Socio 211 1st Edition Lecture 8 Current LectureI. Conformity, Deviance, and Crime a. Gangs and Leaders of Gangsi. Sudhir Venkatesh (2008) engaged in ethnographic research to explore gang lifeii. Found that gangs operate similar to legitimate businessesiii. Drug dealers often make little moneyb. Social Deviantsi. Individuals who refuse to live by the rules the majority followsii. People who aren’t following the norms1. May include violent criminals, vagrants, and down-and-outs2. May also adhere to informal but strict codes of social behavior within their own groups a. Example: homelessc. Normsi. Rules of conduct that specify appropriate behavior is a given range of social situations1. The dos and don’ts of society2. Norms reflect divisions of power and class d. Deviancei. Modes of action that do not conform to the norms or values held by most members of a group or society1. Most people sometimes transgress generally accepted rules of behavior2. Can be perpetuated by individuals or groupse. Sanctioni. A mode of reward or punishment that reinforces socially expected forms of behavior1. Can be positive (rewards for conformity) or negative (punishment for non-conformity)2. Can be formal (applied by a specific group or agency) or informal (less organized)f. Laws and Crimei. Laws1. Rules of behavior established by a political authority and backed by stateand powerii. Crimes1. Any actions that contravene the laws established by a political authority a. Deviancei. “Nudity” and “bizarre clothing”b. Crimei. “Exceeding the speed limit” and “underage drinking”c. Both Deviant and Crimei. “Murder” and “sexual assault” g. Deviance and CrimeThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.i. Not all deviance is crime, and not all crime is deviantii. Deviance is “in the eye of the beholder”iii. It is important to consider issues of power: whose rules or norms are being broken?1. What is your risk?a. Femaleb. Whitec. Wealthy Neighborhoodd. Never a victim of crimee. Do not live in the southf. Drink alcohol once a monthg. 19 years oldh. College Studenti. Singleh. Society and Crime: sociological theoriesi. Sociological theories1. Definition of crime depends on a society’s culture and social institutions2. People decide collectively what is or is not criminal3. Powerful people and groups have greater influence over definition of crimei. Functionalisti. See crime and deviance resulting from structural tensions and a lack of moral regulation within society1. Can be positive (rewards for conformity) or negative (punishment for non-conformity)2. Can be formal (applied by a specific group or agency) or informal (less organized)ii. Durkheim1. Anomie refers to a situation in which social norms lose their hold over individual behavior2. Crime and deviance are inevitable and necessary elements of modern societya. Adaptive functions and boundary maintenance iii. Merton1. Deviance is a by-product of economic j. Reinforcement Theoriesi. Deviance is seen as learned and normalized behaviorii. We act based on perceived rewards and cons, which may be economic, social, and so oniii. Differential association theory is well-known1. Differential Association a. Suggests that criminal behavior is learned through association with others who regularly engage in crimek. Control theoryi. Views crime as the outcome of an imbalance between impulses toward criminal activity and controls that deter it II. Theory of broken windowsa. Suggests that any social disorder, even the appearance of a broken window, encourages more serious crimeIII. Symbolic Interactionisma. Ask how behaviors get defined as deviant and why groups get labeled as deviantb. Labeling theory is one well-known approach i. Suggests that people become “deviant” because certain labels are attached to their behavior by political authorities and others1. Primary deviationa. Actions that cause others to label one as a deviant2. Secondary deviationa. Occurs when an individual accepts the label of deviant and acts