Socialization and
Deviance
Nature vs. Nurture
Nature vs. Nurture
What do the cases of
Anna and Genie teach
us about the effects
of isolation in
childhood?
What is Socialization?
Socialization
The lifelong social
experience by which
individuals develop
human potential and
learn patterns of
their culture.
Why Socialization Is
Important
Teaches us ways to think, talk and
act that are necessary for social
living.
 Ensures that members of society are
socialized to support the existing
social structure.
 Allows society to pass culture on to
the next generation.

How Much Do You Know About
Early Socialization and Child Care?
True or False ?

In the United States, full-day child
care often costs as much per year as
college tuition at a public college or
university.
How Much Do You Know About
Early Socialization and Child Care?

True.

Full-day child care typically costs
between $4,000 and $10,000 per
child per year, which is as much or
more than tuition at many public
colleges and universities.
How Much Do You Know About
Early Socialization and Child
Care?
True or False?

The cost of child care is a major
problem for many U.S. families.
How Much Do You Know About
Early Socialization and Child
Care?

True.

Child care outside the home is a major
financial burden, particularly for the
one out of every three families with
young children but with an income of
less than $25,000 a year.
Understanding the
Socialization Process
 Sigmund
Freud
 Jean Piaget
 Lawrence Kohlberg
 Carol Gilligan
 George Herbert Mead with Cooley
 Erik H. Erikson
Understanding the
Socialization Process
In your group, make sure that each
member understands the
contributions of the person you were
assigned.
 Develop a picture that illustrates the
major contribution of that person to
our understanding of human
development.
 Draw that picture on the board.

Understanding the
Socialization Process
Form new groups so that each
person from the board is
represented.
 In your new group, take turns
explaining the contributions of the
person your original group was
assigned.
 Explain the picture on the board.
 Make sure each member understand
the contributions these people made.

In your notebook
List the major forces
that have shaped who
you are today.
In your notebook
Draw a pie chart
that illustrates the
relative importance
of those forces that
have shaped who
you are.
Major Agents of Socialization
 Family
 Schooling
 Peer
Group
 Mass Media
Agents of SocializationFamily
 Family
is the most
important agent of
socialization.
 Unintentional
socialization
 Effects of class on
how parents raise
their children?
Agents of SocializationSchool




Enlarges a child’s world
Our technical world expanded time here
Hidden curriculum
Other effects?
School
Profound effect on child’s self image,
beliefs and values – Give examples
 At school, you are evaluated and
compared
 Official record is kept of your school
grades and behavior
 How does this affect you?

School – Functionalist Persp

Schools are responsible for:
Teaching students to be productive
mbrs of society
 Transmission of culture
 Social control and personal
development
 Selection, training and placement of
individuals

School – Conflict perspec.
Students have different experiences
based on social class, race, gender,
neighborhood
 Give examples
 Teaching of the hidden curriculum –
children learn to be neat, on time,
quiet, wait their turn, remain
attentive
 Socialized for the work force
 Middle class vs lower class and
expectations

Agents of SocializationPeer group
 Peers
have
interests, social
position and age
in common.
 Identity apart
from family and
behavior free
from adult
supervision.
Peer groups
Functions as an agent of
socialization by contributing to our
sense of belonging
 Freedom from parents and authority
figures
 Teach what is acceptable culturally
 Serve as a conduit for passing on
culture
 Give examples

Agents of SocializationMass Media
 Radio,
TV, Movies,
Music, Magazines
 TV in 98% of homes
 On for 7 hours per
day.
 Content of TV?
Violence?
 Liberal Media?
Are their other Agents of
Socialization you would
like to discuss?
Religion
Work
Military
Prison
Clubs
Consider

How does each agent of socialization
differ from the others?

What happens when the influence of
one agent of socialization is
diminished?
Gender Role Socialization
Terms

Sex- the biological distinction
between female and male.

Gender- the significance that a
society attaches to biological
categories of female and male.
Masculine and Feminine.
What are some words we
associate with each
gender?
Gender and the agents of
socialization

Look back over your life and
considered how your gender has
shaped your identity.
How is your gender identity still informed
or affected by your experiences growing
up?
 How has your schooling played into your
understanding of what it means to be a
boy or a girl?
 Have you ever been ridiculed for doing or
saying something that others didn't
consider "masculine" or "feminine"?

Gender and the agents of
socialization

How do each of the following inform
or affect your gender identity?
 Family
 School
 Peers
 Media
 Does
your behavior reinforce
these ideas?
Magazine Assignment
Discuss the magazines you read.
 List the values of the magazines that
were targeted towards men and the
magazines targeted towards women.
 Did the magazines you looked at
reinforce gender roles or not? How?
 How did you feel when you looked
through the magazines?
 Do these magazines have a positive or
negative effect in society?

Gender role stereotypes in
children’s commercials:
Commercials with boy models only
were found to feature more away from
home settings.
 Commercials with girl models only
were more likely to be set in the
home.
 Only boys were shown in anti-social
behavior.
 Girls in commercials show only socially
acceptable behavior.

