Sociology of Deviance Exam 3 Study Guide
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differential association theory
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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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disagreed about the deviant status of marijuana
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Millions of people at one time or another have smoked marijuana. If sociologists asked a sample of U.S. citizens many people...
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homosexuals, prostitutes, communists, atheists, psychiatrists and priests
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In 1965, J. L. Simmons asked a sample of the general public who they thought were deviant; significant numbers of people felt that...were all deviant
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what behavior should be seen as deviant
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Among sociologists there is a lack of consensus about...
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positive deviants
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Saints, intellectuals, and the genius are types of people who would be considered examples of...
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avoid the label of deviance
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Sociologists who study the role of power in the definition of deviance have discovered that the rich and powerful can...
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a violation of some social rule
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According to sociologists who study the role of power in the definition of deviance, deviance is any act that the powerful consider to be...
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positivist and constructionist
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The text's author concludes that definitions of deviance fall into two opposing perspectives...
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positivist
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Determinist, objectivist and absolutist are other terms for aspects of the _________ perspective on deviance
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a label imposed by others upon a given behavior
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According to the labeling theory, deviance is...
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positivist
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That which is intrinsically real, an objective fact, and determined behavior are all part of the __________ perspective on deviance.
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intrinsically real
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If you believe that deviant behavior has characteristics that distinguish it from conforming behavior, you believe deviance is...
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biological traits absent in non-criminals
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Early criminologists believed deviance was intrinsically real because they believed criminals possessed certain...
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born, not made
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Early in the twentieth century, criminologists believed that criminals are...
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social factors
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Today's positivist sociologists now recognize the importance of __________ for understanding deviant behavior.
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free will
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Most positivist sociologists today continue to reject the idea of __________ as an explanation of deviance because __________ cannot explain why one person commits deviant acts while others do not.
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"observable object"
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Deviance as _______ means that deviance can be studied in a factual way.
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personal biases; making moral judgments
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One problem positivist sociological researchers face that natural scientists do not is that sociologists have difficulties with __________ and __________ about research subjects.
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determined behavior
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The positivist perspective assumes that deviance is...
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cannot choose between good and bad
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To say that deviance is determined behavior implies that humans...
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pseudo explanation; deviance; normal behavior
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According to the text's author, attributing deviant behavior to choice is a form of __________ because the concept of choice does not explain why someone chooses either __________ or __________.
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seeking out the causes of deviant behavior
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The main purpose of the positivist approach to deviance is...
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an objective fact
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All of the following are assumptions of the constructionist perspective on deviance, EXCEPT that deviance should be seen as...
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relativist view
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The fact that the same behavior can be seen as normal by some and as deviant by others is called the...
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a conscious, feeling, thinking subject
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To say that deviance is a subjective experience means that the deviant person is...
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an internal, subjective view of people
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According to the constructionist perspective, sociologists need develop...
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positivists; constructionists
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__________ treat deviance as if it were unpleasant and to society, while __________ have an appreciation for and empathy with deviants.
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an expression of human volitation
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According to the constructionist perspective, deviant behavior is...
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meaning
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From the constructionist perspective, deviants are actively seeking __________ in the deviant activities.
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deviant behavior; deviant label
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The author argues that an integrated definition of deviant behavior must focus on both __________ and the __________.
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less serious kinds of deviance
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According to the text's author, the constructionist perspective is more pertinent for studying...
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public consensus; minimum; maximum
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According to the text, deviant behavior is any behavior that is considered deviant by __________, which may range from __________ to __________.
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sociologists; precise definition of deviant behavior
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Despite years of research, most __________ today cannot agree upon a...
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label; given behavior
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Labeling theorists define deviance as a __________ imposed upon a __________.
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powerful; violation of some social rule
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For some sociologists, deviance is any act considered by the _________ at a given time and place to be a...
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personal bias; objective
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Positivist sociologists today realize that they are not free from __________ and are more __________ in the study of deviant behavior.
