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Chapter 1: Introduction to Deviance

Conceptions of Deviance 1. Positivist/Normative a. “Objectively” given b. Assumption: General set of norms of behavior, conduct, and conditions which society agrees on i. Folkways: everyday norms that do not generate much uproar if they are violated (rude if engaged in) ii. Mores: moral norms that may generate outrage if broken into iii. Law: strongest norm because it is backed by official response c. Definition: A violation of a rule understood by most the group i. Rule may be minor, in which behavior is deemed weird but harmless, or major, which behavior is considered criminal 2. Relativist/Social Constructionist a. “Subjectively” given b. Assumption: Nothing is inherently deviant; our understanding of the world is in constant negotiation between actors c. Definition: Deviance is any behavior that elicits a definition or deviance i. The act itself does not necessarily mean deviance, but the response of society makes the behavior deviant d. Study of deviance is about how norms are constructed not why certain individuals violate norms 3. Critical a. Assumption: the normative understanding of deviance is established by those in power to maintain and enhance their powers b. Definition: Instead of focusing on individual types of deviance, this concept critiques the social system and creates such norms in the first place c. Explorations of deviance have focused on a white, male, upper class understanding of society that implies that people of color, women, and the working poor are by definition deviant The Sociological Imagination 1. Sociological imagination: the idea that the only way to truly understand the experiences of the individual is to first understand the societal, institutional, and historical conditions that the individual is living under 2. The individual choice is constrained by the larger social forces a. Building blocks for our understanding of deviance and sociological theory 3. Help understand the impact of social forces on both engaging in and reacting to deviance a. Pathologizing: assuming that someone who engages in deviance is mentally ill

i. Puts full weight of their actions onto them without asking what impact the social forces and social structures around them might have

Scientific Method 1. Systematic procedure that safeguards against research bias 2. Steps a. Theory b. Hypothesis c. Data collection d. Results e. Findings (conclusion) 3. Inductive vs deductive researching a. Inductive: follows grounded theory, “from the ground up” b. Deductive: start with a theory that guides every step of the research Social Control 1. A way of controlling individual’s behavior and response to social norms 2. Ways social control is enforced a. Formal: i. Police 1. Laws, statutes, regulations ii. Religion/Culture 1. Moral codes of behavior b. Informal: i. Peer pressure 1. Need for conformity ii. Informal agents on their own in an unofficial capacity iii. school systems 1. agents of socialization 2. Routines 3. Sanction specific behaviors iv....