Tough question
 If
we are indeed shaped by
society, evaluate whether an
understanding of the
socialization process makes
one more or less free.
Socialization and the Life
Course
Are you an adult?
How do you know?
What does it mean
to be an adult?
“The Rise and Fall of the
American Teenager”
Consider what it
means to be a
teenager and how
this concept
developed.
Deviance
Before we get started
you should be familiar
with the concept of
cognitive dissidence.
cognitive dissidence
When presented with information that
does not fit with your understanding,
you have two choices:
1) Change the way you think
2) Dismiss the new information
cognitive dissidence
Changing the way you think can be
painful, but that is not enough reason
to refuse to do it.
let’s proceed…
Keep in mind this question
How does the sociological
explanation of deviance
differ from the common
sense notion that bad
people do bad things?
What is Deviance?
Deviance
The recognized
violation of
cultural norms.
What are the Social
Foundations of Deviance?
Social Foundations of Deviance
 Deviance
varies according to
cultural norms.
Social Foundations of Deviance
 Deviance
varies according to
cultural norms.
 People become deviant as
others define them that way
Social Foundations of Deviance
 Deviance
varies according to
cultural norms.
 People become deviant as others
define them that way
 Both rule making and rule
breaking involves power.
Structural Functional
Analysis of Deviance
 Emile
Durkheim
 Robert
Merton
Structural Functional
Analysis- Durkheim

What functions does deviance serve?
Structural Functional
Analysis- Durkheim

What functions does deviance serve?
 Affirms cultural norms and values.
 Responding to deviance clarifies
moral boundaries.
 Responding to deviance promotes
social unity.
 Deviance can encourage social
change.
Structural Functional AnalysisMerton’s Structural Strain Theory



Societies have "goals"
guiding how life ought to
be.
Society also instructs us
as to the correct “means”
to achieve those goals.
The scope and character
of deviance depends on
how well society provides
the institutionalized
means to achieve cultural
goals
Merton’s Structural Strain
Theory
 Describe
the goal
of the American
Dream and the
legitimate means
to achieve that
goal.
"Success is a
journey, not a
destination."
Merton’s Structural Strain
Theory
 Let’s
say that
making $$$ is
a goal of the
American
Dream.
"Success is a
journey, not a
destination."
Merton’s Structural Strain
Theory- Conformity
Conformitypursuing
conventional
goals through
approved means.
 How does this
apply to the goal
of making
money?

Conformity- Bill Lumbergh
from “Office Space”
Conformity is the only
model that is not deviant
Merton’s Structural Strain
Theory- Innovation
Innovation- using
unconventional
means to achieve
a culturally
approved goal.
 How does this
apply to the goal
of making money?

Innovation- Peter Gibbons
from “Office Space”
Merton’s Structural Strain
Theory- Ritualism
Ritualismabandon cultural
goals but continue
to act out the
approved means.
 How does this
apply to the goal
of making money?

Ritualism- Milton Waddams
from “Office Space”
Merton’s Structural Strain
Theory- Retreatism
Retreatismreject both
cultural goals and
approved means.
“drop out”
 How does this
apply to the goal
of making
money?

Merton’s Structural Strain
Theory- Rebellion
Rebellion- rebels
go beyond
retreatism by
advocating radical
alternatives to the
existing social
order.
 How does this
apply to the goal
of making money?

Merton’s Structural Strain
Theory
Goals
Means
Conformity
Accept
Accept
Innovation
Accept
Reject
Ritualism
Reject
Accept
Retreatism
Reject
Reject
Rebellion
Replace
Replace
Apply Merton’s Structural
Strain Theory to school.
Goals
Means
Conformity
Accept
Accept
Innovation
Accept
Reject
Ritualism
Reject
Accept
Retreatism
Reject
Reject
Rebellion
Replace
Replace
Symbolic Interaction
Analysis of Deviance

Labeling Theory

Sutherland’s Differential Association
Theory

Hirshi’s Control Theory
Symbolic Interaction
Analysis- Labeling Theory
The assertion that deviance and
conformity result, not only from what
people do, but from how others
respond to those actions.
 The same behavior may be defined in
different ways.


Are you deviant if you speed but don’t
get caught?
Symbolic Interaction
Analysis- Labeling Theory
 Primary
deviance
 Secondary Deviance
 Stigma
 Retrospective Labeling
 Medicalization of Deviance
 Significance?
S.I. Analysis- Sutherland’s
Differential Association
A
person’s tendency towards
conformity or deviance depends
upon relative contact with
others who encourage
conventional behavior versus
those who do not.
S.I. Analysis- Hirshi’s
Control Theory
 Everyone
finds some deviance
tempting but there are four types
of social control:
S.I. Analysis- Hirshi’s
Control Theory
 Everyone
finds some deviance
tempting but there are four types
of social control:
 Attachment
 Commitment
 Involvement
 Belief
S.I. Analysis- Hirshi’s
Control Theory

Everyone finds some deviance
tempting but there are four types of
social control:
 Attachment
 Commitment
 Involvement
 Belief

