deviance

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Which theory on deviance would you say provides the best explanation for deviance in society?(b)Pick a famous politician, business leader, or celebrity who has been arrested and prosecuted for a crime. What crime did they allegedly commit? Who was the victim? Explain his or her actions from the point of view of one of the major sociological paradigms. What factors best explain how this person was penalized for the crime? 250 wordsAfter watching Lessons from The Challenger Tragedy (link available in M3.1 Module Notes, under the “Group Dynamics” section of the Rise presentation), imagine you have been hired by an organization like NASA to educate managers and their workforce on how to avoid groupthink. Share with the organization your reflections about the Challenger tragedy and the causes. Offer solutions by presenting at least two ideas for how organizations can work against peer pressure or groupthink in the future. 150words

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SOC101M3.1
Social Deviance and Societal Control
Living in Groups
Group Dynamics
Deviance
Lesson 1 of 4
Social Deviance and Societal Control
Nearly every aspect of social life is experienced within the context of
the group. A social group includes two or more people. It can be
formed on strong social ties, such as a family. Or it can be formed on
weak social ties, such as individuals sitting in a movie theater.
Regardless of size or social ties, group behavior is regulated and
controlled by cultural values and beliefs. In order to remain a member
of the group, an individual must conform to these values and beliefs.
Lack of conformity, whether criminal or non-criminal, is deviant
behavior. Deviant behavior is always sanctioned. Expected behaviors
and sanctions are based on the type of group and the established norms
within the group.
Lesson 2 of 4
Living in Groups
YOUTUBE
Social Groups: Crash Course Sociology #16
Social Groups: Crash Course Sociology #16
How do the groups that you’re part of a ect you? How do you, in turn, a ect
those groups? Today we are talking about how people in society come together
wi…
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Society is one very large group, though it may often be composed of many smaller groups. A
group is any collection of two or more people that have something in common. Of course,
there are many di erent types of group. For example, a large professional group, such as the
American Sociological Association does not have the same characteristics as a group that
attends a baseball game. When sociologists study group behavior, they
rst determine the
type of group that they are viewing. A crowd refers to a temporary group, or aggregate, that
gathers in a public space. Some examples are the audience of a play or sporting event,
sightseers that gather outside the White House on a walking tour of Washington D.C. or those
who gather at the site of an accident or
re. There are also groups that are known as
categories. An example of this might be college students or everyone between the ages of 18
and 24. The type of group is determined by the group function and the emotional ties within
the group.
Primary and Secondary Groups
The most important group for socialization is the primary group. The most common primary
group is the family. The primary group has strong emotional ties, is important to the
formation of identity and is often life-long. A secondary group is a group that is task
oriented. These groups rarely have strong emotional relationships between the members and
are typically temporary. They are often larger and can even be anonymous. Examples of
secondary groups are on-line bulletin boards, juries, college courses or the people you work
with. If you work in the same location for a very long time you can develop strong personal
ties to some of your co-workers. However, the task of the group, job performance, is not
dependent on these close personal ties.
Social Networks
Everyone belongs to a social network. The social network refers to every individual with
whom you have social ties, or an individual connection. You have no doubt heard the term
“networking”, especially in reference to
nding employment. This refers to the exploitation
of your social ties or social network to advance in society.
You have probably heard of Six Degrees of Separation. This turned into a parlor game called
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. You can try playing this game yourself. Start with any movie that
you have watched recently and see if you can trace the actors in that movie back to a movie
with Kevin Bacon in six or less steps. This game illustrates the social network and how your
social ties bind you to the rest of society. It suggests that if you have 100 people together in a
room, you can
nd a connection in six steps or less to any other member of society.
The Importance of Group Membership
Social ties are important for accomplishing goals, such as employment or marriage networks.
However, they can also protect your life. You read about feral children in the chapter on
socialization. Research has proven that we need social interaction to develop normally in
childhood. Durkheim’s work on Suicide found that one’s social ties also prevent them from
taking their own life. He argued that the absence of close social ties led to a state of anomie,
or normlessness. Anomie is a form of social isolation that is linked to having too weak social
ties. We see in the
gure below that approximately 58% of U.S. adults do not live in or near
the community where they grew up. We also see that 20% of U.S. adults lived away from their
home towns at a time, but moved back. In this study, being near family was cited as the main
reason to stay or return.
