Summary :
This time, a topic is ‘deviance.’ It is divided to two types : formal and informal. The formal deviance is legislated crime that we consider as real crime and the informal deviance is not legislated behavior that is socially considered light taboo.
Theories of deviance
- Psychological Explanations : deviant behavior that is formed from childhood.
- Social-Strain Typology : according to Merton, deviance can be categorized by two criteria (individual motivation, and individual belief) to five types. This classification leads pursuit for more wide social values and goals about researching deviance. deviance is a notion that accepts one value and throws away another value at the same time.
- Structural-Functionalism : structural-functionalists insist that deviance has important role on society because it classify what is acceptable behavior and what is not.
- Conflict Theory : defenders of this theory insist that deviance show us social-inequality. People who commit deviant behavior (especially formal deviance) are most low-class people so it could makes a cycle of poverty and crime.
- Labeling Theory : When someone has deviant stigma, that person be deviant. Here, meaning of deviance is defined by other people. So, the meaning of deviance is cultural relative and inequal notion. After identifying deviance, people categorize individual who acts behaviors associating specific definition of deviance.
Crime statistics
This part shows us various charts and graphs associating crime statistics in US and comparable other countries.
- incarceration rates and populations : US is third class in population and first in incarceration at the global league table. But, a numerical value of incarceration of US should be more contemplated because there are difference of strictness on ‘correctional system’ and restrictiveness of laws and prison sentences.
There are reasons of recidivism : social stigma on felon which keeps ex-convicts from comeback to a steady person, returning to society in which ex-convicts have been lived, and the time leaving physical, psychological damage to prisoners.
- gender : The male are more likely to assault than the female. Inspection of rape accidents tells that one gender victims are outstanding.
- race : The arresting rates or punishments for African Americans for drug offenses are unequal compared with that for whites. The criminal justice system in the U.S results in the production of racial inequality.
Social control
Social control of deviance also be divided to two types as definition of deviance. governmental regulation on formal deviance and giving a warning of other people around individual’s society on informal deviance.
Current research
- video games and deviance
People consider video games, especially violent games, as ‘folk devils’ which make problems.
- tattoos
Tattoos meaning have changed by individual and generation. It was stigmatizing thing such as troublemaker. But it also illustrate that deviance is not determined by the action but by those perceiving the action.
- sexual violence on college campuses
Current inspection of sexual violence of college campuses has limitation about accuracy.
Interesting points & Discussions :
I didn’t know that a word ‘deviance’ has two meaning that formal and informal. We consider formal deviance as illegal but we didn’t consider informal deviance as illegal thing such as picking one’s nose.
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| Sneezing_OMG.. |
In many country, the definition of deviance (especially informal deviance) is different. For example, in Korea, sneezing is not that big problem at public transportation (generally) but in US sneezing is very sensitive action at public area so people do sneeze very timidly (also generally).
And, (I can’t assure that it would be appropriate example but), in Korea, eating dog meat was not strange regardless of individual’s likes and dislikes. (In my case, I hate this phenomena and I don’t eat dog meat...and these days this phenomena become old story.) In Europe, especially France, people never imagine eating dog meat and even someone call Korea savage as we know some model_Brigitte Bardot(브리짓 바르도) who criticize eating dog meat and fight with 손석희(who very famous announcer of Korea) on an international telephone call.
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| Dog meat_gaegogi_보신탕 |
Well, is this can be an example of difference of ‘cultural deviance?’ The reading materials said that the definition of deviance (especially informal deviance) is subjective and differ by cultural awareness. How about you?
references :
⌞ 손석희 & 브리짓 바르도 controversy on international telephone
⌞copyright of ‘sneezing’ picture
⌞copyright of ‘dog meat’ picture
Different aspects about sneezing in USA and Korea is interesting. Also, eating dog meat is good illustration of difference of deviance by culture.
ReplyDeleteOnly Koreans eat dog meats but other countries never eat dog because culture is different. In Western, they commonly think 'dog' is not for eating. To them, dog is their friends. So, It is absolutely weird and disgusting to other countries.
However, traditionally, Koreans do not think 'dog' as friends. We were poor and didn't have much foods to eat. So, in Korean culture, Eating-dog is not deviance.