Theories of Deviance: Conflict Theory
Why are some people 's behaviors more apt to be negatively labeled by the criminal justice system? Labeling theorists point to the role of moral entrepreneurs or social movements, but what about the forces that underlie a particular moral crusade? Why, for example, would American society want to criminalize the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the 1920s? Why the increased penalties for domestic violence in the 1970s, or the War on Drugs in the 1980s? For the conflict theorists, the answer has to do with the balance of power and privilege in society. Everything from material goods to quality education to religious freedom is in short supply, and therefore the typical
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If these youths are apprehended, the influence of their parents and the social skills of boys contributes to the interpretation that they are just engaging in youthful highjinks (boys will be boys). The roughnecks are a group of six lower-class boys who engage in lots of fighting (mostly among themselves or with other lower-class boys) and stealing, who are often arrested, and whose image in the community is terrible. In Chambliss 's view, the saints behavior had at least as much potential for community harm as the behavior of the roughnecks. The saints ' driving was bad when they were sober and atrocious when drunk, and their vandalism included moving street signs to create dangerous situations for motorists and watch the "fun." But the saints never got labeled, and they ultimately all went on to college, got degrees, and pursued respectable careers. Two of the roughnecks went to college on football scholarships and were successful; as adults the other roughnecks continued their juvenile involvement with the police and prisons. Chambliss doesn 't claim that their eventual career paths are entirely the result of labeling, but does see it as a factor.
II. Group conflict theory. Where Marx believed that social class is the most basic division in any society, Max Weber saw conflict as having many possible bases--including social class, but also religion, race, ethnicity, and more. Where Marx believed that class inequalities would ultimately be ended by
The researcher William Chambliss who conducted this study discovered that the delinquency among high school boys were the exact same. The Saints and the Roughnecks were both groups of young high school boys committing the same level of deviant crimes. He believed the reason why the behavior of the Roughnecks were more stigmatized than the Saints was because they were underprivileged, and they committed their crimes in there own neighborhood. The Saints were privileged bright students who did fairly well in school averaging “B” grades and was diligent members of the student body. They would have legitimate excuses to skip class and never got caught doing anything illegal. Due to their parents’ status, they had cars of their own so they were able to travel out of their neighborhood on weekends to commit their deviant behavior. On the other hand the Roughnecks were not involved in any
New deviancy theory emerged in the 1960s and early 1970s. It was primarily a radical response to positivist domination of criminology (that crime is the result of individual, physical, and social conditions).
In the 1998 film American History X, Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for brutally murdering two black men who were breaking into his truck. Through his Brother Danny’s narration of a paper he is writing, it is learned that Derek was the leader of a large Neo-Nazi group known as D.O.C., or Disciples of Christ, that committed many acts of racial crime throughout Los Angeles. During his time in prison Derek decides that hate is a waste of time after being violently raped by fellow white supremacists, and his only friend being a black man, who was only in prison for a misunderstanding. After getting out on parole, Derek learns that Danny is headed down the same racist path as him, and decided that he must put a stop to it. Throughout this film there are many examples of the five theories of deviance; Functional, Conflict, Labeling, Broken Windows, and Differential Association. From Derek’s initial exposure to racism, all the way to him deciding to change, all five theories are exemplified through Derek, Danny, their Father, Cameron, or the D.O.C. as a whole.
Karl Marx is the founder of conflict theory which views a society that is capable of being a principle of competition and conflict. Conflict theory is simple to understand in which it suggests that society has inequality between people and social groups. Conflict theory would suggest that conflicts and tensions emerge when power, resources, and status are distributed unevenly between distinct groups in society. Its groups who are
Visibility in school wasn’t any different, the Saints unlike the Roughnecks were able to get out of class, due to their clean “good boy” perceptions. Once the Saints were out of the sight of instructors, they could leave almost immediately with the help of their cars— strategically parked for an effortless escape. On the other hand, the Roughnecks, didn’t enjoy the same freedom, even if one managed to get out of class, downtown was too far away for someone with no means of transportation. Additionally, the Roughnecks, drew even more attention to themselves as they frequently made remarks to people passing by. Secondly, the demeanor of both gangs were complete opposites of each other, if one of the Saints was stopped by a police officer, his “demeanor was apologetic and penitent” (Chambliss, 2011, pg. 192). On the contrary, Roughnecks, didn’t have much respect for authority, and their animosity, enmity, and aggression was clearly obvious. Finally, society members, perceived the delinquent acts of the Saints less serious than delinquent acts of the Roughnecks. In their view, someone who showcases public drunkenness is committing a more serious crime than someone who drinks in bar.