Bialik, K. (2018, May 2018) Key ndings about American life in urban, suburban
and rural areas. Washington, DC: Pew Research
Center.https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/05/22/key- ndings-aboutamerican-life-in-urban-suburban-and-rural-areas/
Lesson 3 of 4
Group Dynamics
Sociologists are interested in the group dynamics of every type of group. They argue that the
dynamics change dependent upon the type and the size of the group. A dyad, the smallest
group consisting of two people, has the strongest emotional bond. However, it is also the
most fragile since it can end on the decision of one person. A triad is a little more stable
because the third person can mediate the di erences between the other two. Think of a
married couple as an example of a dyad. They are bonded through strong emotions however
they are vulnerable to divorce for irreconcilable di erences. When the couple has a child they
become slightly less vulnerable because the needs of the child take precedence over the
individual needs of the parents. That is not to say that having a child can save a dysfunctional
marriage. Rather it suggests that increasing the size of the functional group shifts the focus
of the con icts within the group. The larger the group, the less intense the emotions but the
more stable the group becomes.
Groups and Social Identity
Individuals in society learn to identify with groups during their lifetimes. Group membership
can and does change across the life course. However, individuals always have an in-group
and at least one out-group. Think about the groups that you belong to or know of. If you
think of the term “us” to de ne that group, it is your in-group. “Them” refers to your outgroup. For example, if you are in the military, you might think of your branch of the military
as “us.” Other branches of the military become “them.” You learn to identify with the
strengths of your in-group that might be built around a competition, friendly or otherwise,
with the out-group. Finally, you use reference groups to determine your group memberships.
The most common reference group is the family. This is the group that establishes your
sense of right and wrong. It is the group whose standards you use to judge the acceptability
of your own behavior.
Group Cohesion and Conformity
Group cohesion refers to the loyalty and solidarity within the group. A group must be
cohesive to survive. In the absence of cohesion, members separate from the group. The
necessity of cohesion creates conformity within the group. Americans typically think of
conformity as a “dirty word” since the culture is extremely individualistic. However, if
Americans failed to conform, the country would fail. Members of the groups exert pressure
or power over members to assure conformity. This can be done by authority members within
the group. It can be done by reliance on expectations for behavior. It can also be
accomplished through groupthink. As the readings and required videos in this module
illustrate, conformity, while necessary, can be harmful without limits. Even doing the wrong
thing can be normalized within groups where considering all available information is
discouraged to uphold a speci c goal or worldview.
YOUTUBE
Lessons From the Challenger Tragedy | Retro Report on P…
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Teamwork and Leadership
While teamwork is an important function for social groups, studies show that a team is not as
productive as the individual members of the team. One explanation for this is the practice of
social loa ng. You may have experienced this when working on a group project in the past.
When there are more individuals assigned to a project, each individual works a little easier
than they would if they were responsible for their own assignment. Some individuals don’t
contribute at all if they know they will get credit for the assignment as a group member. Each
group develops a culture and a hierarchy. There may be a power dynamic, the struggle to
control the group that discourages participation. If the power within the group is coercive, it
will be led by threat. In uential leaders may get di erent results because they use
persuasion. There may also be a question of how authority, the right to wield power, is
designated. Traditional authority is not based on leadership qualities, but on birthright or
divine right. Authority may be established through a legal or rational process. A Charismatic
leader gains authority through the strength of his or her personality. An Instrumental leader
is a leader that is focused on a task. An Expressive leader works to maintain the emotional
stability of the group.
Patient being rushed for emergency treatment. [Photography]. Retrieved from
Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
Bureaucracy
You have likely come into contact with many bureaucracies in your lifetime. This is a speci c
type of secondary group. It has set characteristics that are designed to assure e
ciency in
the pursuit of a goal. These characteristics include specialization, technical competence, a
hierarchy, rules, impersonality and formal written communication. The university is a good
example of a bureaucracy. Its area of specialization is higher education. It must be
technically competent to be successful. The relationships within the university are
impersonal. While you may have good relationships with co-workers, professors or fellow
students, these will not assist you in getting your degree or getting promoted. The university
has a very detailed hierarchy that includes a president, a provost, the faculty and the sta .