Apply this explanation to the Central
Bucks 40 Assets Program
Social Conflict Analysis
 Deviance
and Power
 Deviance
and Capitalism
 White-Collar
Crime
In your notebook summarize the
major principles of each topic and
apply this theory to school:
 Deviance
and Power
 Deviance
and Capitalism
 White-Collar
Crime
Social Conflict- Deviance
and Power
 Norms
reflect the interests of
the rich and powerful
 The powerful have the resources
to resist deviant labels
 Belief that laws are good and
natural masks their political
character.
Social Conflict- Deviance
and Capitalism
People who threaten the property of
others are prime candidates for
deviant labels.
 People who cannot or will not work
are labeled deviant.
 People who resist authority are
labeled as deviant.
 People who challenge the capitalist
status quo are likely to be labeled
deviant

Social Conflict- White Collar
Crimes
 Crimes
committed by persons of
high social position in the course of
their occupations.
 More likely to be tried in civil court
rather than criminal court.
 If convicted of criminal crimes they
are less likely to go to jail.
Prevalence of WCC in the US
 6. Computer Fraud
1. Credit Card
 7. Bank FraudFraud
Federal
 2. Embezzlement 8. EmbezzlementState
Federal
 3. Income Tax
 9. Defrauding
Fraud
 4. Corporate Crime Insurer
 10. False
 5. Mail FraudAdvertising
Federal

Social Conflict- White Collar
Crimes
 The
American business
community lost $50 billion in
1980 to white-collar crime. This
was nearly 10 times more than
the monetary value of all forms of
street crime.
 Can also cause murder by
neglect- pollution, product safet
Recently…
caption: Where our lying, cheating, stealing
executives will most likely end up serving.
Deviance and Social
Diversity
Deviance and Gender
Whether people define a situation as
deviance-and, if so, whose deviance it
is- depends on the sex of both the
audience and the actors.
 Hate Crimes- a criminal act against a
person or property by an offender
motivated by racial or other bias.
 Should there be federal hate-crimes
legislation?

Crime and the Criminal
Justice System
Crime is the violation of statues
enacted into criminal law by a
locality, state or the federal
government.
The Criminal Justice System is
society’s formal response to
crime
Crime
 Components
of Crime
act and intent
 Types of Crime
against the person
against property
victimless crime
Criminals
According to the DOJ, the number of
adults in the correctional population
is increasing.
According to the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, on June 30, 2001…
 1,965,495
prisoners were under
Federal or State jurisdiction.
 472
prison inmates per 100,000
U.S. residents -- up from 292 at
yearend 1990.
The United
States has
more
people in
prison than
any other
country in
the World.
What is the profile of an
average “street” criminal?
According to the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, on June 30, 2001…
 4,848
sentenced black male
inmates per 100,000 black males
in the United States
 Compared to 1,668 sentenced
Hispanic male inmates per
100,000 Hispanic males and
 705 white male inmates per
100,000 white males.
Since 1989 there have been more
federal drug cases than other cases.
Race and drug crimes
13 percent of regular drug users in
this country are black.
 62.7 percent of drug offenders sent to
prison in 1996 were black, while 36.7
percent were white.
 Nearly twice as many blacks are being
imprisoned for drug offenses than are
whites, even though there are five
times more white drug users than
black ones.

How can you explain the
link between race and
criminal prosecution?
Race and drug crimes
Amount of powder cocaine needed to
trigger a federal 5-year mandatory
minimum sentence: 500 grams
 Amount of crack cocaine needed to
trigger a federal 5-year mandatory
minimum sentence: 5 grams
 Blacks as percent of those arrested on
crack charges: about 90
 Whites as percent of those arrested on
powder cocaine charges: 75

The Death Penalty
Since the death penalty was reinstated by the
Supreme Court in 1976, white inmates have
made up the majority of those under sentence
of death.
However, a
disproportionate
number of blacks are
sentenced to death.
Crime in a Global
Perspective
 Violent
Crime in the United
States is about five times
of the rate in Europe.
 Explanations
 Individuality
 Gun
Ownership
The United States Leads the World in
Firearm Violence
 In
1998, 30,708 people in the
United States died from firearmrelated deaths.
 In 1996, handguns were used to
murder 2 people in New Zealand,
15 in Japan, 30 in Great Britain,
106 in Canada and 9,390 in the
United States.
The Criminal Justice
System
Reasons for Punishment
 Retribution
 Deterrence
 Rehabilitation
 Societal
Protection
“The Prison Paradox”
Paradox- a statement that
seems to contradict itself
or conflicts with common
sense but contains the
truth.
“The Prison Paradox”
Explain the title of this article.
What does the author suggest
about the effectiveness of prison
and the best ways to deal with
crime?
Punishment
 How
effective is punishment?
 Criminal
recidivism
PunishmentCriminal Recidivism
The US should focus more on
punishment than rehabilitation
of criminals.
Strongly
Disagree
Strongly
Agree
Somewhat
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree