Deck 14: Positive Deviance

Question 1

Why is the concept of positive deviance controversial?

A) If behavior has a positive impact, it is not deviant.
B) Deviance cannot be positive.
C) Deviance is usually viewed as a violation of social norms with negative consequences.
D) Deviance is usually viewed as an unchangeable characteristic of criminals.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

How do some sociologists counter the claim that positive deviance is not a contradiction in terms?

A) The concept is less ethnocentric than deviance alone.
B) The concept can help us enact culturally relativistic laws.
C) The concept is useful for understanding what makes people exceed expectations.
D) The concept helps to clarify ideas about negative norm violations.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following statements about positive deviance is true?

A) Very few sociologists are familiar with the concept of positive deviance.
B) Everyone agrees that positive deviance is theoretically useful.
C) Not everyone agrees that positive deviance is possible.
D) A small minority of sociologists contend that all deviance is positive deviance.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is the main characteristic of positive deviance?

A) positively impacting other people
B) positively exceeding normative standards
C) extreme creativity
D) extreme altruism

Question 5

Which type of positive deviance is exemplified by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.?

A) supraconformity
B) charisma
C) innovation
D) altruism

Question 6

Stephen Hawking, who contributed immeasurably to the scientific understanding of black holes, is an example of ______.

A) supraconformity
B) charisma
C) innovation
D) altruism

Question 7

Mother Theresa, widely known for her self-sacrifice in caring for the poor and sick, provides an example of the ______ category of positive deviance.

A) supraconformity
B) charisma
C) innovation
D) altruism

Question 8

The form of positive deviance referred to as ______ is an unwavering commitment to following through on all promises to complete a task.

A) exceptionalism
B) extreme determination
C) innate characteristics of a person
D) hyperresponsibility

Question 9

What is different about how Sternberg and Lubart approach creativity as a form of positive deviance?

A) They argue that creativity can be defined both as traditional deviance and as positive deviance.
B) They argue that creativity is not a form of positive deviance.
C) They argue that creativity is something people can develop, not an innate characteristic.
D) They argue that creativity is an innate characteristic, not something people can develop.

Question 10

The distinguishing characteristics of persons who make significant discoveries are (1) mentoring by an accomplished scientist or scholar, (2) intense involvement in creative hobbies or leisure pursuits, and (3) ______.

A) relatively younger age
B) male gender
C) upper-level social class
D) religious preference

Question 11

Which of the following is one of the six individual resources that Sternberg and Lubart identified as essential for creative activity?

A) education
B) wealth
C) atheism
D) environmental context

Question 12

Sternberg and Lubart identified six individual resources essential for creativity. Which of the following are related to the resource they called "intelligence?"

A) pragmatic, semantics, epistemological
B) synthetic, analytic, and practical
C) material, audible, spiritual
D) creative, innovative, exploratory

Question 13

Which of the following is one of the seven basic values associated with highly productive scientists identified by Hardy?

A) belief in a higher power
B) traditionalism
C) egalitarianism
D) thinking of the long-term implications

Question 14

Highly productive scholars tend to believe in ______, the view that the world is orderly and that empirical events form discernible patterns.

A) naturalism
B) traditionalism
C) deism
D) anthropocentrism

Question 15

Hadeel is a Nobel prizewinner. Both her parents were recipients of a MacArthur "Genius Grant," she attended Harvard University, and her mentor was a former Nobel prizewinner himself. What do all the characteristics together reflect?

A) accumulation of advantage
B) intersection of authority
C) sedimentation of success
D) affirmative progress

Question 16

Which statement accurately compares Jewish and Catholic Nobel Prize recipients?

A) Among Nobel prizewinners, Jewish people are overrepresented and Catholic people are underrepresented.
B) Among Nobel prizewinners, Catholic people are overrepresented and Jewish people are underrepresented.
C) There are relatively few Catholic and Jewish Nobel prizewinners.
D) The majority of Nobel prizewinners are either Jewish or Catholic.

Question 17

Faith is a Puritan, living in a society characterized by high levels of social integration. What would Durkheim suggest about Faith?

A) Faith is a positive deviant.
B) Faith is not likely to engage in innovation and creativity.
C) Faith is likely to become a positive deviant.
D) Faith lives in a society filled with positive deviance.

Question 18

Which statement correctly summarizes the societal reaction theory of positive deviance?

A) When positive deviance increases, people are more likely to define it negatively.
B) When people respond negatively to positive deviance, positive deviance increases.
C) When people respond positively to positive deviance, positive deviance continues.
D) When positive deviance increases, people are more likely to define it favorably.

Question 19

The United States in the 1960s was a time of increased social conflict. Dr. Mohammed believes that the amount of social conflict indicated a need for extensive social change; therefore, he expects to see more positive deviance. Which theory is he using?

A) opportunity
B) conflict
C) societal reaction
D) strain

Question 20

Which statement summarizes Coser's conflict approach to positive deviance?

A) High rates of social conflict indicate a need for social change; as need for social change increases, positive deviance increases.
B) High rates of social conflict indicate a society with low rates of social integration; as social integration decreases; positive deviance will decrease.
C) Low rates of social conflict indicate a society with high rates of creativity and innovation; this leads directly to an increase in positive deviance.
D) High rates of positive deviance indicate a conflict between social classes; as conflict between social classes decreases, positive deviance decreases.

Question 21

In Thio's power theory, why do lower-status individuals find themselves less likely to engage in positive deviance?

A) They focus all their energy on day-to-day survival.
B) They have no interest in improving society.
C) Departure from normal behavior is discouraged in this group.
D) This group experiences more social control.

Question 22

When applying Thio's power theory to positive deviance, what kind of person is more likely to receive recognition for engaging in positive deviance?

A) wealthier, higher-status individuals
B) marginalized, lower-status individuals
C) disenfranchised men
D) uneducated, lower-income individuals

Question 23

Which statement summarizes opportunity theory?

A) Individuals with relatively more social power have more opportunities to engage in positive deviance than individuals with relatively less social power.
B) Opportunities to engage in positive deviance outnumber opportunities to engage in traditional deviance in highly integrated societies.
C) The likelihood of engaging in positive deviance increases as ability to access conventional opportunity structures decreases.
D) The likelihood of engaging in positive deviance increases in correlation to opportunity structures that facilitate creativity and innovation.

Question 24

Research suggests that good predictors of winning a Nobel Prize are family background and being educated at an elite college or university. Which theoretical perspective does this reflect?

A) strain theory
B) opportunity theory
C) social integration theory
D) power control theory

Question 25

According to ______ theory, if a student is told they are unusually creative and inquisitive, they are more likely to engage in innovation.

A) opportunity theory
B) positive deviance
C) labeling
D) social integration

Question 26

Innovative, virtuous, and altruistic behaviors can all exemplify positive deviance.

Question 27

There is little disagreement about the concept of positive deviance.

Question 28

Usain Bolt, widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, exemplifies positive deviance because his speed is radically outside the norm.

Question 29

Positive deviance is a controversial concept because some argue that if something is positive, it cannot also be deviant.

Question 30

One type of positive deviance identified in the literature is moral superiority.

Question 31

The six individual resources required for creative people are intelligence, knowledge, motivation, synthetic thinking, analytical thinking, and practical thinking.

Question 32

Compared to their representation in the population, people with a Jewish background are underrepresented in the pool of Nobel prizewinners.

Question 33

Elite scholars commonly value traditionalism and reinforcing the status quo.

Question 34

Authoritarianism is a key quality of highly productive scholars.

Question 35

Compared to their representation in the population, Catholics are overrepresented in the pool of Nobel prizewinners.

Question 36

Dr. Griffiths believes that being educated in elite colleges and universities by eminent scientists and scholars significantly enhances the students' opportunities to excel later in life. Her beliefs are in line with opportunity theory.

Question 37

According to opportunity theory, informal opportunity structures enhance individual innovation and creativity more than formal opportunity structures.

Question 38

When a society is characterized by high levels of social integration, innovation and creativity are more common.

Question 39

Robert Agnew's strain theory has no explanatory value for understanding positive deviance.

Question 40

Alex Thio's power theory provides insight into both positive and traditional deviance.

Question 41

Identify ways in which positive deviance differs from the traditional understanding of deviance.

Question 42

Compare and contrast the normative expectations and societal evaluations approach to understanding deviance.

Question 43

List the steps in the discovery process described by Root-Bernstein.

Question 44

Summarize the opportunity theory approach to understanding positive deviance.

Question 45

Distinguish between the impact of highly integrated societies and societies with low levels of integration on levels of positive deviance.

Question 46

Differentiate between the five categories of positive deviance identified by Heckert.

Question 47

Summarize the functions of positive deviance.

Question 48

Describe the seven basic values espoused by highly productive scientists and scholars.

Question 49

Explain how individuals can enhance their creativity, according to Sternberg and Lubart.

Question 50

Analyze how Hirschi's social bonds theory approaches the study of positive deviance.