SOC224 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Informal Social Control, Social Control, Social Constructionism
Document Summary
Deviance specialists - one"s who study it in criminal forms are criminologists. Objective views of deviance claim that the presence of certain characteristics defines deviance; behaviours or people with those hose characteristics are deviant, and those lacking are normal. The characteristics that have been most frequent postulated include statistical rarity, harm, a negative societal reaction, and normative violation. statistical rarity- if a behaviour is not typical, it is deviant. ie) smoking percentages. What percents though, and what if most of population does do a negative behaviour. Harm- if an action causes harm then it is deviant. ie) physical harm. Can be a letdown because of abstract harm (religious beliefs being hurt). Views of harm have been exaggerated in the past. (masturbation and marijuana use) Societal reaction- when the masses of people respond with negative reaction rather than positive. (but whose opinion may matter the most) Normative violation- norms are standards or expectations of behaviours.