Review Sheet for Final Exam
The Sociology of Deviant Behavior (SOC 335)
The final will cover material since the second exam,
which entails labeling theory, conflict theory and medicalization.
The format will be the same as prior exams. The review outline is just that: an
outline. It is not designed to cover – nor could it – all of the material we
have covered. What is does try to do is provide you with a
"map" that you can use to prepare for the final. The more familiar
and comfortable you are with your knowledge of and ability to coherently
discuss the items on the outline, the better prepared you will be for the exam.
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A. Labeling (Societal Reaction) (also
sometimes called Constructionism)
1. central premises: where does deviance come from?
a. the relativity of deviance & the problems with
objectivist or naturalistic view of deviance
b. social control creates deviance
2.
some key concepts: what are they? what
do they mean?
a. Primary and Secondary Deviance
b. master status
c. stigma
B. Becoming deviant
1.
how do people from good backgrounds go bad?
a. ie, how does labeling offer an
answer to this?
2.
effective environment, biography, affinity,
willingness
3.
techniques of neutralization
4.
experience and the (deviants') reevaluation of
deviance
C. Three main approaches
1.
Historical development &/or change in labels
a. moral entrepreneurs
b. the rhetorical structure of deviance imputations
i. grounds, warrants, conclusions
(ie, know what these are; their various types; be
able to give examples)
c. moral conversion (what is this?)
d. the deviance marketplace and principles of selection
i. what are the principles?
how are they important? (again,
know these & be able to give examples)
e. Marijuana Tax Act & the construction of the Child
Predator (be able to discuss these)
2.
Applying the labels
a. contingencies (what are they? how are they important?
examples?)
i. mental illness (Scheff)
ii.
law enforcement
b. situational, historical, societal-cultural contingencies
i. Bob
Kelly & the Little Rascals case (know the contingencies that applied here)
ii.
historical and societal-context and the symbolic uses
of deviance
3.
Consequences of the label
a. stigma, secondary deviance
b. deviance amplification
i. "victimless" crimes and black market
"pathologies"
D. Criticisms of Labeling
1.
Structural Critiques
a. Edwin Lemert: labeling's individualistic approach
b. Alex Liaszos: nuts, sluts, and
pre-verts
c. Frances Piven: theory of pure
domination (what, basically, does she mean by this?)
d. John Kitsuse: tertiary deviance
(what is this?)
i. collective responses to
labeling (know these)
E. Conflict Theory (Political Economy;
Marxist-oriented)
1.
Spitzer (Marx; Chambliss, Quinney)
a. role of economy: contradictions
b. problem populations (what two types? how controlled?)
c.
Fiscal crisis of the state
F. Medicalization
1.
The Five Stages of Medicalization (what are they?)
2.
Other generalizations about medicalization (know
these)
3.
Evaluating Medicalization
a.
Benefits and concerns (what are they)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A. In Jacoby:
1. Tannenbaum, "Dramatization
of Evil";
2. Lemert,
"Primary and Secondary Deviation”
3. Skolnick, “Policeman’s Working
Personality”
4. Black and Reiss, “Police Control
of Juveniles”
5. Clemmer, “Prisonization”
6. Sykes, “The Pains of Imprisonment”
7. Marx, "Class Conflict and
Law"
8. Quinney,
"Class, State, and Crime"
9. Chambliss, "Law of
Vagrancy"
B. In Becker’s Outsiders: Chapters 1, 2, 7, 8
C. On course web
page syllabus: Conrad and
Schneider, “Medicalization”