Every university has rules. There are rules for degree completion, getting tenure, and
academic conduct, to name a few. The rules are formally communicated. Universities have
mission statements, constitutions, elaborations, and catalogs.
YOUTUBE
Formal Organizations: Crash Course Sociology #17
Formal Organizations: Crash Course Sociology #17
Today we are exploring the world of formal organizations. We’ll go back to the
historical process of rationalization and its impact on organizations in the f…
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McDonaldization
George Ritzer coined the term McDonaldization to describe the increase in rationalization.
Bureaucracies are rational. They are run on economic logic. When this logic is applied to
human activity it is called rationalization. While this process leads to increased e
ciency, it
dehumanizes the activity for the actors. Think about the last time you visited a McDonalds.
Every worker was probably dressed the same. They likely greeted you with a rehearsed line,
such as “Would you like to try out latest product today?” You ordered from a menu that is
repeated almost exactly in every McDonalds in the country. There are some variations by
region, but everyone can order a Big Mac. This process leaves little room for ingenuity or
individualism for the worker. However, it does provide a level of comfort for the customer
who can be sure that a Big Mac will taste as expected no matter where it is purchased.
A New McDonald’s Drive-Thru Facility Opens In Beijing. [Photographer]. Retrieved
from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
Lesson 4 of 4
Deviance
YOUTUBE
Deviance: Crash Course Sociology #18
Deviance: Crash Course Sociology #18
What is social deviance? Who de nes what is deviant and how to people come
to behave that way? Today we’re going to explore biological and psychological
app…
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Most people hear the word deviant and assume that it refers only to crime. Deviance is
actually the violation of any social norm, both criminal and non-criminal. Deviance typically
gets a negative reaction from society and may lead to social sanctions. Think about the way
the obese are subjected to ‘fat shaming’. This can include laughing or pointing at an
individual that is overweight. It can also include bullying or publicly berating the individual.
Employers are less likely to hire the obese and the obese make less money than their thinner
peers, even if their skills and work ethic are greater. The sanctions that we use to control
deviance depend upon the perceived seriousness of the act. Body type had been used as an
indicator of deviance in the past, where some researchers associated men with more muscle
as being naturally inclined toward deviant behavior. Later researchers believed this this
correlation between male muscularity and crime may be a result of the expectation of extreme
performances of masculinity (expression of force and strength) that lead to a self-ful lling
prophecy.
YOUTUBE
Theory & Deviance: Crash Course Sociology #19
Theory & Deviance: Crash Course Sociology #19
Last week we introduced deviance as a concept, but today we’re going return
to our major paradigms in sociology and how each approaches deviance. We’ll
explo…
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Prison Cell in Alcatraz Prison
Durkheim argued that society creates the profane or the deviant in order to create the sacred,
or valued. This approach suggests that society creates social deviance to establish boundaries
for behavior. These boundaries lead to greater social cohesion as individuals work to not only
maintain order in their own behavior but use social control to cause others to maintain order.
Merton argued that deviance is a byproduct of social strain. This theory is both functional
and con ict based because he argued that deviance is part of the social structure but also that
it is motivated by inequality.
Merton argued that every society has a set of goals that individuals are encouraged to meet.
In the U.S., these goals include success and
nancial independence for example. Members
of the society are socialized to internalize these social goals as their own personal goals. But
not every individual has equal access with the means to meet those goals. Con ict theorists
argue that deviance is de ned by the powerful to
t the needs of the powerful. Think of the
saying “He who has the gold makes the rules”. Con ict theorists argue that when the
wealthy make the social rules, the behaviors of the poor are deemed deviant. Symbolic
Interactionists argue that deviance is learned through social interaction. Your parent may see
the neighbor child throw a rock at a car. For the child, this might be a one o , or primary
deviance. Your parent decides the child is a bad in uence and warns you away. They warn
the parents of other children. The child learns of this and continues to throw rocks at cars.
Now this behavior has become secondary deviance. It has become part of the child’s selfidentity. This can also be called the self-ful lling prophecy. The danger of deviance to the
individual is that it leads to a tarnished self-identity.
