Transcript Sociologists & Deviances

Sociologists & Deviances
• Sociologists believe that deviance comes from
people within
• Genetic Predispositions- inborn tendencies to
commit deviant acts
– 1. Intelligence (low leads to crime)
– 2. “XYY” Theory (extra Y chromosome leads to crime)
– 3. Body Type (people with muscular bodies)
Psychologists & Deviances
• Personality Disorders- personality disturbance
causes an individual to violate social norms
• Subconscious motives drive people to deviance
• Not always true
• Both Psychologists, sociologists and
sociobiologists search for outside factors
• Why people commit crimes
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
• Differential Assoc. Theory- We learn to deviate
or to conform to society’s norms mostly by
different groups we associate with.
• Families play a role in our deviance
• Neighborhoods, Friends and Subcultures
– Most parents don’t want their children to grow up
in bad areas
Prisoners of Socialization
• We produce our own orientations to life
– We choose our own path in life
Control Theory
• Why do we have strong
desires to do things to get
us in trouble?
• Inner drives
• Temptations
• Urges
• Hostilities
Control Theory
• The idea that two control systems-inner
controls and outer controls- work against our
tendencies to deviate
• Inner controls: morality, conscience, religious,
principles, ideas of right and wrong and fears
of punishment
• Stronger bonds with society, the more
effective are inner controls are
Bonds
• Based on our attachments
– Affection & respect for people
• Based on our commitments
– Stake in society you don’t
want to risk
• Based on our involvements
– Putting time & energy into
approved activities
• Based on our beliefs
– Believe some actions are
wrong
Labeling Theory
• Labels that people are given
affect their own and other’s
perception of them
• Most people reject negative
labels
• Slobs
• Whore
• Pervert
• Cheat
Labeling Theory
• Some people are able to deflect the labels and
consider themselves conforming members of
society (Techniques of Neutralization)
1. Denial of Responsibility
2. Denial of Injury
3. Denial of a Victim
4. Condemnation of the Condemners
5. Appeal to Higher Loyalties
Labels
• Embrace Labels: Biker Gangs in which they
view themselves as losers which supports
their deviance
• Labels give people