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Sociological Perspectives on Deviance

Jun 17, 2024

Sociological Perspectives on Deviance

Key Points

  • Deviance: Behavior that violates social norms. Includes a wide range of behaviors, not necessarily negative (e.g., armed robbery vs. pacifism).

Major Sociological Paradigms

  1. Structural Functionalism (Emile Durkheim)

    • Deviance is found in every society and serves important functions.
    • Four Functions of Deviance:
      1. Defines Cultural Values and Norms: Understanding what is good by knowing what is not.
      2. Clarifies Moral Boundaries: Society draws a line with reactions to deviance (e.g., sanctions).
      3. Brings Society Together: Shared reactions to deviance create social unity.
      4. Encourages Social Change: Example: Rosa Parks’ civil disobedience leading to the Civil Rights Movement.
  2. Strain Theory (Robert Merton)

    • Deviance arises when society fails to provide means to achieve culturally defined goals.
    • Types of Responses to Strain:
      1. Conformity: Following socially approved means (e.g., education).
      2. Innovation: Using deviant means to achieve goals (e.g., theft).
      3. Ritualism: Strictly adhering to rules despite unattainable goals.
      4. Retreatism: Rejecting both goals and means (e.g., drug addiction).
      5. Rebellion: Replacing societal goals and means with new ones (e.g., artists seeking peer recognition).
  3. Symbolic Interactionism

    • Labeling Theory: Deviance is more about how society labels behavior rather than the behavior itself.
    • Primary Deviance: Minor deviance that doesn’t affect self-concept.
    • Secondary Deviance: Strong reactions by society that lead to self-labeling as deviant.
    • Stigma: A negative label affecting a person’s self-concept and social interactions.
      • Retrospective Labeling: Reinterpreting a person’s past behavior based on current deviance.
      • Prospective Labeling: Predicting future behavior based on current deviance.
    • Differential Association: Deviance likelihood is influenced by who one associates with.
    • Control Theory: Self-control and anticipation of consequences can prevent deviance.
  4. Conflict Theory

    • Defines deviance in terms of power and social inequality.
    • Key Ideas:
      • Norms and laws serve the interests of the powerful.
      • Powerful groups can resist being labeled as deviant.
      • Different standards: petty thieves penalized more harshly than corporate criminals.
      • Norms inherently political but often perceived as just and fair.
    • Applies across gender, race, and socioeconomic status, showing how power influences definitions and reactions to deviance.

Conclusion

  • Each paradigm (Structural Functionalism, Symbolic Interactionism, Conflict Theory) provides unique tools to understand deviance.
  • These paradigms will be used to explore crime in further detail next week.