Chapter 6Deviance© 2018 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.Kerry.docx

Chapter 6:
Deviance
© 2018 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.
Kerry Ferris & Jill Stein
Lecture Slides
1
Getting Warmed Up!
Lecture Launcher Questions 1
Sociologists are interested in numerous questions pertaining to
deviance. Match the following questions with the theoretical
framework that would best explore it.
a. How do certain acts come to be defined as deviant?aa.
structural functionalism b. Why are punishments distributed
unequally?bb. symbolic interactionismc. How does deviance

clarify norms and expectations?cc. conflict theory
2
Instructors: Use these questions at the beginning of class to
gauge prior student knowledge and comprehension, to elicit
discussion, or to emphasize important parts of the upcoming
lecture and class session!
Answers: a/bb, b/cc, c/aa
Feedback: This chapter focuses on deviance. A researcher can
use a variety of social lenses to study deviance depending on
the “layer” or “angle” that is to be researched.
Learning objective: To assess understanding of key theories
prior to reading Chapter 6.
Section: Theories of Deviance
2

Getting Warmed Up!
Select ALL of the following that are acts of deviance:
driving faster than the posted speed limit
yelling at your spouse in a movie theater
grocery shopping in bare feet
texting friends during class
3
Answer: a, b, c, d
Feedback: All of the above are deviant acts. Each is a behavior

that departs from a norm or expectation and generates a
negative reaction. It is safe to say that everyone has been
deviant as some point in life.
Learning objective: To assess knowledge of key terms prior to
reading Chapter 6.
Section: Defining Deviance
3
Getting Warmed Up!
There are times when deviance is considered positive.
true
false
4

Answer: a
Feedback: Certain acts can be a principled act that generates a
positive rather than negative
reaction. This often happens in hindsight, once people have had
a chance to consider the good that has come from the act.
reading Chapter 6.
Section: “Positive” Deviance?
4
Getting Warmed Up!
_____ is/are the violation of a norm that has been codified into
law.
stigma
crime
folkways
mores
5

Answer: b
Feedback: Crime is a type of deviance. Violating a norm that
has been codified into law has serious consequences including
arrest and imprisonment.
reading Chapter 6.
Section: Crime and Punishment
5
Getting Warmed Up!
Match the type of stigma (according to Erving Goffman) with
the appropriate explanation:
Moralaa. external deformations or mental impairmentb. Physical
bb. membership in a discredited or oppressed groupc. Tribalcc.
signs of a flawed character
6

Answer: a/cc, b/aa, c/bb
Feedback: Stigma is a central concept in the sociology of
deviance. Erving Goffman published a book by the same name
in 1962. It is still considered relevant and important today. To
learn more about the types of stigma mentioned above, read
“Stigma and Deviant Identity” in the text.
reading Chapter 6.
Section: Stigma and Deviant Identity
6
Getting Warmed Up!
When a sociologist refers to an act as deviant, she or he is
making a _____ judgment, not a _____ judgment.
moral; social
personal; social
social; personal

social; moral
7
Answer: d
Feedback: A deviant behavior is one that violates the norms of a
particular group. The very same behavior may not be considered
deviant among other groups or during a different time period.
Defining an act as deviant does not mean that the act is
inherently wrong.
reading Chapter 6.

Section: Deviance across Cultures
7
Defining Deviance
Deviance is a behavior, trait, or belief that departs from a norm
and generates a negative reaction in a particular group.
Defining something as deviant requires us to examine the group
norms and how the group reacts to the behavior.
8
Deviance isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just different from what the
group considers to be normal. For instance, a woman having a
size 13 shoe isn’t bad, but it’s definitely different, so it may
elicit a reaction from the group that makes up the majority
(those with average shoe sizes). When sociologists use the term
deviant, they are making a social judgment, not a moral one.

Whether or not something is considered deviance is somewhat
contingent on the time period. For example, George Washington
and Thomas Jefferson both farmed cannabis during a time in
which doing so was not deviant.
Every state had made the use of marijuana illegal by 1937 and
marijuana was associated with criminals around the same time.
Farming of hemp and the increasing legality of recreational use
of marijuana shows that its deviance is changing once again.
8
Deviance Across Cultures
What is deviant in one culture may not be deviant in another
culture!
9
For discussion, ask your class to discuss whether these images

represent examples of norms or deviance in the United States.
You can also mention C. Wright Mills to remind students of
how norms change over time. Was tattooing a norm in the
1900s? The 1950s? The 2000s? What social factors might
influence changing norms?
[Gavriel Jecan/Corbis; Remi Benali/Corbis; Donna
McWilliam/AP Photo; Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images]
9
Theories of Deviance: Functionalism
Functionalism
Deviance serves a function in our society.
According to Émile Durkheim, deviance serves a positive social
function by clarifying moral boundaries and promoting social
cohesion.
10

