Deviance

1. Deviance Sociology Mrs. Daloia

2. Deviance In just a few moments I was to meet my first Yanomamo, my first primitive man. What would it be like? I looked up from my canoe and gasped when I saw a dozen burly, naked, filthy, hideous men staring at us down the shafts of their drawn arrows.

3. Deviance Immense wads of green tobacco were stuck between their lower teeth and lips, making them look even more hideous. And strands of dark-green slime dripped or hung from their noses. We arrived at the village while the men were blowing a hallucinogenic drug up their noses.

4. Deviance One of the side effects of the drug is a runny nose. The mucus is always saturated with the green powder, and the Indians usually let it run freely from their nostrils. I just sat there holding my notebook, helpless and pathetic…The whole situation was depressing, and I wondered why I ever decided to switch from civil engineering to anthropology in the first place.

5. Deviance Soon I was covered with red pigment, the result of a dozen or so completed examinations.These examinations capped an otherwise grim day. The Indians would blow their noses into their hands, flick as much of the mucus off that would separate in a snap of the wrist, wiped the residue into their hair and then carefully examine my face, arms, legs, hair and the contents of my pockets.

6. Deviance I said in their language, “Your hands are dirty.” My comments were met by the Indians in the following way: they would “clean” their hands by spitting a quantity of slimy tobacco juice into them, rub them together, and then proceed with the examination.

7. Deviance • How does this story relate to deviance? • What acts do we consider deviant in this story? • Deviance  The violation of norms. • This applies whether the infraction is minor (speeding) or major (murder). • Is it the act itself that makes something deviant or is it the reaction to the act that makes it deviant?

8. Deviance • To the Yanomamo, their actions were normal and not deviant at all. • Because different groups have different norms what is deviant to some is not deviant to others. • Crime A specific form of deviance where the violation of a norm is written into law.

9. Deviance • Unlike the general public, sociologists use the term non-judgmentally, to refer to an act to which people respond negatively…to sociologist we are all deviants from time to time. • To be considered deviant, a person does not even have to do anything.

10. Deviance • Stigma “blemishes’ that discredit a person's claim to a “normal” identity. • These include violations of norms of ability: blindness, deafness, mental handicaps; norms of appearance: facial birthmark, a huge nose; Involuntary memberships: AIDS, brother of rapist

11. Deviance • Norms make social life possible by making life predictable… • Go to the store to buy milk. • “I won’t sell you any milk. We’re overstocked with soda, and I’m not going to sell anyone milk until our soda inventory is reduced.” At checkout, the cashier then says, “Sorry! There is $5 service charge for every 15th customer.”

12. Deviance • Without norms we would have social chaos. Norms lay out basic guidelines for interactions with others. • Social Order A group’s usual and customary social arrangements, on which its members depend on and which they base their lives.

13. Deviance • Deviance undermines predictability, the foundation of social life…therefore humans develop a system of social control. • Social Control Formal and informal means of enforcing norms

14. Explanations of Deviance(Sociology) • Search for reasons outside the individual. They look for social influences that “recruit” people to break norms. • Socialization, membership in subcultures, and social class.

15. The Functionalist Perspective • Can deviance be functional for society? 1. Deviance clarifies moral boundaries and affirms norms – deviant acts challenge the boundaries and punishment affirms the social norm

16. The Functionalist Perspective 2. Deviance promotes social unity – punishing violators fosters a “we” feeling. It affirms the rightness of the group’s ways. 3. Deviance promotes social change – groups do not always agree on what to do with people who push beyond their accepted ways. If boundary violations gain enough support they become new acceptable behaviors.

17. The Functionalist Perspective • Functionalists argue that crime is a natural part of society, not an aberration of some alien element. • Society’s goal is to find and train its talented people. Society tries to motivate all people for success…through feelings of discontent so they better themselves. • Not everyone chooses to compete.

18. The Functionalist Perspective • Most people want to meet cultural goals; The objectives held out as legitimate or desirable for the members of a society to achieve. • But not everyone has access to institutionalized means  the approved ways of reaching cultural goals.

19. The Functionalist Perspective • Strain theory • When a society socializes large numbers of people to desire a cultural goal (success), but withholds from some the approved means of reaching that goal; • One adaptation to the strain is crime, the choice of an innovative means (one outside the approved system) to attain the cultural goal.

20. The Functionalist Perspective • Anomie When you can’t reach the cultural goals through institutionalized means you experience a gap that is called anomie, a sense of normlessness. • Most people take the accepted path.

