Sociology, Eleventh Edition
DEVIANCE
What is Deviance?
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Deviance
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Deviance - The recognized violation of
cultural norms.
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Biased towards the positive.
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Person who speaks up TOO much.
Biased towards the negative.
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Norms - Rules and expectations by which society
guides the behavior of its members.
Stealing
“Different” or “unexpected” are words often
used to describe deviance from a
sociological perspective.
Crime

Violation of a society’s formally enacted
criminal law.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Social Control
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Social Control - the attempts a society
makes at regulating thought and behavior
with the goal of preventing deviance.
Criminal justice system

A formal response by police, courts and prison
officials to alleged violations of the law.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Biological context
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Biological factors may have a real but small
effect on whether a person becomes a criminal.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Personality factors
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Deviance is viewed as unsuccessful
“socialization”.
Reckless & Dinitz – Containment
Theory
 Good boys – strong conscience,
handled frustration & identified
with cultural norms & practices.
 Bad boys – weaker conscience,
little toleration & didn’t go along
with conventional culture.
 Good boys – have the ability to
control deviant impulses  fewer
run-ins with the law.
Discussion Question
 To
Polynesians, tattoos are
symbols of high social
standing.
 How are tattoos regarded in
our society?
Social Foundations of Deviance
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Deviance varies according to cultural norms.
 No thought or action is naturally deviant.
 Gambling, prostitution, etc.
People become deviant as others define them that way.
 Talking to yourself, “borrowing” a pen from a teacher.
Both norms and the way people define rule-breaking
involve social power.
 Homeless person v. politician
 Both may openly criticize government.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Discussion Question