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conforming behavior
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According to the positivist perspective, deviance is seen as both real and separate from...
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specific biological; psychological traits
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Many traditional criminologists, using the positivist perspective, believed that criminals possessed __________ and __________ that made them different from non-criminals.
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positivist perspective
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The __________ on deviance implies that if the deviant is treated as an object, he or she can be studied objectively.
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the behavior is not seen as deviant
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According to constructionist sociologists using the labeling perspective, if deviant behavior is not labeled as such, ...
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conventional people
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Constructionists tend to present deviants as basically the same as...
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public consensus, maximum; minimum
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Deviant behavior is any behavior considered deviant by __________ which may range from the __________ to __________.
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low consensus deviance
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According to the text's author, the constructionist perspective on deviance is best suited for the study of...
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constructionist perspective
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A sociologist is interested in studying the deviant behavior of prostitutes and other night people. He or she would probably utilize a...
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positivist perspective
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An attorney, pleading leniency for his guilty client, asks the judge to take into consideration his client's unfortunate background, including child abuse and abandonment, before passing sentence. It is logical to conclude that the attorney is asking the judge to view deviance from a...
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culture
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__________ plays a role in determining the definition of deviant behavior.
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labeling perspective
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According to the __________, deviance is a property conferred upon behavior by audiences which directly or indirectly witness them.
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intrinsically real; objective fact
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According to the positivist perspective on deviance, deviance is __________ and an __________.
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subjectivism
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One aspect of the constructionist perspective on deviance is __________ or studying how the world appears to and is interpreted by the deviant.
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serious types
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According to the author, the positivist perspective is more pertinent for understanding relatively __________ of deviant behavior.
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positivist perspective
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A judge who takes a guilty person's unfortunate family background into consideration before passing sentence is viewing deviance from a...
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constructionist perspective
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If you tell a child that he or she is a thief long and often enough, he or she is going to believe it. This statement best fits __________ on deviance.
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natural disposition
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The Positivist approach believes that deviant behavior is a...
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constructionist perspective
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A prosecution attorney trying to prove malice aforethought is approaching deviant behavior from a...
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causes of deviance
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The theories of positivist sociologists attempt to explain the...
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positivist theory
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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 __________ of deviant behavior.
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anomie-strain theory
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The essence of several types of __________ is that the experience of socially induced strain pressures individuals to commit deviant acts.
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psychoanalytic approach
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According to Robert Merton's goal-means gap theory, the __________ to deviant behavior is wrong because that theory incorrectly assumes society discourages the individual from engaging in deviant behavior.
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encourages the individual to engage in deviance
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Merton's version of anomie-strain theory is based on the premise that society...
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material success
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According to Merton, the only cultural value of importance in American society is...
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illegitimate means
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According to Merton, when persons hold high success aspirations and are not given the opportunity to realize them they might resort to __________ of achieving their aspirations.
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innovation
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All of Jane's friends have jewelry and new clothes, but she had no money to buy them. She therefore resorted to shoplifting to get what she wanted. According to Merton's theory, her behavior is an example of...
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retreatism
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Peter, disillusioned with the way things are going, decides to live in a hippie commune away from the rest of society. According to Merton's theory, his behavior is an example of...
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ritualism
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Joe, a steel worker in Cleveland, Ohio, has no aspirations of being rich and successful. Nevertheless, he works hard, and takes pride in his job. According to Merton's theory, this is an example of...
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success; status
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Albert Cohen's theory is similar to Merton's approach, but Cohen replaced the word __________ with the word __________.
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lower-class boys
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According to Cohen's theory, status frustration is most likely to occur among...
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school
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According to Cohen's theory, the place in American society where lower-class boys experience the greatest status frustration is...
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delinquent subcultures
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According to Albert Cohen, when lower-class boys experience status frustration they set up their own competitive system in the form of...
