Deck 8: Constructing Difference: Social Deviance

Question 1

Sociologists from the conflict perspective would say that definitions of and responses to deviance are often a form of social control exerted by

A)less powerful people and groups over those more powerful.
B)unbiased people with good intentions.
C)more powerful people and groups over those less powerful.
D)the general population.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A relativist perspective on deviance maintains that definitions of deviance are

A)socially constructed.
B)inscrutable.
C)absolute labels.
D)clearly identifiable.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Edwin Sutherland argued that people learn deviant patterns of behavior primarily from

A)the mass media.
B)corrupt corporations.
C)friends and family.
D)influential politicians.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A number of Catholic priests have been found guilty of child molestation.Clergy sexual abuse scandals are sociologically interesting because

A)the perpetrators didn't fit the stereotypical image of a child molester.
B)many of the perpetrators were found to be mentally disordered.
C)the monetary fallout was so severe.
D)the majority of victims continue to suffer medical problems.

Question 5

Cross-cultural research suggests that definitions of deviance

A)are the same across cultures.
B)have stayed constant over time.
C)vary across cultures.
D)change only when major events occur.

Question 6

The belief that the "rightness" or "wrongness" of an act lies within the act itself,and so is independent of both time and culture,is a characteristic of which perspective on deviance?

A)deterrence
B)abolitionist
C)relativist
D)absolutist

Question 7

Which of the following statements is the most accurate about capital punishment?

A)The threat of capital punishment has reduced murders in most states.
B)Highly publicized executions have been shown to deter homicides in states with the death penalty.
C)The majority of U.S.citizens support the death penalty.
D)Capital punishment is increasing worldwide,for both moral and practical reasons.

Question 8

Which of the following would be considered a relativist view of abortion?

A)Judge not lest ye also be judged.
B)Abortion is always wrong,regardless of the circumstances.
C)The decision to abort is often made under duress.
D)Beliefs about abortion are social constructs.

Question 9

When determining whether deviance has occurred,sociologists typically look for the presence of three elements.Which of the items below is NOT one of those elements?

A)expectation
B)violation
C)reaction
D)juris

Question 10

What basic assumption underlies deterrence theory?

A)Deviance is not absolute,but socially defined.
B)The desire to violate social norms is a normal aspect of development.
C)People rationally consider the costs and benefits of behavior before they act.
D)People who commit deviant acts are inherently flawed.

Question 11

Criminal research has consistently found a correlation between _____and _____ crime.

A)race;violent
B)unemployment;property
C)gender;white-collar
D)income;cyber

Question 12

The relativist approach to deviance draws from which two sociological perspectives?

A)social learning and cultural empiricism
B)labeling and structural functionalist
C)ecological and strain theory
D)symbolic interactionism and the conflict perspective

Question 13

Which of the following statements about capital punishment is true?

A)There is little empirical evidence to support the idea that it deters people from engaging in crimes.
B)States with the death penalty have lower homicide rates.
C)Compared to other racial and ethnic groups,white non-Hispanics are disproportionately sentenced to death.
D)The overwhelming majority of people in the United States say they do not support capital punishment.

Question 14

According to Edwin Sutherland's theory of deviance,

A)people learn from their mistakes only when they are punished.
B)people become deviant only after they have been labeled "deviant" by others.
C)people learn deviant patterns of behavior from the people with whom they associate on a regular basis.
D)people rationally consider the potential benefits and costs before engaging in deviance.

Question 15

Deterrence theory on deviance argues that in order to be effective in preventing individuals from engaging in unwanted conduct,punishments must be

A)rational and economical.
B)rehabilitative and legislative.
C)swift and severe.
D)panoptically labeled.

Question 16

Which of the following would be considered an absolutist perspective on abortion?

A)Judge not lest ye also be judged.
B)Abortion is always wrong,regardless of the circumstances.
C)While never a decision to be made lightly,abortion may be the best option under some circumstances.
D)Beliefs about abortion are social constructs.

Question 17

What is the basic premise of Merton's strain theory?

A)Some people get caught for committing deviant acts while others do not.
B)The likelihood that one will commit a deviant act increases when negative sanctions for deviance are harsh.
C)The likelihood that one will commit a deviant act increases when there is a strain or contradiction between culturally defined goals and access to legitimate ways to attain them.
D)People who commit deviant acts have not internalized culturally defined goals.

Question 18

According to deterrence theory,people commit deviant acts because they have

A)no legitimate means to achieve their goals.
B)been labeled "deviant" by others.
C)been taught that these acts are normal.
D)determined that the benefits outweigh the costs.

Question 19

According to the text,those who take an absolutist approach to deviance often have perceptions of "what deviants are like" that rely on

A)empirical research.
B)stereotypes.
C)impartial.
D)unbiased.

