Computer Science 1033A/B Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Routine Activity Theory, Anomie, Subjectivism
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9 Feb 2013
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SOCIOLOFY of DEVIANCE: MIDTERM #1 REVIEW
DEFINING DEVAINCE LECTURES
Social Order
(Hobbes & Rouseau)
Hobbes
•Humans are naturally evil
•Rules preserve social order
•Human will always find some sort of conflict with one another
Rouseau
•Humans-good in natural state
•About power/property and involves a social contract
•More Marxist view
Typology of
Deviance/Crime (Hagan)
Hierarchy (3 Different Dimensions)
•Evaluation of social harm
•Agreement about the norm
•Severity of societal response
Hagan's Pyramid
•Consensus Crimes—Top Tier
◦Worst type, has a high consensus/highest level of harm, most
extreme punishments
•Conflict Crimes—Second Tier
◦Considerable social disagreement/debate on criminalization
about harmlessness, criminal status, appropriate social
response
•Social Deviations—Third Tier
◦Ambiguous types of deviant behaviours
◦Punishment by groups other than the criminal justice system
•Social Diversions—Fourth Tier
◦Deviant behaviour associated with “lifestyle”
◦Not criminal, calls for mild social response, causes little
harmlessness
Objective Explanations
of Deviance
4 factors that objectivists use:
•Statistical Rarity
•Social Harm
•Negative Social Reaction
•Normative Violation
Subjective Explanations
of Deviance
Subjectivism
•Subjectivism view of deviance
◦No “objective”/single trait shared by all deviants
◦Rely on dominant moral codes of society
•Deviance determined based on these three factors:
◦How many people condemn a person, behaviour, or
characteristic
◦Level of power held by the people doing the condemning
◦Intensity of their disapproval
Moral Entrepreneurs –
Rule Creators vs. Rule
Enforcers
Rule Creators
•Aka: “crusadors”, creates “moral panic”
•Focus on the “ends” not the “means”
Rule Enforcers
•New set of social control agents (ex. Police or lawyers/judges)
•Focus on the “means”, not the “ends”—see that people follow the
laws/rules

Social Typing Process 3 stages:
•Description
◦a label is attached to a person/behaviour
•Evaluation
◦a judgement is attached
•Prescription
◦social control/regulation:
▪Formal
▪Informal
▪Retroactive
•Trying to change the conception and label provided to
you
▪Preventative
•Trying to prevent a label from being applied to you
▪Self-regulation

FUNCTIONALIST THEORIES of DEVIANCE
Biology &
Crime/Deviance (Sheldon
& Lombrosso)
Lombrosso
•Criminal/deviant individuals are primitive human beings (“modern
savages”, “biological throwbacks”)
•Low intelligence, animal instinct
•Resemble “caveman” (large forehead, protruding ears, shifty eyes.
Ect)
Shledon
•Body types correspond to criminal/deviant tendencies
•He talks more about crime that involves physical abilities
•Endomorph: fat/round-->easy going
•Mesomorph: stocky/muscular-->criminal/deviant tendency
•Ectomorph: long/skinny-->sensitive
Demonism Demonism
•People who committed crime were thought to be acting on the
devil
•These idea put forth by the church
•Neither the individual/society has to take responsibility
•Creates objective rules for identifying criminals—ascribed traits
(things they were born with)
•Church used a biological trait as being a demonic trait
•*Focus on ASCRIBED traits
Classical Theory of
Crime/Deviance
5 Elements of Classical Theory
1. People are hedonistic/self-indulgent
2. Individuals have free will
3. Society is a social contract
4. Punishment is justified
5. The greatest good for the greater number
•*Emphasis on the RATIONALITY of the behaviour—“Rational
Actor”
Functionalism
(Durkheim)
Functionalism
•Started looking at deviance starting from society—looks at from a
macro level instead of micro
•Role of society: consensus, equilibrium, status quo (homeostasis)
•Role of individual: perfectly socialized unit
◦We should be properly socialized
•Deviance: incomplete/problematic socialization
•Solution: re-socialization, treated, and rehabilitated
•*Focus on changing the individual, NOT the society
Eufunctions vs. Dysfunctions
•Eufunctions
◦Positive functions of deviance in society that help maintain
equilibrium
1. Increases social solidarity
2. Rule/boundary clarification
3. Testing of rules/boundaries
4. Reduces social tensions—scape goat/tension release
•Dysfunctions
◦Negative functions of deviance in society that disrupts
equilibrium
1. Reduces internalization of norms
2. Difficulty in determining effective solutions