SOCI 2610H Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Egotism, Social Control, Solidarity
19 Sep 2018
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Why is it important to develop, refine, and use theories: they help us understand; they are an explanation for things. Why do people become deviant: cause and effect relationships. Tips for understanding theories: core ideas/assumptions, know which theories fit into which approach, understand the difference between theories, associate names/theories for your understanding (not being tested on memorization) Religion and demonization: demonism; the devil made me do it , individual nor society had to take responsibility, tests for identifying deviants or criminals, trial by battle (would win if god was on your side", witch hunt. Other biological theories of crime: heredity, testosterone, body type, race. Positivism: methods of the natural science to study the social science, quantitative, observable behaviour, seeking cause and effect relationships, prediction, tied to social control. Durkheim and anomie: dysfunctional levels of deviance emerge when society changes too quickly, crime, addiction, suicide.
