Deviance and Social Control I Deviance and Social Control 08 27 2014 a Sociologists use the term deviance to refer to any violation of rules and norms True or False b Definitions of what is deviant vary across societies and from one c Social Order group to another within the same society a group s usual and customary social arrangements on which its members depend and on which they base their lives d Three ways of using deviance as social control blemishes that discredit a person s claim to a i Stigma normal identity 1 In the past people with tattoos were stigmatized as criminals Having visible tattoos or piercings made it difficult to get certain jobs The transformation of moral and legal deviance ii Medicalization into a medical condition 1 A hyper child may be diagnosed with ADD and treated or controlled with medication Making another feel guilty about performing their iii Shaming deviant activity behavior 1 Public shaming can be an effective deterrent to deviant e Labeling theory is the theory of how self identity and behavior od individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them f Structural Functionalism Macro i Deviance is a basic part of human organization 1 By defining deviance society sets it s moral boundaries 2 For example Organized crime in Chicago g Functionalist perspective of deviance i Deviance can help clarify a social s moral boundaries 1 We are reminded about our shared notions of what is right and wrong when we have to address wrongdoings of various sorts ii Deviance can promote social cohesion 1 People can be brought together in the face of crime or other variations i e Sept 11 h Critical perspective of deviance i Conflict theorists study inequalities of wealth and power ii The belief that rules are applied unequally and that punishments for rule violations are unequally distributed iii Those at the top are subject to different sanctions than those at the bottom i Interactionist Interpretive paradigm would focus on how deviance is defined and how it is constructed through face to face interactions i e Various behaviors deviant from church j Passing i Goffman used the term passing to describe how one who is stigmatized may attempt to conceal or hide stigmatized information i e Hiding one s lack of wealth k Merton s Structural Strain Theory i ii Ritualists iii Retreatists Those who might seek financial success through Go through conventional motions while abandoning Innovators unconventional means such as drug dealers exotic dancing or embezzlement all hopes of success live outside conventional norms altogether i e dropouts or hermits normative means of achieving it and advocate radical alternatives to the existing social order Renounce the culture s goals and means entirely Reject the cultural definitions of success and the iv Rebels Stratification and Social Class 08 27 2014 1 Stratification and Social Class a Stratification or social strata in any society b Social Stratification The act or process or arranging persons into classes The hierarchical structures of class and status c Sociologists have no clear cut agreed upon definition of social class d Defining class a large group of people who rank close to one another in terms of wealth power and prestige e Structural Functionalist Perspective i Emphasizes the purposes that social stratification serves in society 1 Contemporary Analysis of Stratification and Social Class a One s position in the social hierarchy greatly influences the way a person views himself or herself and how others view him or her f Conflict Perspective unites us i Looks at how social stratification divides us far more than it g Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Interpretive i Is concerned with the meanings of constructed in a stratified system Thus how reality is constructed over time and the ways that society is stratified are products of social interaction How people move from one class to another Concerned with the interaction of social and h Social Mobility i Socioeconomics economic factors j Meritocracy k Digital Divide The experience of unequal access to computer and A system which rewards are based on merit Internet technology both globally and within the United States i In today s society you typically need to know how to use computer programs to do your work l Medicine and Health 1 Medicine and Health 08 27 2014 a Sociologist analyze the effects that people s ideas of health and illness have on their lives and even how people determine that they are sick b Medicine and injury Refers to a society s standard ways of dealing with illness i Medicine in sociology qualifies as a social institution others include school religion etc ii As practiced in the United State medicine is a profession a bureaucracy and a business c Sociologists study how medicine is influenced by Ideals of professional self regulation i ii The bureaucratic structure iii The profit motive 1 They also are interested in how illness and health are related to cultural beliefs lifestyle and social class d Current problems in the American health care system include i A conflict of interest created as insurance carriers place profit over the health of the insured ii Medical fraud iii Sexism in medicine iv The medicalization of society among others e Functionalists examine how societies set up ways to control sickness as well as make up rules to keep too many people from being sick i They do this so their members can continue to perform their functional roles and activities f For conflict theorists health care is a scarce resource for which groups compete i People in the world s industrialized nations have better access to quality health care and consequently enjoy better physical health than the people in the world s poorer nations g For symbolic interactionists definitions of health and illness are influenced by culture i As such what is defined as healthy or sick varies from culture to culture and from group to group ii Stress that medicalization is based on arbitrary definitions part of a view of life that is bound to a specific historical period iii Age and Leisure 1 Age in Society 08 27 2014 b Ageism i i a While aging itself is a biological process what it means to be old or young varies by culture In other words ideas about age are socially constructed Refers to prejudice discrimination and hostility directed against people because of their age c Age Stratification d Disengagement Theory Aging is an inevitable mutual