Ch 2: Social Deviance Midterm Flashcards
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The theories of positivist sociologists attempt to explain the __________ of deviance
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causes
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Joe is a sociologist who is undertaking a study of drug use. He is interested in how broken families and poor neighborhoods lead to more problems of drug addiction. Joe is following a __________ theory of deviant behavior
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positivist
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Which of the following is NOT a primarily positivist theory of deviance?
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phenomenological theory
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Merton's version of anomie-strain theory is based on the premise that
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society encourages the individual to engage in deviance.
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According to Merton, when persons hold high success aspirations and are not given the opportunity to realize them they might
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resort to illegitimate means of achieving their aspirations.
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According to Cohen's theory, status frustration is most likely to occur among
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lower-class boys.
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Cohen's theory of status frustration closely resembles Merton's goal-means gap because they both
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assert that lower class people are more likely to engage in deviant actions.
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One positive contribution of anomie-strain theory is that
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society, not the individual, causes much deviance.
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According to Sutherland's differential association theory, a person becomes deviant or delinquent when there is a(n)
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excess of deviant contacts favorable to violation of the law.
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Hank is a sociologist investigating the causes of crime. He is interested in how some areas of the city have traditions of crime that persist over generations, and how individuals easily move into groups following those traditions. What theory of deviance is guiding Hank's research?
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differential association theory
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Burgess and Akers argued that before one becomes criminal, a process of __________ must occur where he or she is rewarded for continuing deviant behavior.
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differential reinforcement
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According to control theories of deviance, the central question is
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what causes conformity.
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Most control theorists seem to
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accept the Freudian assumption that our inborn animal impulses, if unchecked, will turn into deviant behavior.
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Which of the following is NOT a kind of social control that can prevent deviance?
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differential association
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According to Hirschi's theory of social control, if elements of bonding to society are weak, the individual might
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slide into deviance
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An expression of disapproval designed to invoke remorse in the wrongdoer is called
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shaming.
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According to the deterrence doctrine, all of the following would help reduce the rate of crime, EXCEPT for making punishment
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more general.
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The deterrence doctrine assumes that human beings, when anticipating deviant behavior, are
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basically rational
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Sociologists criticizing control theory point out that control can become a possible cause of deviance. They therefore conclude that most versions of this theory are too
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simplistic.
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______________ studies the underlying causes of deviance through social and environmental factors.
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Positivists
