Theories of deviance, labeling, and social control mechanisms from a college sociology course.
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- What is deviance in sociology?
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Behavior that violates social norms and is subject to social disapproval or sanction.- What is social control?
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Mechanisms and processes that society uses to encourage conformity and discourage deviance.- Who developed strain theory and what is its core claim?
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Robert Merton. Deviance results when there is a gap between culturally emphasized goals and the socially acceptable means to achieve them.- What are the five modes of adaptation in Merton's strain theory?
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Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, and Rebellion.- In strain theory, what is innovation as an adaptation mode?
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Accepting cultural goals but rejecting the legitimate means to achieve them, often pursuing deviant means instead.- What is labeling theory and who is its key figure?
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Howard Becker. The theory that deviance is not inherent in an act but rather created by social reactions and labels that society applies to certain behaviors.- What is primary deviance in labeling theory?
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Initial deviant behavior or norm violation that occurs before a person is labeled as deviant by society.- What is secondary deviance in labeling theory?
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Deviance that results from the societal reaction to and labeling of primary deviance; the person begins to see themselves as deviant.- What is stigma according to Erving Goffman?
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An attribute or characteristic that is deeply discrediting and reduces a person's identity in the eyes of society.- What is control theory and who developed it?
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Travis Hirschi. The theory that deviance occurs when social bonds are weak or broken, and people conform when they have strong attachments to society.- What are the four social bonds in Hirschi's control theory?
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Attachment (to people), Commitment (to conventional goals), Involvement (in conventional activities), and Belief (in shared values).- What is differential association theory and who developed it?
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Edwin Sutherland. Deviance is learned through interaction with others, especially when one associates more with deviant than conformist definitions.- What is formal social control?
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Official mechanisms of social control enforced by the state, such as laws, police, courts, and prisons.- What is informal social control?
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Mechanisms of social control exercised by family, peer groups, and community through disapproval, ridicule, gossip, and shame rather than official punishment.- What is the difference between internal and external social control?
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Internal control is self-imposed through socialization and internalized values; external control is imposed by others through sanctions and surveillance.
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