FRHD 2060 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Amenable Group, Spirit Possession

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Family Relations and Human Development
• Course: FRHD 2060
• Professor: Scott Maitland

Document Summary

Series of ideas regarding how and/or why social deviance occurs: amenable to empirical testing/validation. We theorize about deviance beyond the individual: we account for broader social processes. Efforts to prevent and/or sanction that which is (cid:498)deviant(cid:499) Ex. rules and regulations: informal social control. Retroactive: treating a known deviant a certain way. Preventative: trying to prevent deviance in the first place. Deviance was caused by spiritual possession: these people were tortured to help release the evil forces. The witch hunts: women who violated norms were considered witches (possessed) Tortured and killed to rid them of devils influence. Often burned alive: although less common, these theories are still there, heinous acts and intimations of (cid:498)evil(cid:499) Referring to people as evil based on what they have done. This is a response to acts that defy our understanding of something: problems: Spiritual theories often close down rational discusses. Makes it seem as though we are not capable of things we are.