Without seeing deviant behavior, we would have a hard time
classifying what is normal. It isn’t until our group norms are
challenged that we come together as a group to defend these
norms. For example, the tragic events of September 11, 2001,
challenged a norm that many people in the United States took
for granted: safety. When the norm was challenged by the
terrorist attacks, new policies and procedures were put into
place (for instance, airport security) to preserve it.
10
Functionalism: Social Control Theory
Social Control Theory
Theory developed by Travis Hirschi explaining crime
Strong social bonds increase conformity
Strong social bonds decrease deviance
11

Social bonds include family, religious, and civic ties among
others.
Suggested internal and external forces influence behavior.
11
Functionalism: Structural Strain Theory
Structural strain theory
Developed by Robert Merton
states that there are goals in our society that people want to
achieve, but they cannot always reach these goals. This creates
stress (or strain).
12
Structural strain theory, sometimes just called strain theory,
acknowledges that there are certain goals that society deems
acceptable. Ask your students if they can think of what these

goals might be. Common responses include: a nice car, a big
house, a family, a good job, lots of money, and so on. You may
be able to discuss the “American Dream” and the idea that there
is a common theme about what Americans should achieve to be
called successful. Strain theory then discusses the difficulties
that many people have in trying to achieve these goals. The
frustration that occurs between knowing what the goals are and
not being able to achieve them is the basis of Merton’s strain
theory typologies.
12
Merton’s Typology of Deviance
13
This table shows the possible combinations of goal and mean
acceptance. In the following slides, we’ll expand on the
previous definition talk about examples of each of these.

Remember, goals are not individual or personal goals, like
saving enough money to buy a new mp3 player. They are
socially acceptable goals, like “The American Dream”—having
a good job, a nice home, a car, money, and so on. Means are
ways of making that happen; for instance, means may refer to
socially acceptable routes to achieving the aforementioned
goals, like going to college, working hard, starting at the
bottom of the company ladder but working your way to the top,
and so on.
13
Theories of Deviance: Conflict Theory
Conflict Theory
Deviance is a result of social conflict.
In order for the powerful to maintain their power, they
marginalize and criminalize the people who threaten their
power. Inequality is reproduced in the way deviance is defined.
14

Vagrancy laws are in place because the people in power
(representatives of dominant culture) have deemed vagrancy to
be deviant. Sociologist William Chambliss looked at how the
vagrancy laws have been applied differently over the years to
homeless, unemployed, racial minorities, or whoever seemed
most threatening at the time. He determined that vagrancy laws
actually reproduce inequality in our society.
Richard Quinney blames capitalism and the inevitable
exploitation for creating a situation in which deviant and
criminal behavior are inescapable for the working class.
14
Theories of Deviance: Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic Interactionism
Interpersonal relationships and everyday interactions influence
meanings and understandings of deviance.
15

Symbolic Interactionism: Differential Association
Differential association:
A symbolic interactionist perspective developed by Edwin
Sutherland
States that we learn deviance from interacting with deviant
peers
16
Edwin Sutherland suggested that the main reason that people
become deviant is that they are learning to be that way from the
people they associate with. This theory of deviance may remind
you of social learning theory, which says that we tend to mimic
significant role models in our life.
16

Symbolic Interactionism: Labeling Theory
Labeling theory:
A symbolic interactionist perspective developed by Howard
Becker
States that deviance is caused by external judgments (labels)
that change a person’s self-concept and the way others respond
to him or her
Becker suggests that “labeling” can lead to a self-fulfilling
prophecy—a prediction that causes itself to come true.
17
Howard Becker asserted that when people are labeled, that label
becomes part of their self-image. So if someone tells you that
you are smart, you might start perceiving yourself as smart.
Likewise, if someone tells you that you are bad and don’t

behave well, that might become part of your image and you
might begin to act out as a result of that label.
Labeling a person can lead to that person acting out their label.
This is especially true if that label is anchored, or confirmed
among many agents of socialization. (So if a child is labeled as
bad by a parent, and then by the school, and at afterschool care,
and by friends, the label is increasingly likely to become part of
that individual’s self-perception.)
17
Symbolic Interactionism: Stereotype Threat and Stereotype
Promise
Stereotype Threat: self-fulfilling prophecy in which the fear of
performing poorly, and thereby confirming stereotypes about
one’s social group, causes students to perform poorly.
Stereotype Promise: self-fulfilling prophecy in which positive
stereotypes lead to positive performance outcomes.
18