“Unlike the structural functional theory, which views society as a peaceful unit, conflict theory interprets society as a struggle for power between groups engaging in conflict for limited resources. Karl Marx is the founder of conflict theory”. The social class most likely to implement or adopt the use of conflict theory are the capital class. As stated in class the social class has a minority called the “Bilderberg Group”; they hold incredible influence over government policies, Represent shared intra-class interests have large Economic power, political and social power, it is in theses hands that majority of the resources are held and controlled, while the majority are left remnants of whatever resource they are able to obtain. As said in class the, Max weber defined this social class as one composed of those who hold similar life chances, such as Income, Marketable abilities, Access to consumer goods and services,Ability to generate investment income, Power
The theory that is most useful in explaining deviance is conflict theory. Deviance is a behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction. The conflict theory explains that rules are applied unequally and that punishment for rule violations are unequally distributed. This theory explains deviance very well, because they explained the idea that both formal social control and informal social control can be used equally in society. I believe that this is true, because in multiple occasions people are arrested and they do not have enough money to have the opportunity to hire a lawyer that defense their case even if they are innocent, but for people that have money they have the opportunity to find a good lawyer and prove their innocence and sometimes even to get away from being guilty.
Marx stressed that history is a continuous clash between conflicting ideas and forces. He believed that conflict is necessary in order to produce social change and a better society. Ax Weber said that sociology should be value free and people should become more aware of how others see the world. Marx and Max Weber shared the similarities that exist was that they both felt like sociology should be studied but in different ways. They both studied on social change in society and agreed on the idea of the economy causing class conflict.
One of these being William Chambliss’s handling of the “Saints and the Roughnecks” where the ‘Saints’ are a collection of 8 white upper- middle- class boys on the pre-collage trail in high school, who participate in astonishing large amounts of truancy, a countless acts of drinking and driving, minor stealing and vandalism, and a lot of cheating in school all while maintaining the perfect image. On the other hand, the ‘Roughnecks’ were a group of six lower-class boys who engage in studious amounts of fighting (typically between themselves or alongside other lower-class boys) and shoplifting, who are frequently detained, and whose appearance in the public is horrendous. In Chambliss 's view, the Saint’s behavior partook at least as much prospect of impending community harm as the behavior of the Roughnecks. (Chambliss, 1973)
Under Edwin Lemert’s labeling theory the individual facilitates and impact’s their label. The process starts with deviation, sanctions for those behaviors by others, decision from the individual to imbed the label or challenge it, the individual then gets more reaction for their action from other and finally the individual chooses to accept the label and consistently acts within it. Primary deviance takes place when the individual engages in the initial act of defiance. In Lemert’s term, such acts under traditional labeling theory are examples of primary deviance and they occur in wide segments of the population. We all transgress now and then: some youth shoplift, others commit vandalism, and still others use illegal drugs. But suppose a youth, say a 15 year-old male, is caught vandalizing or using an illegal drug, His arrest, fingerprinting, and other legal measures make him think of himself as a young criminal. Parents, friends,
Deviance and crime are wide-ranging terms used by sociologists to refer to behavior that varies, in some way, from a social norm. Cultural Norms are society's propensity towards certain ideals; their aversion from others; and their standard, ritualistic practices. Essentially the 'norm' is a summation of typical activities and beliefs of group of people. This essay will evaluate the sociological theories associated with crime and deviance and to compare and contrast these main theories. And find links between these theories to today’s society. There are various Sociological deviance theories, including Structuralist: why do some people break the rules? ,
The Three Main Theories of Deviance and Their Strengths and Weaknesses A functionalist analysis of deviance looks for the source of deviance in the nature of society rather than in the biological or psychological nature of the individual. Although functionalists agree that social control mechanisms such as the police and the courts are necessary to keep deviance in check, many argue that a certain amount of deviance can contribute to the well-being of society. Durkhiem (1895) believed that: * Crime is an 'integral part of all healthy societies'.
As we all have observed, throughout history each culture or society has unique norms that are acceptable to that group of people. Therefore, to establish and come to the acceptance of these basic norms, each society must develop its’ own strategies and techniques to encourage the fundamentals of behavior, which is clear in our modern society. Most do assume that everyone in a society will follow and respect such norms. However, some tend to deviate from the adequate norms and demonstrate deviant behavior. Nevertheless, we are inclined to ask ourselves, why do people decide to violate such important standards of living?
Karl Marx: Conflict Theory The most influential socialist thinker from the 19th century is Karl Marx. Karl Marx can be considered a great philosopher, social scientist, historian or revolutionary. Marx proposed what is known as the conflict theory. The conflict theory looks at how certain social interactions occur through conflict. People engage in conflict everyday to gain more power then others in society. Karl Marx is known for studying the conflicts that occur between different classes. Karl Marx has introduced some radical ideas and theories to society through his writings. As the industrial revolution moved forward in society, so did the widening gap between class structures. Karl Marx studied the differences arising between the
Theories of Deviance are limited in their ability to explain deviant acts if one adopts the view that these theories are universal. There is no universal, right or wrong theory, rather each theory provides a different perspective which only "fully makes sense when set within an appropriate societal context and values framework" .