Реферат: Social Structure Essay Research Paper Social Structure

You should know why sociologists believe that deviance is a socially constructed phenomena (Piercing exercise and Perspectives Box on page 199 of text)

You should be able to distinguish between biological, psychological and sociological explanations of deviance.

You should know the components of the seven sociological theories of deviance discussed in lecture as well as the theoretical perspective that they are associated with.

You should know the components of Durkheim’s theory of deviance as functional for society.

You should thoroughly know Robert Merton’s strain theory of deviance.

You should understand the relationship between labeling theory and the class discussion of the “Saints and Roughnecks” study and the “Being Sane in Insane Places” study.

You should know and understand what is meant by the medicalizaiton of deviance.

Deviance: the violation of rules or norms

Stigma: “blemishes” that discredit a person’s claim to a “normal” identity

Social Control: a group’s formal and informal means of enforcing its norms

Official Deviance: a society’s statistics on lawbreaking; its measures of crimes; victims, lawbreakers, and the outcomes of criminal investigations and sentencing.

Social Order: a group’s usual and customary social arrangements, on which its members depend and on which they base their lives.

Crime: the violation of norms that are written into law.

Recidivism Rate: the proportion of people who are rearrested

Retribution: the punishment of offenders in order to restore the moral balance upset by the offense.

Deterrence: creating fear so people will refrain from breaking the law.

Rehabilitation: the resocialization of offenders so they can become conforming citizens.

Incapacitation: to take away someone’s capacity to commit crimes, in this instance, by putting the offender in prison.

Hate Crimes: crimes to which more severe penalties are attached because they are motivated by hatred (dislike, animosity) of someone’s race0ethinicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.

Negative Sanction: a punishment or negative reaction for disapproved behavior, for deviance

Positive Sanction: a reward or positive reaction for approved behavior, for conformity

Degradation ceremony: rituals designed to strip an individual of his or her identity as a group member; for example, a court martial or the defrocking of a priest

The four primary reasons for imprisoning individuals:

1. Retribution: pay back for your wrong

2. Deterrence: create fear

3. Rehabilitation: resocialize

4. Incapacitation: keeping them off the streets.

Deviance —*Degradation. A minister would have to relinquish his position if he was caught cheating on his wife.

Ideas that you should know and understand