Stereotype threat and stereotype promise capture how particular
labels – positive and negative – can impact our behavior.
Notably, such stereotypes are highly racialized in the U.S.
18
The Stigma of Deviance
Stigma:
Term coined by Ervin Goffman
Describes any physical or social attribute that devalues a person
or group’s identity, and which may exclude those who are
devalued from normal social interaction
Passing:
Stigmatized individuals may try to pass as if they are part of the
mainstream.
19

Stigma can be physical, moral, or tribal. For instance, a
physical impairment might stigmatize or devalue a potential
employee at a workplace. A moral stigma could include
character flaws—for instance, talking too much—which could
devalue a person’s input in a group setting. A tribal stigma
could be based on membership to a discredited group, which
could be a group that a person chooses to belong to, like a club
or an organization, or a group that a person is born into, like a
race or socioeconomic status. Just like deviance, stigma will
depend on the culture and context.
Passing is certainly easier for some individuals than others. For
example, morally stigmatized individuals may be able to
conceal their beliefs, whereas a physically stigmatized
individual may have a more difficult time trying to conceal the
impairment that causes the stigmatization. This may also be the
case with criminals who commit crimes but then go to work and
live their lives as noncriminals.
19
The Study of Crime
Deviance:
If a behavior is considered deviant, it means that it violates the
values and norms of a group, not that it is inherently wrong.
However, research on deviance also includes crime.
Crime is the violation of a norm that has been codified into law.
20

Again, deviance is referring to an act or behavior that is simply
different from what the majority group typically does, and thus,
generally receives a negative response. In the United States,
eating a guinea pig would be considered deviant because most
people don’t do that, but in Peru, many people eat guinea pigs
as a staple part of their diet. Eating guinea pigs isn’t wrong, but
depending on the culture that you’re from, it can definitely be
different than the group norm.
The punishment for this kind of deviance could include a state-
backed sanction, making this a worse punishment than for a
noncriminal type of deviance.
Criminology is the study of crime, criminals, and criminal
justice.
Criminologists study crime systematically and scientifically to
help us better understand crime.
Crime does not occur in a vacuum, but, rather, it is
intersectional. This means that a number of variables come
together such as class, age, gender, and race to influence crime
rates.

[Warner Bros/DC COMICS/The Kobal Collection/Art Resource,
NY]
20
Crime and Demographics: Hate Crimes
Hate Crimes
Occurs when criminals specifically target victims based on
demographic characteristics
Charges typically increase the punishment associated with
another crime such as assault
Official statistics likely underreport the true number of hate
crimes
21
Demographic characteristics include race, national origin,
religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
21

Types of Punishments
In the United States, serious crimes are punished by
imprisonment.
In other cultures, types of punishments can include:
Shunning
Banishment
Corporal punishment
22
Many different countries, cultures, or regions may not have the
resources to incarcerate criminals, so they find other means of
punishment, like those listed in this slide.
22
Punishments and Time
Acts deemed criminal and their punishments change over time.

23
During the 1920s and 1930s, alcohol was illegal in the United
States, but it is legal in most areas in the United States now. In
contrast, heroin used to be widely available in the United
States. It was sold by Bayer until 1910, and the U.S.
government even taxed it until it was eventually banned in
1924.
For discussion, you can ask your class if they can think of other
laws, crimes, or punishments that are different today than they
used to be.
[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prohibition.jpg]
[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bayer_Heroin_bottle.j
pg]
23
The Criminal Justice System
Deterrence: prevent crime by threatening harsh penalties

Retribution: retaliate or take revenge for a crime that’s been
committed
Incapacitation: remove criminals from society by imprisoning
them
Rehabilitation: reform criminals so that they may reenter
society
24
These are the four main philosophies of punishment. Each offers
a different approach to punishment. Rehabilitation, for instance,
suggests that we should include education and training in
prisons so that prisoners will be able to contribute to society
upon their release.
In practice, these philosophies often overlap.
Deterrence: if you are in a hurry to class and you start to exceed
the speed limit, do you ever slow down because you think, “I

don’t want to get a speeding ticket”? If so, the potential penalty
has deterred you from committing the crime.
Retribution: have you ever heard the saying “an eye for an
eye”? That’s the premise behind retribution—you’ve committed
a crime, therefore, society has the right to retaliate in a certain
way.
Incapacitation may depend on the severity of the crime
committed. If our society imprisoned every person who ever
jaywalked, there would be few people left out in society. Then
again, if the penalty for jaywalking was imprisonment, maybe
fewer people would do it. That’s part of the logic behind
creating sentences for crimes.
Rehabilitation has different degrees of success or failure
depending on the crime committed, however, even though
rehabilitation is usually less expensive than incarceration, we
tend to see more sentences of incarceration than rehabilitation.
Why do you think this is? Are there certain crimes that you
think should receive more rehabilitation that incarceration?
What about drug use or possession?
A current trend in United States corrections is to transition from
government run prisons to private prisons. Doing so, makes
incarceration a for-profit endeavor that may undermine the
rehabilitation of inmates.
24
Reconsidering Deviance?
Positive deviance is defined as an act that is outside of the
norm, but may actually be heroic rather than negative.
25

