Deck 4: Major Theories of Deviance

Question 1

Control theorists believe that deviance results from the absence of social control or restraint.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

According to learning theorists, people learn deviance through different mechanisms than they learn conformity.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

If someone is interested in the epidemiology of deviant acts he or she is interested in specific causes of those deviant acts.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

An anomie theorist would agree with which of the following statements?

A) Individuals become deviant even though our social structure does not promote it in any way.
B) Modern industrial societies fail to promote status goals like the acquisition of material possessions even though everyone has the opportunity to achieve those goals.
C) Anomie develops because culturally valued goals and the legitimate means to obtain those goals are equally emphasized.
D) Our social structure can provide opportunities to achieve the American Dream only to a few people.

Question 5

Conflict theories give detailed information about the process by which an individual comes to commit crimes or becomes a deviant.

Question 6

The "square of crime" advocated by left realists does NOT include which component?

A) Offenders
B) Victims
C) Business interests
D) Public opinion

Question 7

Conflict theorists see criminal behavior:

A) as a rational act
B) as a reflection of social power differentials
C) unchangeable feature of a capitalistic society
D) all of the above

Question 8

Anomie theorists believe that deviance only comes from interaction with others.

Question 9

Phil works very hard but he doesn't think that he will ever achieve the American Dream. He never thinks of committing any crimes to get more money. Which of the following adaptations to anomie is Phil engaging in?

A) Innovation
B) Ritualism
C) Retreatism
D) Rebellion

Question 10

The labeling perspective does little to explain why individuals begin to engage in deviance.

Question 11

Which of the following would be asserted by a conflict theorist?

A) Crime is inherent, not a socially constructed category.
B) Those in power create laws that protect and promote their interests.
C) The interests of all interested parties are taken into account by lawmakers.
D) Society is not pluralistic and power is evenly distributed in society, creating conflict.

Question 12

Gottfredson and Hirschi believe that low-self control is the major cause of deviant behaviors.

Question 13

Conflict theorists believe that laws created by the powerful are only designed to protect private property.

Question 14

Joe has lost all hope of getting rich even though he has tried to work hard. Out of frustration he turns to alcohol and other drugs and essentially withdraws from society. Joe has adapted to anomie by which method?

A) Innovation
B) Ritualism
C) Retreatism
D) Rebellion

Question 15

Sarah is from a poor neighborhood where jobs are scarce. She wants to acquire material possessions that she cannot afford, so she becomes a prostitute in order to earn some tax-free cash and buy those possessions she wishes she could have, even though what she does is illegal. Sarah is adapting to anomie in what way?

A) Innovation
B) Ritualism
C) Retreatism
D) Rebellion

Question 16

______ argued that failure to achieve legitimate goals is only one way one can experience anomie. One could also experience strain from removing positive stimuli or applying negative stimuli.

A) Agnew
B) Cloward and Ohlin
C) Merton
D) Simon and Gagnon

Question 17

Calli is a member of the ruling class. She is one of the wealthiest members of society that controls the means of production. Calli is a member of the:

A) proletariat.
B) bourgeoisie.
C) lumpenproletariat.
D) petty bourgeoisie.

Question 18

Anomie theory has been criticized because:

A) deviance is not a relative concept and anomie theory assumes that it is
B) anomie theory assumes that deviance is concentrated in the lower classes
C) most deviant acts come out of personal frustration, not interaction with others as anomie theorists claim
D) research finds that success goals are the only reason why people become alcoholics and drug addicts

Question 19

Hirschi's theory of differential association accounts for both the etiology and epidemiology of deviance.

Question 20

Secondary deviance refers to the situation where an individual has the social status of a deviant and plays a deviant role.

Question 21

According to anomie theory, those who are __________ conform to societal norms but do not seek to obtain the American Dream.

A) ritualist
B) innovative
C) rebellious
D) none of the above

Question 22

Labeling theorists have shifted their interest from the origin of deviant behavior to:

A) characteristics of the societal reactions experienced by labeled individuals.
B) consequences of this label for further deviation by those individuals.
C) Both a & b
D) none of the above

Question 23

When a labeled individual becomes a secondary deviant and has a deviant self-concept, his deviant status, according to labeling theorists, would be his _______ status.

A) servant
B) predominant
C) seminal
D) master

Question 24

According to Hirschi, which of the following describes the attachment component of a person's bond with society?

A) Personal allegiance to the dominant value system in a group
B) Time spent in nondeviant activities
C) Degree of importance of a person's stake in conformity
D) Extent to which a person feels bound to specific groups

Question 25

Danny has been labeled deviant by family, friends, and the criminal justice system. He joins a deviant subculture and others see him in that deviant role. Jim now has the social status of a deviant. Labeling theorists would say that Jim is exhibiting which kind of deviance?

