Sociology Exam III Deviance and Social Control Slides Social control set of mechanisms that create normative compliance in individuals Normative compliance the act of abiding by society s norms or simply following the rules of group life Informal social sanctions unspoken rules and expectations about people s behavior It helps maintain a base level of order and cohesion in society and forms a foundation for formal social control Formal social control includes government set laws and authority figures that enforce those laws Robert Merton s Strain Theory Argues that deviance occurs when a society does not give all its members equal ability to achieve socially acceptable goals Strain or anomie occurs when there is a mismatch between an individual s goals and their means to achieve these goals In Durkheim s usage anomie refers to a situation in which cultural norms break down because of rapid change Anomic suicide for example can occur during major economic depression when people cant achieve their goals Merton s anomie refers to a situation in which there is an apparent lack of fit between culture s norms about what constitutes success in life goals and the culture s norms about the appropriate way to achieve those goals means Conformists accept the goals of Robert Merton s Deviance Typology society and the means of achieving those goals Innovators accept the goals of the society but look for new or INNOVATIVE ways of achieving those goals Think of Bill Gates Ritualists aren t interested in the goals of the society but they do accept the means of achieving those goals These people carry out the actions they re supposed to but contribute very little to society s goals Retreatists do not accept the goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals Think of hippies Rebels do not accept the goals of the society or the means of achieving those goals so they create their own goals using new means Theories of Deviance 1 Labeling Theory people see how they are labeled and accept the label as being true People behave the way they think someone with their label should behave Think of people labeled hick or criminal 2 Primary Deviance the first act of rule breaking which may result in the rule breaker being labeled DEVIANT and thus influence how people think about and act towards him or her 3 Secondary deviance refers to acts of rule breaking that occur after primary deviance as a result of a person s new DEVIANT label 4 Stigma disapproval of a person because they do not fit the required social norms that are given in a society a Changes that person s self concept and social identity b Is a negative social label that changes your behavior towards a person c Has serious consequences in terms of opportunities made available or made unavailable to people in a stigmatized group d Is a social relationship between the stigmatizer and the one who is stigmatized 5 Broken Window Theory BWT of Deviance by Philip Zimbardo a Explains how social context and social cues impact the way individuals act b People who wouldn t exhibit a certain behavior in one social context might do so in another context where the behavior seems more permissible c DISORDER BREEDS DISORDER d Graffiti dirty streets broken windows induce more disorder Not only more graffiti and other petty crimes but also more serious crimes like murder robbery etc Consequently removing the minor signs of disorder is thought to induce a decrease in the amount of more serious crimes e In one setting they looked at whether individuals would steal an envelope visibly containing a five euro note In the baseline condition the mail box and the ground surrounding it were clean In one test condition the mail box was covered with graffiti and in another the ground was covered with litter The rate of robbery doubled between the baseline and the disorder conditions f Early disorder diagnosis and intervention are of vital importance when fighting the spread of disorder 6 Bystander Effect Pluralistic ignorance a situation in which most people privately disagree with a norm but incorrectly assume most others accept it The case of Kitty Genovese Bystander Effect when alone most people always help someone else in an emergency but in the presence of others who do not help people often withhold assistance Social Dilemmas Individual vs Collective Good Social order and the collective good Opposing views on the relationship between individual and collective interests Adam Smith believed that the pursuit of self interest can work to the advantage of the whole why do you go to work Because you are self interested and seek your own personal gain money What is the role of government A market economy is largely self regulating assuming there are enough firms to compete Others argue that the government has failed to be an adequate check on self interest Fighting among political groups questions this government control Thomas Hobbes his account of human nature emphasizes our animal nature leaving each of us to live independently of everyone else acting only in his or her own self interest without regard for others Human beings join together in the formation of a commonwealth Which embodies a network of associated contracts and provides for the highest form of social organization The formation of the commonwealth creates a new artificial person the Leviathan to whom all responsibility for social order and public welfare is entrusted Interdependence of outcomes Points to social dilemmas and conflicts between individual and collective interests Examples of Social Dilemmas Protest rallies and social movements nuclear arms races public transport recycling over fishing voting roommates Prisoner s Dilemma Valentine s Day Dilemma Assurance Dilemma Solutions to Social Dilemmas Motivational Solutions o Social Value Orientation Strategic Solutions o Repeated interaction and Tit for Tat Axelrod s Computer Tournament o Tit For Tat o Always Defect o Always Cooperate o Remorseful Prober o Na ve Peace Maker o True Peace Maker o Adaptive o Gradual Why is TFT so effective 1 Nice never first to defect so it avoids unnecessary conflict 2 Retaliatory gets back at other immediately 3 Forgiving doesn t hold a grudge 4 Clear easy for others to discern strategy Application 1 Religion Nice never 1st to defect golden rule Retalitory eye for an eye Forgiving turn the other cheek Clear symbols emblems clothes language Application 2 Cooperation Between Enemies Repeated play of prisoner s