Question 20

According to Robert Merton's strain theory,people commit deviant acts because they

A)lack access to legitimate means to achieve their goals.
B)possess a deviant identity.
C)have been taught that these acts are normal.
D)have determined that the benefits outweigh the costs.

Question 21

Kelly Michaels was a 22-year-old preschool worker who was charged with child molestation but eventually exonerated.She is still seen as a child molester.Which theory of deviance would explain why Ms.Michaels is still considered a child molester?

A)labeling theory
B)strain theory
C)deterrence theory
D)conflict theory

Question 22

According to conflict theorists,the acts most likely to be criminalized are those that

A)represent a physical threat to collective safety.
B)represent a physical threat to individual safety.
C)threaten the economic or political control of elite groups.
D)challenge core beliefs propagated by religious groups in society.

Question 23

An upper-class man who is arrested for soliciting a prostitute may be sentenced to an education program,like "john's school." A prostitute is likely to be sentenced to jail time.Which theoretical perspective best explains this disparity in sentencing?

A)structural-functionalist
B)symbolic interactionist
C)labeling
D)conflict

Question 24

How do conflict theorists understand the criminal justice system?

A)It maintains social order by specifying the consequences for rule violations.
B)It is an instrument of social control used by powerful groups.
C)It is negotiated in an ongoing manner through microinteraction in society.
D)All of the above

Question 25

Which kind of crime poses the greater economic threat to Americans?

A)street crime
B)welfare crime
C)corporate crime
D)violent crime

Question 26

A temperance culture is one that

A)encourages citizens to use prescription drugs to solve personal problems.
B)tolerates alternative lifestyles and behaviors.
C)discourages its citizens from using alcohol.
D)values self-control and industriousness in its citizens.

Question 27

Which of the following is an example of deviant labeling?

A)pictures of "deadbeat dads" on city billboards
B)capital punishment
C)the Catholic Church's "one drop" rule
D)"gifted and talented" programs for bright students

Question 28

Which statement is consistent with labeling theory?

A)A deviant is one to whom a deviant label has been successfully applied.
B)A deviant is one who seeks to redefine definitions of right and wrong.
C)People are more likely to engage in deviance when social norms and values change rapidly.
D)Some acts are deviant in all circumstances.

Question 29

Which of the following nations has the highest incarceration rate?

A)Sweden
B)Japan
C)Iran
D)the United States

Question 30

What is the primary reason tobacco use has yet to be criminalized in the United States?

A)Its use is associated with too few financial and physical repercussions.
B)Much of the research is anecdotal and has yielded inconsistent results.
C)Many states and large companies depend on revenue from it.
D)Ventilation and air purification systems required in public spaces have been effective at offsetting its detrimental effects.

Question 31

Today,which of these individuals would draw the strongest expression of American outrage?

A)a foreign terrorist
B)a vegetarian
C)a lesbian
D)a drug addict

Question 32

Research shows that states with the death penalty have

A)lower homicide rates than states without the death penalty.
B)higher homicide rates than states without the death penalty.
C)similar homicide rates to states without the death penalty.
D)reduced their homicide rates since reintroducing the death penalty.

Question 33

Compared to street crimes,people are more likely to view injuries related to corporate crime as

A)direct.
B)serious.
C)harmful.
D)unintentional.

Question 34

According to the textbook,what is the definition of criminalization?

A)the assumption that deviance is socially created by collective human judgments and ideas
B)the assumption that all human behavior can be considered either inherently good or inherently bad
C)defining problematic behaviors as illegal acts requiring punishment
D)defining problematic behaviors as medical problems requiring treatment

Question 35

All of the following reasons explain why ex-convicts are likely to return to prison EXCEPT

A)being labeled "ex-convict" makes it difficult to find legitimate employment.
B)funding for rehabilitation and job training programs in many prisons has been reduced or eliminated.
C)most ex-convicts are sociopaths who can't be rehabilitated.
D)parole may be revoked for minor rule violations.

Question 36

Harsh criminal punishment for white collar criminals has been directed mostly at _____ rather than _____.

A)individuals;corporations
B)corporations;individuals
C)government agencies;private companies
D)private companies;government agencies

Question 37

Which drug is NOT mentioned on the U.S.Drug Enforcement Administration's website?

A)marijuana
B)heroin
C)oxycodone
D)alcohol

Question 38

In her study of former mental patients,Nancy Herman found that former mental patients were

A)likely to return to the hospital.
B)likely to commit crimes.
C)viewed as "defective" by others.
D)able to return to their lives with no difficulty.

Question 39

Which of the following statements about antidepressants is true?

A)They were not manufactured in the United States until 1990.
B)They are illegal in European Union member nations.
C)The number of conditions for which they are prescribed has expanded over the years.
D)They are not considered pharmaceuticals.