A) primary
B) secondary
C) tertiary
D) intermediary

Question 26

Which of the following theories is also known as the interactionist perspective?

A) Labeling
B) Anomie
C) Learning
D) Control

Question 27

______ believe(s) that deviant behavior comes from low-self control that was caused by ineffective child rearing.

A) Sutherland
B) Sykes and Matza
C) Gottfredson and Hirschi
D) Reckless

Question 28

Which of the following is an assumption of control theory?

A) Humans are naturally egocentric and human nature is on the bad side of a neutral position
B) Increases in formal social controls actually increase deviance
C) Why people become deviant is the most important question in the study of deviance
D) The principles of psychoanalysis are useless for studying deviance

Question 29

Which groups could conceivably label someone as deviant?

A) Official agents of social control
B) Society at large
C) The immediate group to which individuals belongs, along with the significant others who supply cues about role performance.
D) All of the above

Question 30

What is Anomie?

A) Social condition that results from emphasizing success goals more than the mean to achieve goals
B) State of affairs in the conflict perspective
C) Means through which society allows some people to achieve legitimate goals
D) Result of an acute disjuncture between goals and mean

Question 31

Labeling theorists argue that one can understand the concept of deviance only by:

A) figuring out why someone commits a deviant act in the first place
B) examining sociologically important topics such as social disorganization and anomie
C) asking deviant people why they do what they do
D) examining the reactions of others to behavior

Question 32

______ argued that deviance results when a person learns definitions that portray some conduct as desirable, even though it is deviant.

A) Sykes and Matza
B) Lemert
C) Akers
D) Hirschi

Question 33

Conflict theories of deviance were highly influenced by which major scholar?

A) Durkheim
B) Weber
C) Marx
D) Comte

Question 34

Critics of socialization theory note that:

A) the theory has an oversocialized view of people
B) there are other considerations in determining behavior that may not stem solely from social learning
C) a and b
D) none of the above

Question 35

Control theory is most influenced by which major sociological pioneer?

A) Marx
B) Weber
C) Comte
D) Durkheim

Question 36

Anomie theory was originally proposed in the 1930s by which theorist?

A) Sutherland
B) McKay
C) Lemert
D) Merton

Question 37

Sutherland's differential association theory argued:

A) that differential associations vary in frequency and duration but not priority
B) deviant acts are learned
C) that the learning of deviant behavior involves different ways of learning than learning normative behaviors
D) all of the above

Question 38

Jared is dared by some of his friends to steal a candy bar from the store. He has never stolen before, and doesn't see himself as a thief. Because he wants acceptance from his friends, he takes the candy bar. He isn't caught and doesn't steal again. What kind of deviance would a labeling theorist say he engaged in?

A) primary
B) secondary
C) tertiary
D) intermediary

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT one of the four components of a person's bond with society?

A) Attachment
B) Contentment
C) Involvement
D) Commitment

Question 40

According to the critics of conflict theories:

A) conflict theorists ignore the socialization process
B) U.S. residents don't agree about the illegal character and seriousness of acts such as homicide, robbery, and assault
C) members of the lower classes are not any more likely to go to prison than members of the middle class
D) there is strong evidence that the law itself can cause criminal behavior

Question 41

Discuss the limitations of both anomie theory and conflict theories. Can anomie theory help address some of the shortcomings of conflict theories, and can conflict theories help address some of the shortcomings of anomie theories? Why or why not?

Question 42

Messner and Rosenfeld argue that American values can help to promote crime when those vales are exaggerated. What are those values, and use examples from contemporary society to explain how those values promote crime.

Question 43

Discuss the limitations of control theories in general and Gottfredson and Hirschi's low-self control theory in particular. Which theory of Hirschi's (control theory or low-self control theory) explains deviance better in your opinion?

Question 44

Etiology of deviance refers to:

A) The cause of an individual's deviant act
B) The distribution of deviant behavior
C) The rates of deviant behavior
D) None of the above

Question 45

Jim and Sarah are members of the lower class. They are unable to achieve the American Dream because of the structural barriers placed on their situation, and therefore suffer from Anomie. Write four scenarios where Jim and Sarah adapt to anomie in the following ways: innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion.

Question 46

Discuss the policy ideas from Left Realists to reduce crime. How do their policy ideas compare with current criminal justice policies? Do you think the policies of left realists would substantially reduce crime in the United States when compared to the status quo?