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status frustration; goal-means gap
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Cohen's theory of __________ closely resembles Merton's __________ because they both assert that lower class people are more likely to engage in deviant actions.
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differential illegitimate opportunity
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Cloward and Ohlin attempt to extend Merton's central idea that the lower classes are denied legitimate opportunity by introducing the concept of...
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criminal, conflict, and retreatist
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According to Cloward and Ohlin, lower-class boys experience different opportunities in the form of three subcultures, which are...
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differential illegitimate opportunity
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Cloward and Ohlin used the concept of __________ to mean that some members of the lower class have less opportunities to pursue illegitimate opportunities.
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differential association theory; excess; violation of the law
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According to Sutherland's __________, a person becomes deviant or delinquent when there is an __________ deviant contacts favorable to __________.
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Daniel Glaser
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__________ felt that Sutherland's theory was too mechanistic, and proposed that a process of identification with criminals also had to take place.
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identify
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According to Glaser, before a person pursues criminal behavior, he or she must first __________ with real or imaginary persons whose criminal behavior seems acceptable.
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differential reinforcement; rewarded
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Burgess and Akers argued that before one becomes criminal, a process of __________ must occur where he or she is __________ for continuing deviant behavior.
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inadequate; learning to become a criminal
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Burgess and Akers find Sutherland's differential association theory __________ because Sutherland did not specify what is involved in the process of __________.
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what causes conformity
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According to control theories of deviance, the central question is __________.
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Freudian assumption
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Most control theorists seem to accept the __________ that our unborn animal impulses, if unchecked, will turn into deviant behavior.
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bonding to society
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According to Hirschi's theory of social control, if elements of _________ are weak, the individual might slide into deviance.
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shaming
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An expression of disapproval designed to invoke remorse in the wrongdoer is called...
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reintegrative shaming
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If a society makes a deviant feel guilty while showing understanding and forgiveness, it practices...
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deterrence doctrine
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The __________ assumes that human beings, when anticipating deviant behavior, are basically rational.
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too simplistic
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Sociologists criticizing control theory point out that control can become a possible cause of deviance; therefore, they conclude that most versions of this theory are...
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social; environmental
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Positivists studies the underlying causes of deviance through __________ and __________ factors.
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not equally distributed
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According to Merton, the access to the institutionalized means of achieving high success goals is __________ in American society.
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social origin
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Merton's theory tells us that individual acts of deviance have a...
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lower income people; higher income people
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Merton's theory assumes the premise that _________ have a higher propensity to commit deviant acts compared to __________.
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the absence of high success goals
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Merton's ritualists and retreatists have one thing in common, which is __________ in their lives.
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status; material success
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According to Cohen, the major frustration lower-class people experience is the lack of __________, not __________.
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"double failures"
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Cloward and Ohlin called members of the retreatist subculture __________ because they fail to gain success in other deviant subcultures and the larger society.
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reliable evidence
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There is no __________ to support anomie-strain theory's claim that people of the lower classes are more likely than those of other classes to engage in deviant behavior.
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the process of learning to become a criminal; the process of learning to become a normal person
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One essential part of differential association theory is the assertion that __________ is the same as __________.
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Glaser; identify; influenced
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__________ tried to extend Sutherland's theory by arguing that the individual must first __________ with criminals before being __________ by them.
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differential association; real-life situations
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One criticism of differential association theory is that it is hard to define precisely what __________ is in __________.
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why a person continues to commit a deviant act
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The concept of differential reinforcement is best at explaining __________, not why they committed it in the first place.
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conventional people; institutions
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Attachment to __________ and __________, and to commitment to conformity, are two ways individuals bond to conventional society.
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certainty; swiftness of punishment
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According to the deterrence doctrine, __________ and __________ are two ways crime can be reduced.
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social control
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__________ can actually cause deviant behavior as well as prevent it.