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Critics objected to rock-androll in the 1950s (Elvis
Presley), claiming that it
underminded morality.
Today, rock-and-roll is
mainstream music.
Do you think there is any
deviance in rock-and-roll?
What about other types of
music? Any artists that
come to mind? Why?
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
The Functions of Deviance:
Structural-Functional Analysis
A framework for building theory that
sees society as a complex system
whose parts work together to promote
solidarity (unity) and stability.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Emile Durkheim
Four Essential Functions
of Deviance:
 Affirms cultural values and norms
 Deviance is needed.
 There can be no good without evil.
 Clarifies moral boundaries
 Draws a line between right and wrong.
 Promotes social unity
 Shared outrage. Ex. 9/11
 Encourages social change
 Pushes boundaries.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Merton’s Strain Theory
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Does society provide the means to achieve
cultural goals?
Conformity – Ex. School & hard work wealth
 Pursuing conventional goals through normal
means.
Innovation – Ex. Poor steal wealth
(gangsters)
 Unconventional means to achieve approved
goals.
Ritualism – Ex. Can’t reach goals  conforms
 Accept institutional means; reject goals.
Retreatism – Ex. Drug addicts
 Rejects both cultural goals and means.
Rebellion – Ex. Establish a counterculture
 Rejects cultural goals & means in favor of an
alternate system.
The gap between what “ought to be” and “what
is” leaves a person “strained”.
Figure 9-1 (p. 226)
Merton’s Strain Theory of Deviance
Discussion Question
Andres Serrano, a
photographer who
created “Piss
Christ”, said that
art reaches its
greatest power
when it is most
provocative.
 Is such work art or
obscenity?
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Labeling Deviance:
Symbolic-Interaction Analysis
A framework for building theory that
sees society as a product of the
everyday interactions of individuals.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Symbolic Interaction Analysis
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Basic idea behind the labeling theory - the
assertion that deviance and conformity
result not so much from what people do as
from how others respond to those actions.
Primary deviance
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Secondary deviance
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Passing episodes of norm violation that most
people take part in with little harm done to selfconcept.
When people “make something” of another’s
deviant behavior.
Stigma
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Powerful negative label that greatly changes a
person’s self-concept and social identity.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Labeling Deviance
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Retrospective labeling
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Projective labeling
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Interpreting someone’s past in
light of present deviance.
Predicts future deviant behavior.
Medicalization of deviance
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Transform moral and legal
deviance into a medical condition.
Questions to determine if medical
or moral issue:
Who responds? – Police or doctors
How people respond? – Offenders
or patients
Personal competence of the
deviant person? – competent or
incompetent
Discussion Question
 Medicalization
of Deviance –
Do you think the following
are personal weaknesses or
illnesses?
 Alcoholism, drug addiction,
child abuse, sexual
promiscuity, obesity
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Sutherland’s Differential Association
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Deviant behavior is learned.
Frequency of association is central to the development of
deviance.
Deviance is linked to the amount of contact a person has
with others who encourage or discourage the behavior in
question.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Hirschi’s Control Theory
HIRSCHI’S FOUR TYPES OF SOCIAL CONTROL
 Attachment
 Strong social attachments encourage conformity.
 Commitment
 The greater a person’s commitment to legitimate
opportunities the greater the conformity.
 Involvement
 Time and energies linked to “legitimate” activities inhibit
deviance.
 Ex. People who hang out waiting for something to
happen are likely to be deviant.
 Belief
 Strong belief in conventional morality and respect for
authority figures controls deviance.
Labeling: Critical Evaluation
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Works best with less serious deviance.
Consequence of deviant labeling is
inconclusive.
Some seek deviant labeling.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Discussion Question
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People must sometimes deal with
deviant labels when they have done
nothing at all.
What about victims of violent rape –
subjected to labeling as deviants
based on the misguided assumption
that they “led him on”?
Or individuals with AIDS, shunned by
employers, friends and even family
members?
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Deviance and Inequality:
Social-Conflict Analysis
A framework for building theory that
sees society as an arena of inequality
that generates conflict and change.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Social Conflict Analysis
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SC links deviance to social inequality.
Who/what is labeled as deviant depends on
which categories of people hold power in
society.
Deviance and power
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Norms or laws reflect interests of rich and
powerful.
Powerful have resources to resist deviant labels.
Belief that norms and laws are natural and good
masks political character.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Deviance and Capitalism
Steven Spitzer’s likely targets of
labeling
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People who interfere with capitalism.
People who cannot or will not work.
People who resist authority.
Anyone who directly challenges the status quo.
White-collar crime
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Corporate crime
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Those committed by people of high social
position in the course of their occupations.
Illegal actions of a corporation or people
acting on its behalf.
Organized crime
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A business supplying illegal goods or
services.
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Deviance, Race & Gender
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Deviance and Social Diversity
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Hate crimes
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A criminal act against a
person or person’s property
by an offender motivated by
racial or other bias.
Gender
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The world applies more
stringent normative
controls to women.
Strain due to reality of
gender-based inequality.
Judge the behavior of
women and men differently.
Why do women commit
fewer crimes than men?
2004 Hate Crime Data
Discussion Question
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Consider the
differing reactions
to the OJ Simpson
acquittal: Most
whites were
stunned, most
blacks were elated.
How and why does
race shape our
views of the criminal
justice system?
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Crime
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Crime
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The violation of criminal laws enacted by a locality ,state, or the
federal government.
Two elements
 The act itself
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Criminal intent
Crimes against the person
 Direct violence, or threat of it.
Crimes against property
 Involves theft of property.
Victimless Crimes
 Violations of law in which there are no obvious victims.
 Ex. Prostitution & gambling
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
NATIONAL MAP 9-1 (P. 237)
RISK OF VIOLENT CRIME ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
THIS MAP SHOWS THE RISK OF BECOMING A VICTIM OF VIOLENT CRIME. IN GENERAL, THE
RISK IS HIGHEST IN LOW-INCOME, RURAL COUNTIES THAT HAVE A LARGE POPULATION
OF MEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF FIFTEEN AND TWENTY-FOUR. ALBERT COHEN & WALTER
MILLER SUPPORT THIS ARGUMENT. AFTER READING THROUGH THIS SECTION OF THE
TEXT, SEE WHETHER YOU CAN EXPLAIN THIS PATTERN.
SOURCE: AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHICS MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2000 ISSUE. COPYRIGHT © 2004 BY CRAIN
COMMUNICATIONS.
The Street Criminal: a Profile
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Age-persons between the ages of 15
and 24
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Gender
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70.1% of property crimes and 82.6% of all
violent crimes are committed by males.
Social class
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14% of population
39% of arrests for violent crime
46.8% of property crimes
Violent crimes committed by a few in poor
neighborhoods.
White collar and corporate crime
committed by more affluent.
Race and ethnicity
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69.7% of arrests involve white people.
People of color are over criminalized.
The U.S. Criminal Justice System
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Justice System
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Police: primary point of contact between
population and criminal justice system
 Lots of discretion
 How serious is the crime?
 What is the victim’s preference?
 Is the suspect cooperative or not?
 Have they arrested the suspect before?
 Are bystanders present?
 What is the suspect’s race?
Courts: plea bargaining often results in
pressure to plead guilty
 Reduced charge
 Reduced sentence
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Due Process
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The criminal justice
system must operate with
the bounds of the law:
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fair notice of proceedings
a hearing on the charges
conducted according to law
and with the ability to
present a defense
a judge or jury weighs
evidence impartially
Sociology, Eleventh Edition
Justifications for Punishment
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Retribution
 Moral vengeance inflicted.
Deterrence
 Discourage future criminality.
 Ex. Teacher threatens a tardy child with
detention to prevent them from being late
again.
Rehabilitation
 Reform offenders while in prison.
 Ex. Child gets caught with drugs several
times, forced to go through
rehab/counseling and placed in foster home.
Societal protection
 Temporary removal of offender through
incarceration.
 Permanent removal by execution.
Community Based Corrections
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Correctional programs operating within
society at large rather than behind prison
walls:
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probation
shock probation
parole
Discussion Question
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Between 1977 and 2003, 7,061 people were sentenced to
death; 885 were executed.
Does this make the death penalty an “arbitrary lottery,” as
opponents claim or a filter reserving death for only the worst
offenders, as supporters claim?
Sociology, Eleventh Edition