Question 40

What is one reason for the growth in the U.S.inmate population during the past few decades?

A)the proliferation of alternatives to incarceration
B)the development of "get tough on crime" policies
C)the increase in deterrence programs
D)the decline in crime rates

Question 41

In the United States,property crime presents the greatest threat to public safety.

Question 42

Instead of judging whether an act should or shouldn't be considered deviant,sociologists examine

A)only the empirically observable facts that pertain to guilt or innocence.
B)the role of psychopathology in deviance.
C)the relationship between genes and environment (epigenetics).
D)how definitions of deviance are created and transmitted,as well as patterns related to deviance.

Question 43

Which of the following is a social consequence of the medicalization of deviance?

A)Deviance becomes an individual problem and is also depoliticized.
B)More deviants are committed to mental wards,thereby increasing public safety.
C)Rates of mental disorder diagnoses decrease.
D)Deviance becomes more stigmatized.

Question 44

Which type of drug is routinely used by students to improve academic performance?

A)antidepressants
B)sedatives
C)stimulants
D)hallucinogens

Question 45

When a person has been successfully labeled as deviant,his/her other qualities are overshadowed.

Question 46

Capital punishment is probably the most well-known example of labeling theory.

Question 47

Which behavior is considered deviant but not criminal?

A)identity theft
B)talking to oneself in public
C)manslaughter
D)robbery

Question 48

The idea that individuals will be less likely to engage in a deviant act if they believe that the potential costs for the act outweigh the benefits is a key component of

A)deterrence theory.
B)Rasputinism.
C)a self-fulfilling prophecy.
D)labeling theory.

Question 49

In the United States,individual perceptions of,and attitudes about,deviance and social harm are always rooted in sound empirical research.

Question 50

Prozac was originally designed to treat which disorder?

A)depression
B)obesity
C)schizophrenia
D)attention deficit disorder

Question 51

A person who is incarcerated for a crime he did not commit would NOT be considered deviant.

Question 52

Structural-functionalist perspectives on deviance draw our attention to the roles political and economic power play in our understandings of what is "right" and what is "wrong."

Question 53

George maintains that making punishments swift and harsh will reduce violent crime.He might cite which theory to support his position?

A)panopticism
B)amalgamation
C)deterrence
D)labelling

Question 54

The number of prescriptions written for _____ is growing faster than any other drug.

A)ADHD treatment
B)asthma medication
C)antibiotics
D)analgesics

Question 55

In order to conduct sound empirical research on deviance,sociologists must often set aside their personal beliefs about what is right and what is wrong.

Question 56

A Dallas Morning News investigation discovered that high-ranking U.S.military commanders have tried to discredit and intimidate subordinates who reported security and safety violations by ordering them to undergo psychiatric evaluations or by sending them to a mental ward.Which theoretical orientation best explains what occurred?

A)dramaturgy
B)conflict perspectives
C)structural-functionalist perspectives
D)deterrence theory

Question 57

According to a relativist perspective on deviance,behavior is either inherently good or bad.

Question 58

In general,poor people are more likely than affluent people to be arrested,charged,and convicted of crimes.

Question 59

What is the definition of medicalization?

A)the assumption that deviance is socially created by collective human judgments and ideas
B)the assumption that all human behavior can be considered either inherently good or inherently bad
C)the belief that people weigh costs and benefits before acting
D)defining problematic behaviors as medical problems that require treatment

Question 60

For those who take a relativist perspective on deviance,deviance is a human social construction.

Question 61

Describe how powerful groups might use psychiatric diagnoses to their advantage.

Question 62

What are "stand your ground" laws? Why are they controversial?

Question 63

A psychologist diagnoses a young girl with "conduct disorder." How might this diagnosis affect the child's relationships with others? In what ways might it become a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Question 64

Identify one government policy that is based on labeling theory.Describe how this policy can permanently stigmatize the individual(s)labeled as deviant.

Question 65

Discuss the criminalization of deviance from the conflict perspective.Compare and contrast the experiences of an affluent person and a person of low socioeconomic status in today's criminal justice system.

Question 66

Compare and contrast the absolutist and relativist definitions of deviance.Provide examples to illustrate the differences between the two.Critique both definitions.Which do you prefer and why?

Question 67

What is the difference between white-collar crime and street crime? Why is white-collar crime perceived by many as less threatening to society?

Question 68

Over the last 50 years,the proportion of the U.S.population with a diagnosable "mental illness" has increased markedly,as have prescriptions for drugs intended to treat psychological conditions.How would a sociologist explain this?

Question 69

Identify a recent example of a large corporation engaging-intentionally or unintentionally-in an activity or practice that caused appreciable economic or social harm.Describe the incident as well as the public and legal reaction.Using what you have learned in this chapter,explain the events.

Question 70

Provide three examples of how definitions of deviance can change over time.