SOC 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Organized Crime, White-Collar Crime, C-Span
Document Summary
Social norms: behavioral expectations and cues within a society or group. Ex: opening the door for someone behind you. Principles or rules people are expected to observe (do"s and dont"s of society) Failure to follow the rules can result in severe punishments, including exclusion from the group (social sanction) Deviance: behavior that does not conform to social expectations. Societies define norms and failure to follow norms constitutes deviance. Not inherent in particular kinds of behavior. It"s relative, not absolute (deviance is a social construction) Ex: growing up in a non-religious family and attending catholic mass for the first time and not following normal actions. Ex: politicians debating on c-span and no clear understanding of crime . However, the most common definition is breaking the law. A violation of law (crime) is ultimately an expression of group conflict and interest. There are those who enforce the law and those who are subject to their actions in this power dynamic.