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ritualism
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If persons lower their aspirations or abandon high success goals, but continue to work hard, they are involved in what Merton called...
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criminal subculture
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The kind of deviant subculture Ohlin and Cloward studied that provides the best illegitimate opportunity for achieving success goals is the...
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criminal; anticriminal
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The theory of differential association says that if a person associates with __________ patterns more than __________ patterns, that person is likely to become criminal.
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absence of controls
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According to control theory, the __________ causes deviance.
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disintegrative shaming
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If a wrongdoer is punished in such a way as to be stigmatized, rejected, or ostracized, the individual experiences...
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"wild frontier of deviance"
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The text's author calls the Internet the __________ because Internet deviance can be carried out with impunity.
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phishing
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If consumers are sent bogus e-mails that appear to come from legitimate banks or e-commerce sites in order to gain personal information, they are victims of...
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addictive
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Internet gambling seems to be more convenient, solitary, and anonymous. These features also make it more...
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in the privacy of their homes
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Cyberporn has become a big business because customers can view porn...
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Net Nanny
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__________ is a way to block children's access to pornography.
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teenagers
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All of the following are characteristics of cyberporn surfers, except for...
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pedophiles
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Men who visit and use child pornography sites are considered...
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marital discord; divorce
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Most people consider online affairs just as real as offline affairs because they can lead to __________ and __________.
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cyberstalking
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The repeated harassment of others through the Internet is called...
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freedom
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The key factor that allows people to express their anti-minority feelings and beliefs is...
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prejudice online; tolerance
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The Anti-Defamation League and the Poverty Law Center track __________ and promote __________.
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group-identifying cues
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The anonymity of the Internet discourages discrimination because it hides the __________ of gender and ethnicity.
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greater access to personal data
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Cyberstalking is sometimes more disturbing and dangerous than traditional stalking because cyberstalkers have...
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juvenile delinquents
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To many sociologists, hackers strongly resemble __________.
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global; borderless
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A global perspective on cyberdeviance reveals that cyberdeviance is truly __________ and __________.
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fraud
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The most common type of cyberdeviance is...
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use of computers; law enforcement
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Two factors that have led to the tremendous rise of cyberdeviance is the phenomenal increase in the __________ and the lack of __________.
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not successfully
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Law enforcement agencies have __________ caught and convicted online identity thieves.
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trojan horses
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__________ are a type of spyware programs that allow identity thieves to monitor a computer user's key strokes.
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internet gambling
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__________ is legal in several states in the United States.
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more carefully regulate the industry
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One benefit from the legalization of Internet gambling would be the ability to...
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anonymous; real sex
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Two reasons why many persons enjoy cybersex is because it is __________ and can lead to __________.
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an object; a real person
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Married people excuse their online affairs by saying it is a relationship with __________ and not __________.
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the actual meeting and sex
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Almost all Internet affairs result in __________ with the online partner.
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their hate for others
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Many people use the Internet as a tool for expressing...
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traditional stalking
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Cyberstalking is more disturbing and dangerous than...
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hacking; cyberterrorism
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A serious type of cyberdeviance involves targeting a computer network through __________ and __________.
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cracking; damaging
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Almost all hackers are interested in __________ and _________ other computer networks to otherwise show off their skills.
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infrastructure
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Cyberterrorists could bring our country to its knees by disrupting or disabling its...
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have lost interest in doing so
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The main reason why the United States has not experienced a cyberattack is because terrorists...
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global and borderless
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Cyberspace is truly...
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illegal
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Internet gambling is __________ in the United States
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married white males
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Majority of people who visit Internet porn sites are
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hate; prejudice
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One disturbing use of the Internet is expressing __________ or __________ to some minority group.
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cyberstalking
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__________ is using the Internet or e-mails to repeatedly harass or threaten another person.
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worms; replicate
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One form of cyberterrorism is the placement of _________ which is a program that continues to __________ itself and cause the computer to crash.
