trouble for it.
That’s him. He’s a deviant as he is breaking a rule.
0 Norm: what defines right and wrong behavior in our
society. School rules are an example. They define right
and wrong in the school community.
Definitions
0 Positive Deviance: a person who will over-conform
to the social expectations and rules/norms. An
example that was always referred to in class was; if
thin was in then this person would be too thin.
0 Negative Deviance: Just the opposite of the above;
the under conformer.
0 Social Control: social control promotes conformity.
0 Anomie: a time/place where norms are weak, not
there, or conflicting.
0 Victim Discounting: If a crime happens to a lower
class person then it is seen as less serious.
0 Stigma: a bad trait that is used to describe a person.
Definitions
0 Crime: acts that violate norms and laws.
0 Social Sanctions: rewards and punishments that
encourage conformity.
0 Positive sanctions: smiles, pats on the back,
promotions/awards.
0 Negative sanctions: fines, imprisonment, gossip.
Symbolic Interactionism &
Deviance
What’s it all about?
Symbolic Interactionism
Differential
Association
Labeling
Theory
• Deviance could be learned through the socialization of the
person.
• Primary groups passing on deviant behaviour.
• 3 characteristics explained on the next slide.
• Explains why deviance is a relative part of society.
• Says that society creates deviance because we label people as
such.
• Can create stigmas.
• Degrees of deviance explained next.
3 Characteristics of
Differential Association
Deviant behaviour versus
non-deviant behaviour.
• It depends on how much deviant behaviour that you
have been exposed to.
• The more you’re around this behaviour the more likely
you are to pick it up.
Deviant behaviour
demonstrated by loved
ones.
• You are more likely to pick up deviant behaviour from
loved ones.
Age.
• How old was a person shown this deviant behaviour?
• Younger children learn it quicker than older children.
Degrees of Deviance
0 Edwin Lemert’s made the actual distinction between
these two;
Primary
Deviance
• A person only engages in a few isolated acts
of deviance. It’s out of character for them to
defy.
• Example: If Anna is a straight A student who
follows the rules and then she steals from a
store or something; it is considered out of
character. Primary deviance.
Secondary
Deviance
• Deviance is a lifestyle for this type of person.
• Example: A person who always breaks the
school rules.
Functionalism & Deviance
Here we goooo!
The Basics
0 Deviance and their contribution to society could make
society a smooth operator.
0 With that deviance could have positive and negative
effects.
0 Functionalism has 2 important theories; strain and
control.
Negative & Positive Effects
Negative
- Ruins trust between
groups and individuals.
- The deviant behaviour if
it’s not addressed, then it
can be influential on
others.
- Expensive.
Positive
- Durkheim actually found
that deviance in society
will clarify social norms
and will exercise social
control.
- Deviance can be a safety
mechanism (a small act od
defiance [primary
deviance] can relieve
stress)
- Promotes unity in groups.
- Start social change.
Functionalist
Perspective
Strain
Theory
Control
Theory
Strain Theory?
0 Remember Durkheim? Well, he’s back! Strain theory
was his concept. However he didn’t name it.
0 Robert Merton adapted it and called it strain theory.
0 If there are no shared norms in society, people don’t
know how to act and everything can become
disorganized.
0 When there are no or little social norms or if they are
conflicting; this is called anomie.
0 It is most likely to happen when there is a missing link
with the accepted goals and a real way of getting
them.
0 There is one way to respond and that is conformity.
You accept the goals and the legal means to achieve
success.
0 There are four ways that people respond to strain that
are deviant and I thought that the chart that Ms.
Carson used helped me a lot.
Responses to Strain
Innovation
Retreatism
Strain
Ritualism
Rebellion
So… What Does That Chart
Mean?
0 Innovation is the most obvious type and the most prevalent.
They want/accept success but they don’t use legal ways to get
the success they want. They may use criminal behaviour to get
success.
0 Rebellion is that they do not want success and nor the ways to
get it. They make their own goals and ways of getting it.
0 Ritualism is when they do not want success but they use
means to achieve it. It’s like the people are just going through
the motions and they don’t really care about what they’re
doing.
0 Retreatism is when they don’t want success or the means of
getting it. It’s sort of like rebellion but they don’t replace the
goals.
0 Rule #3: Make a flow chart to remember these better.
Here is an example of mine that I made;
Conflict Theory & Deviance
Last one, you can do this!
How it Relates
0 We looked at the conflict theory as a relationship
between minorities, crime, and the judicial system. I
want to relate it to a media related example. But here
is the rundown of minorities and the judicial system.
0 This theory supports that the minorities in society get
treated unequally in the judicial system. It is found
that non-white people are more likely to be convicted
as guilty.
0 This is known as victim discounting.
The Hunger Games
0 What?!? Where?!? Yeah, I’m a Hunger Games fan. I
read all the books and they are great!
0 Ms. Carson brought up that conflict theory is present
in the series. I never thought about it until then and I
started to see it.
0 ***WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS!!***
0 So, if you have read the books; you would know that
the world has now been made in to 12 Districts and
The Capitol who runs everything and can control
everything; including a persons death.
The Hunger Games
0 The Capitol is the running party and at one time there were 13
Districts. The 13th District rose up and fought the oppressive
Capitol.
0 District 13 was obliterated and blown off the map. Now to
remind the people of the 12 remaining Districts; the Capitol
has created The Hunger Games.
0 Each District offers up one male and one female between the
ages of 12 and 18 to compete in the Hunger Games where they
will fight to the death until only one person is left standing,
0 People have taken it for 74 years until Katniss Everdeen and
Peeta Mellark are thrown in to the Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games
0 Peeta and Katniss are known as the star crossed lovers after
Peeta admits his undying love for her in front of everyone.
Everyone wants them both to live through the games but
they know that there will only be one winner.
0 Katniss, unknowingly, starts an uprising while in the games.
She makes a statement with one of the tributes when they
die.
0 When this person dies; she covers the person in flowers to
represent that all of the tributes are not just pawns in their
game.
0 Katniss starts and leads a hard and tough uprising against
the Capitol
The Hunger Games
0 The capitol thinks that this will pass (victim
discounting) and think that they are untouchable.
0 The governing in Panem is a dictatorship and they do
not have a relationship with the people of the
districts. So the districts could be considered the
minority and the capitol the judicial system. That is
the connection.
0 There are other connectors but they are farther ahead
in the series so I will stop there.
White Collar Crime
0 Crimes that are committed by higher status people
and relate to their jobs.
0 The punishment is usually more lenient and not as
severe.