Social Deviance Final Exam – Flashcards

i. Different organizations in different places have different standards for identifying suicides ii. Suicide can be embarrassing for survivors - evidence that a person intentionally killed themselves may be concealed as a result (somewhat underreported) iii. Although the statistics are known to be at least somewhat unreliable the degree is unknown and different research interests interpret this differently

i. Rural areas often have a greater concentration of white populations that typically have higher suicide rates in general ii. Rural areas tend to have highly individualistic cultures as well as fewer people and resources for people to draw support from iii. Over the last several decades, and particularly in the 1980s, many family farms and the communities based around them faced severe hardship iv. Completed suicides are more likely when somebody has access to more effective means and rural areas are associated with higher concentrations of firearms owners

explained the social patterning of suicide in terms of social integration and social regulation: i. Low regulation: Anomic suicide ii. High regulation: Fatalistic suicide iii. Low integration: Egoistic suicide iv. High integration: Altruistic suicide

people must overcome the various aspects of our societal norms against suicide: i. They must find themselves with sudden, severe, and seemingly unresolvable problems. ii. They must believe that death is the only means to resolve problems. iii. They then come to believe that death is necessary for some reasons. iv. Their penultimate action is to justify their action or ask for forgiveness via note and/or prayer.

mental disorders are an objective condition that are not susceptible to cultural perspectives. Causes may range from biological and genetic factors to social experiences

mental disorders exist but they are not as important as how we respond to them. It is a form of deviance called to being by the labeling process, and labeling is not wholly dependent on psychological factors.

-8 volunteers attempted to gain admission to mental hospitals by presenting complaints of auditory hallucinations—all were admitted, mostly diagnosed with schizophrenia -stopped acting ill in any way and simply engaged in fieldwork but all of their activities were interpreted as sings of their illness

genetic physical factors→expressed in behavior→ diagnosed as illness and treated

genetic or physical predispositions→ expressed when stressors create opportunity→ can be diagnosed and treated but with attention to social factors

mental disorder is a direct result of the labeling process and its consequences: residual deviant behavior → identified and treated as mentally disordered → treatment produces behaviors expected from mentally disordered people → stigma and/or other reinforcement 'cements' label

focuses intensely on face-to-face interactions, the contexts in which they occur, and the systems of meaning used by participants

focuses on broad social patterns and trends

Behavior, beliefs, or characteristics that generate a negative reaction from others

attitudes, behaviors, conditions

beliefs that significantly differ from societal expectations

actions that violate norms

non-normative characteristics

i. Absolutism - deviance has qualities that mark it as different from non-deviant behavior ii. Objectivism - deviance does not wholly depend on perspective iii. Determinism - deviance has identifiable causes which are often beyond a person's control

i. Relativism - deviance is highly contextual ii. Subjectivism - It is important to examine and understand the experiences of people marked as deviants iii. Voluntarism - Deviance is actively performed and reflected upon

social status a person is assigned at birth or assumed involuntarily later in life. It is a position that is neither earned nor chosen but assigned.

a social position that a person can acquire on the basis of merit; it is a position that is earned or chosen

a social position that tends to be among the most important positions people occupy. It is at the core of their social identity and influences their roles and behaviors

system of ideas and ideals

standards of behavior that are socially approved but not morally significant.

strict norms that control moral and ethical behavior.

a norm that society holds so strongly that violating it results in extreme disgust