Can your class think of examples of positive deviance?
Examples could be Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on
the bus when asked; or even a student in class being the one to
raise his or her hand and say that a test seemed unfair. If no one
else in the class spoke up, this student’s action might be
deviant, but it could also shed light on an issue that needed to
be addressed.
25
1. Deviance—
Concept Quiz
According to structural strain theory, which group of people
would be most likely to renounce the culture’s goals and means
entirely and live outside of conventional norms altogether?
deviants
innovators
ritualists
retreatists
rebels
26

Ans: D
26
2. Deviance—
Concept Quiz
A professional gambler who makes $250,000 per year would
likely be considered what, according to structural strain theory?
a deviant
an innovator
a ritualist
a retreatist
a rebel
27

Ans: B
27
3. Deviance—
Concept Quiz
Eddie’s family just moved to a new city. He finds new friends,
but they’re always “up to something” according to Eddie’s
mom. For instance, all of the kids dyed their hair green, and so
did Eddie. Then, all of the kids got their noses pierced, and so
did Eddie. Which sociologist would be interested in studying
this situation?
Robert Merton
Edwin Sutherland
Howard Becker
Erving Goffman
Jack Katz
28

Ans: B
28
4. Deviance—
Concept Quiz
Body modification used to be used as a way to mark someone in
society with shame. Now, however, body modification is now
generally considered a voluntary mark of body decoration. What
does this tell us about society?
Body modification has always been artistic, people just used to
interpret it the wrong way.
Acts considered “deviant” changes over time.
Subcultures have always been around; they just don’t have to
hide anymore.
All of the above are true.
None of the above is true.
29

Ans: B
29
5. Deviance—
Concept Quiz
According to Merton’s structural strain theory, an individual
who deals drugs in order to get rich would be called a/an
conformist.
innovator.
ritualist.
retreatist.
30

Ans: B
30
6. Deviance—
Concept Quiz
The case of a student who was continually told that he was
stupid and would never amount to anything and who eventually
drops out of school is an example of
tertiary deviation.
anomie.
self-fulfilling prophecy.
sanctions.
31

Ans: C
31
7. Deviance—
Concept Quiz
The philosophy of punishment that justifies punishment on the
grounds that it will prevent future crime is called:
prevention.
retribution.
deterrence.
rehabilitation.
32
Ans: C

32
8. Deviance—
Concept Quiz
The philosophy of punishment that justifies punishment on the
grounds that those who break laws deserve to be punished is
called:
prevention.
retribution.
deterrence.
rehabilitation.
33
Ans: B
33
1. Chapter 6: Participation Questions
Do you have any tattoos?

yes
no
34
These questions can be used with “clickers,” cell phones, or
other audience response systems to increase participation in
your classes. They can also be used to encourage discussion
without technological input.
34
Did your parents ever forbid you from seeing a particular friend
because they thought he or she was a “bad influence” on you?
yes
no
35

35
Have you ever been bullied (teased, harassed, threatened, or
humiliated) in a face-to-face situation?
yes
no
36

36
Have you ever been cyberbullied (teased, harassed, threatened
or humiliated online, via text message or through email)?
yes
no
37

37
Is it OK to break a law or rule if you feel like you’re doing the
right thing? (For instance, you speed through a red light because
you are rushing a sick friend to the hospital.)
yes
no
38

38
Chapter 6: Data Workshop Activity
Refer to the Data Workshop on page 169-170 to prepare for this
activity.
You’re going to be watching an episode from a television show.
As a sociologist studying our society’s interest in deviance, you
should look for these themes as you watch. Respond to the
questions on page 169-170. Be prepared to share your findings
with the class!
39

Directions for Instructors:
-Refresh students’ memories about data collection from Chapter
2. This activity exemplifies the terms existing sources, content
analysis, quantitative vs. qualitative research,
representativeness. You may find it helpful to remind the
students of the meaning of these terms.
-Refer students to page 166. Ask them to read the data
workshop activity.
-There are several ways to complete this activity. Ideally, it
would be great to split students into groups and have each group
watch a 30-minute episode of a show from a different television
series. If this is not possible, the whole class can watch an
episode of a show selected by the instructor.
-Ask students to review the content and discuss their findings in
a small group.
-Once students have discussed findings in the smaller group,
bring their comments to a full group discussion.
-Ask questions about what they saw and how they came to these
conclusions. To deepen the discussion, ask students whether
they feel they observed a representative sample. Ask them to
identify whether their data collection included quantitative
methods, qualitative methods, or both.
39
This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter
6
40

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