Sociology Exam 3 Study Guide Textbook Notes All material from The Practical Skeptic Core Concepts in Sociology by Lisa J Mclntyre Chapter 10 Socialization Total institution A total institution is a place of residence and work where a large number of like suited individuals cut off from the wider society for an appreciable period of time together lead an enclosed formally administered round of life Goffman Phrase coined by Erving Goffman who studied places like mental hospitals and prisons where he found that in these organizations an intense socialization experience took place Characteristics People are cut off from the rest of society and are stripped of their individuality People are seen as object such as inmates patients recruits Goal Resocialization where they take away the individual s self and give him or her a new one in order to keep with the needs of the total institution Resocialization is generally begun by subjecting the individual to what psychologists call Degradation Ceremonies the goal is to degrade the individual that is take away the individuals self in preparation before giving him or her a new one Depersonalization the young men part of Marine Corps no longer called by their names their possessions were taken away they were subject to new rules uniforms and haircuts To accomplish the men had to do some unlearning former roles and identities need to be forgotten No total Institution has the power to completely erase its inhabitants individuality Seems to work best where newcomers want be resocialized Most successful when the institution does not tear down newcomer but build him or her up Military camps tend to be more successful then prisons for they identify pride 1 Sociology Exam 3 Study Guide In the movie Full Metal Jacket there is evidence that Parris Island is a total institution There were a large group of people all together in this isolated situation they are cut off from wider societies norms values and beliefs they are fenced into the camp can only go where sergeant tells them must address sergeant by sir all in uniform etc Chapter 11 Deviance and Social Control Relativity of Deviance Norms vary across societies therefore what is considered to be deviant varies across societies It is impossible to to nd any speci c act that is regarded as deviant in every culture Norms change over time even within a particular culture therefore what is considered deviant at one time may be considered normative at another time Norms vary within a particular society different subgroups have different norms therefore what is considered deviant will vary from subgroup to subgroup within a particular society Nonsociological Explanations For centuries many theorized that deviance was simply a product of sin and was used by demonic possession Mid Nineteenth century rst attempts to explain deviance was focused on biological factors Cesare Lombroso a physician who worked in Italian prisons argues that deviant people were in effect biological failures Criminals are evolutionary throwbacks Criticism Italian prisoners were most likely Sicilian a group of people with lower foreheads prominent cheekbones etc so he theorized that people with these physical features are criminals but if Lombroso would ve traveled to Sicily he would ve found the same features present among the general nonimprisoned population 2 Sociology Exam 3 Study Guide Charles Goring probed the matter more and found no evidence of physical differences that would decipher someone as a criminal William Sheldon stated that a persons body shape determined their criminality 3 General Body Types 1 Ectomorphs tall thin fragile 2 Endomorphs short and fat 3 Mesomorphs muscular and athletic Concluded that Mesomorphs were most likely linked to criminality Researchers later found that the way in which Mesomorphs were socialized Society created a kind of self ful lling prophecy towards them that encouraged their criminality Personality factors such as those arising from unsuccessful socialization Superego vs Aggressive Personality Superego hypothesize that people with a strong conscience or superego tend to be good whereas people with weak consciousness tend to be bad Some psychologists state that some forms of deviance such as violence are a manifestation of an aggressive personality whereas other forms such as homosexuality may be seen as an expression of psychological dependency Sociological explanations outside the individual Durkheim was one of the rst researchers to look for causes of deviance in terms of society rather than individual factors Deviance is frequently a learned behavior Becker a sociologist and jazz musician he noticed that jazz musicians tended to smoke marijuana During his time people regarded marijuana smokers as people with distinct psychological and or emotional problems Becker suspected it was the nature of this behavior not the problems Interviews people and identi ed 3 important social qualities that lead to becoming a marijuana smoker 1 Learning to Smoke generally had to smoke several times to get high so this was seen as the idea that a novice doesn t know how to smoke properly Interviewers reported that learning to smoke was a social thing 3 Sociology Exam 3 Study Guide 2 Learning to perceive the effects even after a novice learns the proper smoking techniques he or she may not evaluate the results of being high Getting high involves 2 things 1 achieving the physiological effects of the drug and 2 recognizing and identifying these effects without this element would will not be high Without social support most people would not get beyond their rst attempt Novice smokers learn from more experienced users to experience the high 3 Learning to enjoy the effects In order to continue use one must enjoy the effects The taste for sensations is in large a socially acquired one Like when your rst sip of coffee is gross Over time people regard this sensation as desirable Over time with use from peers one will regard being high as fun the individual may not only have learned a deviant act but enjoys it The idea that deviance like conformity is learned behavior has added a great deal to our understanding of human behavior Chambliss why people deviate Chambliss studied youth gangs in which he found its not what you do but who you are Found that lower class youths even if they committed less deviate acts were more likely to be sanctioned by middle class youths The society reacts based on how the audience