Introduction to Sociology Study Guide Exam 2 Fall 2014 This study guide is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible items on the test It is helpful in identifying key points and terms from the lectures and readings assigned for this exam What is deviance A recognized violation of cultural norms What is social control Attempts by society to regulate peoples thoughts and actions What is the criminal justice system The organizations police courts prison officials that respond to alleged violations of the law Why do we know that deviance is socially constructed Some traits are inherited but most personality is shaped by social experience Deviance results from unsuccessful socialization What are the sociological theories of deviance What is deviant is a product of society What is deviant varies from place to place Behaviors and individuals become deviant as others define them that way What and who a society defines as deviant reflects who has social power and who does not function What are the functional aspects of deviance Know Durkheim s theory on deviance Durkheim Deviance is a normal and inevitable necessary for society to 1 Affirms cultural values and norms 2 Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries 3 Responding to deviance brings people together 4 Deviance encourages social change Know Hirschi s social control theory and the four kinds of social ties Why don t people deviate When an individual has experienced a lack of social connections or a lack of social network bond to society has weakened that would normally prohibit criminal activity the likelihood that the individual will participate in criminal Attachment Opportunity Commitment Involvement Belief are the elements of activity increases the bond to society Know Social Learning Theory Differential Association Theory and Differential Reinforcement Theory Social Learning learning any social pattern whether conventional or deviant is a process that takes place in groups Differential Association Theory tendency toward conformity deviance depends on contact with others Differential reinforcement aims to get rid of undesirable behaviors by using positive reinforcement in a structured manner to increase desirable behaviors Know Becker s Labeling Theory The assertion that deviance and conformity result not so much from what people do as from how others respond to those actions The key is the audience that labels the person or act as deviant Labeling theory takes the view that people become criminals when labeled as such and when they accept the label as a personal identity What is stigma Social stigma is the extreme disapproval of or discontent with a person or group on socially characteristic grounds that are perceived and serve to distinguish them from other members of a society Stigma may then be affixed to such a person by the greater society who differs from their cultural norms Merton s Strain Theory know the innovation adaptation Strain Theory Merton argued that society may be set up in a way that encourages too much deviance Merton believed that when societal norms or socially accepted goals such as the American Dream place pressure on the individual to conform they force the individual to either work within the structure society has produced or instead become members of a deviant subculture in an attempt to achieve those goals Different adaptations include Conformity Innovation Ritualism Retreatism Rebellion Innovation adaptation According to Merton the strain between our culture s emphasis on wealth and the lack of opportunities for success may encourage some people especially the poor to engage in stealing selling drugs or other forms of street crime Merton called this type of deviance innovation using unconventional means dealing drugs to achieve a culturally approved goal financial security Hirchi s Theory on factors that control deviance Attachment The internalization of norms conscience and super ego is determined by an individual s attachment to others Hirschi says this is the sociological counterpart to the superego Opportunity Commitment People obey rules for fear the consequences of breaking them This is the counterpart to the ego Involvement a person s personal involvement in conventional activity Hirschi states that an individual involved heavily in conventional activity simply does not have time to engage in deviant behavior Belief a common value system within a culture Belief plays a role in deviance in2 ways The criminal either a disregards the beliefs he she has been taught entirely or b rationalizes their deviant behavior so that they can engage in criminal activity and still believe that it is wrong How are deviance and power related The norms especially the laws of a society generally reflect the interests of the rich and powerful The powerful have the resources to resist deviant labels The belief that laws are just and good masks their political character Social inequality shapes who and what is defined as criminal Less social power greater risk of involvement People who make rules laws may not demonize the things they enjoy as much as others What is social class What are some significant differences between classes in the U S Upper class 5 of the U S population earning more than 205 000 annually Middle class 40 45 of the U S population and has largest influence on our culture Contains far more racial and ethnic diversity than the upper class Are likely to hold white collar jobs and build up a small amount of wealth over their working lives Working class 33 of the U S population They hold blue collar jobs that earn less than the national median Working class families have little to no wealth and are vulnerable to financial problems caused by unemployment or illness Lower class makes up the remaining 20 of the U S population Typically live in poor neighborhood in inner cities or rural areas What is social stratification How is it functional How is it dysfunctional for society Social stratification a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy Based on 4 Principles of Stratification o Social Stratification is a trait of society not simply a reflection of individual differences o Social Stratification carries over from one generation to the next o Social Stratification is universal but variable o Social Stratification Involves different beliefs justifications Functional because Inequality creates incentives Functional importance determines rewards Such a system
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