Exam 2: Explaining Deviance: The Act

According to Merton's strain theory, what causes deviance?

One of the primary goals for positivist deviance research is to predict harmful behaviour and ultimately prevent it from happening.

In an interview a professional hitman was asked how he was able to live with what he had done. He argued that they were all bad people and that they had done worse things to more people. Using Sykes and Matza's theory, what technique of neutralization would this be?

Which function of deviance is served by collectively manufacturing an evil enemy image directed at "terrorists"?

Which category of theory is most concerned with why people act in deviant ways?

According to empirical tests of Agnew's general strain theory, women who are very successful at goal achievement are more likely to engage in purging, because of their intense perfectionism.

Empirical research using the self-control theory has found that low levels of self-control are associated with

Deviance specialists who lean toward the more "objective" side of the objective-subjective continuum find interpretive theories to be the most useful in their analyses.

Kenny has just graduated University. To celebrate his recent success Kenny goes to the car dealership to purchase a car. He finds one he likes and uses the money left over from his schooling tuition that he made from selling marijuana to students to pay for it. According to Merton which mode adaption was Kenny?

In response to the accusation that child beauty pageants attract pedophiles, the pageant contestants' mothers typically say that only someone who is "sick" themselves would even suggest that people would find these little girls "sexy". Which technique of neutralization are these mothers using?

Do you agree with Durkheim's theory that a certain level of deviance is actually functional for society? Justify your position by first summarizing the theory and then supporting your argument with examples or references to other theories.

In an interview, one female exotic dancer states the following when asked about her career: "You should see the cops when they come in. They watch us dance for an hour or two before they bust anybody…there's usually a half dozen of 'em at a time. How many cops does it take to write a ticket for lewd dancing…?" Which technique of neutralization is she using?

According to Lauritsen (1994), for which of the following groups of adolescents does strain increase the frequency of unprotected sexual activity?

Select the ONE positivist theory that you think best explains underage drinking. Use that theory to explain underage drinking, and clarify the reason why you think this is the best theory in this particular instance.

According to the general theory of crime, low levels of self-control are relatively stable throughout life.

According to Sutherland's differential association theory, deviant behaviour is learned through the same process through which conforming behaviour is learned.

In his general strain theory, Agnew believes that these 3 things cause strain:

Positivist theorists attempt to understand deviant acts by looking to cause and effect relationships.

Social control theorists claim that deviant behaviour is inherently unattractive, so strong motives for deviance must be learned before deviant behaviour will occur.

Choose a behaviour, attitude or characteristic that is often promoted and reinforced as deviant through media. Use social learning theory to explain how a person learns deviance through this message.