2. Outline
What is deviance?
Deviance across Cultures
Theories
Stigma and Deviant Identity
Crime and Punishment
Demographics
Deterrence and Punishment
3. Deviance
Deviance-behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic
that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction in a
particular group
Must be serious enough to get a negative reaction (salad
fork at dinner or eating w/ hands?)
Definitions of deviance are constructed from cultural,
historical, and situational norms
4. Deviance Across Cultures
In sociological study, the term “deviance” is used to
make a social judgment, not a moral one
Modern America-most crime is punished with
imprisonment, but that requires funds-rare until 19th
century
Amish-meidung-shunning those who violate norms-
temporary
Many cultures have practiced banishment-Russia,
Native Americans, British prisoners, etc…
Colonial America-Branding-not only painful, but
marked offender
5. Body Modification
Although branding is no longer a method of
punishment in U.S., it’s now coming back as body
decoration
Michael Jordan and Emmitt Smith
Extension of tattoos
Body modification practiced by many if not most
Americans on some level
Ex.: Corsets, Botox, haircuts, shaving legs, plastic
surgery, etc…
7. Theories of Deviance
Functionalism What’s the function of deviance?
Durkheim-
1. Deviance can help society clarify its moral boundaries
2. Provide social cohesion
Conflict Theory
Inequalities are present in our definitions of deviance
Rules are applied unequally and punishments for rule
violators are unequally distributed
Strain theories
8. Theories of Deviance
Structural Strain
Theory-(Merton)
argument that in an
unequal society, the
tension or strain between
socially approved goals and
an individual’s ability to
meet those goals through
socially approved means
will lead to deviance as
individuals reject either
the goals, the means, or
both
Goals/means
9. Theories of Deviance
Structural Strain Theory-modes of adaptation
Conformity-those that obey; aren’t deviant
Innovators-accept society’s approved goals, but not means
Ritualists- have given up hope of achieving society’s
approved goals, but still operate according to approved
means
Retreatists-(ex. dropouts or hermits)-reject both society’s
approved goals and the means by which to achieve them
Rebels-reject society’s approved goals and means and
instead create and work toward their own (sometimes
revolutionary) goals using new means
10. Symbolic Interactionism
Interactionists focus on definitions of deviance
Differential Association-Edwin Sutherland-
hypothesis that we learn to be deviant through our
associations and interactions with deviant peers
We learn from others
Labeling Theory-Howard Becker-idea that deviance
is a consequence of external judgments (labels) which
both modify the individual’s self-concept and change
the way others respond to the labeled person
Deviant labels can exert powerful effects on self-image,
treatment by others, and social policies
11. Labeling Theory
Primary deviation-the act or attitude that causes one
to be labeled
What are the consequences of labeling?
Secondary deviation-the deviant identity or career
that develops as a result of a being labeled deviant
Tertiary deviation-the rejection of the stigma of a
deviant identity
Self-fulfilling prophecy-(Merton) an inaccurate
statement or belief which, by altering the situation,
becomes accurate, a prediction that causes it to
become true
12. Stigma and Deviant Identity
Stigma-(Goffman)any physical or social attribute that
devalues a person or group’s identity-may exclude
those who are devalued from normal social interaction
Greek “tattoo”-something shameful about the bearer
Physical, tribal and moral stigmas
Passing-concealing stigmatizing information
Denying/hiding the identity that will be stigmatized
In-group orientation-orientation away from
mainstream society
13. Crime
Crime-violation of a norm that has been codified into
law (you could be arrested and imprisoned for
breaking it the law)
Uniform Crime Report-(UCR) official measure of
crime in the U.S.; FBI’s tabulation of every crime
Murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny
theft, motor vehicle theft, arson
Track patterns
Violent crime-violence is either the objective or
means to an end (murder, rape, aggravated assault,
robbery)
14. Crime
Violent crime-violence is either the objective or
means to an end (murder, rape, aggravated assault,
robbery)
Dramatic 44% drop in homicide rates between 1991 and
2000
Property crime-crime that did not involve violence
(burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft and arson)
Occur more frequently than violent crime
Larceny theft most common crime
Burglary and motor vehicle theft trail far behind
15. Crime and Demographics
Even numerical data can be clouded by preconceived
notions of criminal types and stereotypes
Class-police concentrate on urban areas
White-collar crime-crime committed by a high-
status individual in the course of her or his occupation
Ex. Fraud, embezzlement, insider trading…
Age-the younger the population, the more likely its
members are to commit crimes (steady since 1935)
Desistance-tendency to age out of crime over the life
course
16. Crime and Demographics
Gender-males more likely to commit crime
Males account for 80% of all violent crime arrests
Messerschmidt-women’s lower crime rate explained by
their lower status in the power hierarchy
1992-2002-women’s arrest rates rose by 18%-men’s
declined by 4%
Race-African-Americans 12% of population/37% of
violent crime and 31% of property crime
Class variables and self-fulfilling prophecy (labels)
17. Deterrence and punishment
Deterrence-approach to punishment that relies on
the threat of harsh penalties to discourage people from
committing crimes
California’s “three strikes” law
Retribution-emphasizes retaliation or revenge
Capital punishment-the death penalty
Incapacitation-seeks to protect society from
criminals by imprisoning them or executing them
Rehabilitation-attempts to reform criminals as part
of their penalty
18. Positive Deviance
Deviance is a judgment of
a cultural place and time,
and acts that are judged to
be deviant at one time may
later be seen as normal or
even celebrated as heroic
Rosa Parks
Three soldiers who
airlifted survivors of the
My Lai massacre in
Vietnam (pg. 189)
Hugh Thompson, Lawrence
Colburn, and Glenn
Andreota
