Exam 24: What Is Deviance

According to Robert Merton,an innovator is an individual who has

Which conflict sociologist argues that the criminal justice system serves the interests of the powerful and that lawmaking is often an attempt by the powerful to coerce others into their own morality?

According to the research of Kai Erikson,the Puritans' persecution and execution of women suspected of being witches represented continuing attempts to define and redefine the boundaries of their community.

Which term is used in the sociological literature to describe a loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective?

Which of the following individuals would most likely be the focus of labeling theorists who are researching the power of some individuals or groups to define labels?

An employee at a welfare office is so concerned with paperwork that he doesn't have time to administer to the needs of the poor,hungry,and homeless individuals who seek assistance.According to Merton's theory,this welfare worker would be a(n)

Which sociologist created an interactionist/conflict explanation of deviance that emphasizes that the response to an act-not the behavior-determines deviance?

The contemporary study of possible genetic roots of criminality is but one aspect of the larger debate over

Both men and women in the U.S.may be stigmatized when they fail to conform to standards of attractiveness.

A bank president is found guilty of tax evasion.In addition to paying the government all the money he owes with substantial interest,he is sentenced to three years' probation and a $50,000 fine.At the same time,a female teller at the same bank is found guilty of stealing $500.The teller is sentenced to a prison term of no less than four years.This differential treatment would be of particular concern to sociologists using the

According to Howard Becker,labeling theory was conceived as a sole explanation for deviance.

Discuss the relationship between cultural transmission and differential association in explaining deviance or criminal acts.Give an illustration of how a person would likely become criminal using the differential association process.

A sociologist studies how a teacher's attitudes toward particular students affects students' performance.Students of similar abilities who are "teacher's pets" perform at a high level,and students who are viewed as "troublemakers" perform poorly.This illustrates which explanation of deviance?

Which sociological perspective would most likely be concerned with the stigmatizing nature of formal social controls that require convicted sex offenders to register with police agencies and have their pictures published in newspapers to make their identities publicly known?

According to Robert Merton,a retreatist is an individual who has

In Robert Merton's terms,people who overzealously and cruelly enforce bureaucratic regulations can be classified as

Which of the following is a criticism of social disorganization theory?

Which sociological perspective's approach explains why rule violation continues to exist in societies despite pressures to conform and obey,but fails to indicate how a given person comes to commit a deviant act or why on some occasions crimes do or do not occur?

In his anomie theory of deviance,Robert Merton

According to Robert Merton,members of revolutionary political organizations such as the Irish Republican Army would typically be classified as