21. The Functionalist Perspective

22. The Functionalist Perspective • Innovators  people who accept the goals of society but use illegitimate means to try to reach them. (Crack dealers, embezzlers, robbers etc.) • Ritualism  people who become discouraged and give up on achieving cultural goals. Yet they still cling to conventional rules of conduct. (Teachers in burnout).

23. The Functionalist Perspective • Retreatism People who reject both the cultural goals and the institutionalized means of achieving them. Some people stop pursuing success and retreat into alcohol or drugs. • Rebellion  People convinced that their society is corrupt , rebels like retreatists reject both society's goals and its institutionalized means. Rebels seek to give society new goals as well as new means for reaching them (Revolutionaries)

24. The Functionalist Perspective • US does an excellent job at socializing everyone to want “success”(TV, iPads, phones, games, etc) MESSAGE: All full-fledged Americans can afford society's many goods and services. • Path: School System– at odds with the poor. What the poor take for granted at school is unacceptable, questioned and mocked.

25. The Functionalist Perspective • ExampleSpeech: is built around nonstandard grammar and is often laced with what the middle class considers obscenities. Their ideas of punctuality and their poor preparation in reading and paper/pencil skills make it difficult to fit in. • The door for success is not closed, but another door opens…

26. The Functionalist Perspective • Illegitimate opportunity structure opportunities for crimes that are woven into the texture of life; robbery, burglary, drug dealing, prostitution, pimping, gambling, and other crimes. “Hustler” becomes the role model. (Blue-collar crime)

27. The Functionalist Perspective • Illegitimate opportunities for the upper classes are different; Doctor cheats Medicare, Bernie Madoff cheats customers around the world, evading taxes, bribing, etc. • White Collar Crime crimes that people of respectable and high social status commit. • Corporate Crime crime committed by executive in order to benefit their corporation

28. The Functionalist Perspective

29. The Functionalist Perspective • Crime has changed for women…new jobs and opportunities also brought with it a new chance for crime.

30. The Conflict Perspective • Sioux Manufacturing: Accused of making helmets for the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan…without the correct amount of Kevlar (2008). Government investigated and found doctored records and the incorrect amount. • What is their punishment? Who spends time in prison?

31. The Conflict Perspective • Answer: No one. Why? • The government gave them another contract with a “slap on the wrist” fine and now they have to use the correct amount of Kevlar. • But… poor people caught stealing cars can be sent to prison for years. • The question becomes… is our justice system “justice for all?” • Criminal Justice System the system of police, courts and prisons set up to deal with people who are accused of having committed a crime.

32. Deviance is… …according to conflict theory, the product of social inequality.

33. The Conflict Perspective • Power of the elite • use the criminal justice system to protect its position of power and privilege. • “…Justice for all” • myth promoted by the capitalist class. • point out that law is really an instrument of oppression designed by the powerful to maintain their power/prestige.

34. The Conflict Perspective • Working class and lower class outnumber the upper-class; potentially, they could rebel and overthrow the current social order. • Law comes down hard on its members who get out of line – preventative measure. • Working poor and underclass are the biggest threat – least tied to society. • Law comes down harder on this group – majority of prison inmates are from this class.

35. The Conflict Perspective • Criminal system does not focus on the executives of corporations and the harm they do. • Violations of the capitalist class cannot be ignored – if they behave too outrageous or oppressive • Enraged lower class • Might cause a revolt

36. The Conflict Perspective • To prevent this… • occasional prosecution occurs to a member of the capitalist class and publicity given to provide “evidence” of fairness in the justice system. • Powerful are usually able to bypass the court altogether…appear in front of commissions that have no power to imprison anyone (Federal Trade Commission). • agencies are usually run by the wealthy that have worked in these types of corporations themselves and provide sympathy to their situations.

37. Interactionist Perspective • Differential Association Theory • individuals have a greater tendency to deviate from societal norms when they frequently associated with those who are more favorably inclined towards deviance and conformity • Old adage, “If you lie with dogs, you’ll get fleas”

38. Interactionist Perspective • Social Bond Theory holds that probability of deviant behavior increases when a person's ties to society are weakened or broken • social bonding consist of • attachments to other people • commitment to conformity • involvement and conventional activities • belief in the legitimacy of conventional values and norms

39. Interactionist Perspective • Labeling Theory states that deviants are those people who have been successfully labeled as such by others • primary deviance is the initial act of role breaking • secondary deviance occurs when a person who has been labeled a deviant accepts that new identity and continues the deviant behavior