Functionalism
Associated Theorist
Deviance Arises From:
Robert Merton
A lack of ways to reach
socially accepted goals
by accepted methods
Social Disorganization
Theory
University of Chicago
Researchers
Weak social ties and a
lack of social control;
society has lost the
ability to enforce norms
with some groups
Cultural Deviance
Theory
Cli ord Shaw and Henry
McKay
Conformity to the
cultural norms of lowerclass society
Con ict Theory
Associated Theorist
Deviance Arises From:
Karl Marx
Inequalities in wealth
and power that arise
from the economic
system
Strain Theory
Unequal System
Con ict Theory
Associated Theorist
Deviance Arises From:
Power Elite
C. Wright Mills
Ability of those in power
to de ne deviance in
ways that maintain the
status quo
Symbolic
Interactionism
Associated Theorist
Deviance Arises From:
Edwin Lemert
The reactions of others,
particularly those in
power who are able to
determine labels
Edwin Sutherland
Learning and modeling
deviant behavior seen in
other people close to the
individual
Travis Hirschi
Feelings of
disconnection from
society
Labeling Theory
Di erential Association
Theory
Control Theory
YOUTUBE
Crime: Crash Course Sociology #20
Crime: Crash Course Sociology #20
We’ve talked about deviance more broadly, but today we’re focusing on crime,
speci cally in the US. We’ll start with legal de nitions of crime and use FBI …
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Criminal Deviance
Deviance is the violation of any social norm. If your entire congregation wears a red hat to
religious services and you were a blue hat, you are a deviant. Criminal deviance refers to
deviant acts that violate the law. Social scientists are very interested in studying deviance.
Society collects data that tracks how often crimes are committed as well as who commits the
crime. These data are stored in
is managed by the FBI.
les such as the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), a database that
This tells us how many crimes are property crimes and how many
are violent. The data shows that poor areas are typically high crime areas. That doesn’t
mean that the wealthy don’t commit crime. They do. Crimes in poor areas are often called
street crimes; burglary, assault, theft. Crimes committed by the wealthy are typically white
collar crimes; embezzlement, fraud, or insider trading. While there may be a focus on
conventional crime, or street crime, the cost of white collar crime far exceeds the damages of
the former. The con ict theorist might argue that the emphasis on street crime in
prosecution contributes to the privilege and control exerted by the wealthier, ruling classes.
YOUTUBE
Combating the Myth of the Superpredator | Retro Report o…
Combating the Myth of the Superpredator | Retro
Report on PBS
States are reconsidering life prison sentences of people who were given
mandatory life terms as juveniles — a practice since ruled unconstitutional by
the S…
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Police O
cers at Roll Call
Social Control and Criminal Deviance
Controlling crime requires a criminal justice system. The criminal justice system is the
system that regulates the deterrence and punishment of crime. This includes the entire legal
and penal system. Deterrence is a focus on crime prevention and punishment is a focus on
consequences for crime. Punishment can function as a deterrent. Many people will not break
the law to avoid going to jail, for example.
Punishment may swing between retribution and rehabilitation. Retribution is based on the
belief that once a person is criminally deviant they will always be criminally deviant. This
approach focuses on swift and severe punishment for crime. Rehabilitation is focused on the
belief that the criminally deviant are poorly socialized and that they can learn to be good
members of society. This approach focuses on providing training and education for the
incarcerated, substance abuse programs and counseling.
American civil rights advocate Rosa Parks being
Alabama, police o
ngerprinted by a Montgomery,
cer, 22 February 1956, after her arrest due to organizing a
boycott of the city’s buses to protest their racial segregation of passengers.
Positive Deviance
Not all deviance is bad for society. When a law is unjust, should that law be broken to force
society to change the law? For example, when Rosa Parks refused to give her seat on the bus
to a white man, she violated the law and was arrested. Her arrest sparked the beginning of
the Civil Rights Movement that ended apartheid in the American south and led to more
equality for non-whites in the US. Martin Luther King, Jr. called for “civil disobedience”,
breaking those unjust laws to force the laws to change.Social movements are frequently based
in deviant behavior or the violation of laws. However these early criminal acts result in laws
that are better for society. This type of deviance is known as positive deviance.
 The readings and videos from this module have introduced you to a variety of theoretical
approaches to understanding how life is experienced in groups. You have learned how
deviance is created and how it is controlled. You have learned how deviance can
sometimes help a society. The following activities will give you the opportunity to apply
some of these theoretical approaches and test your knowledge of the basic concepts.

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