5.8 Applying the Sociological Literacy Framework to Deviance and Crime

Sociological Eye

Definition

Focusing on how group membership shapes human behavior and attitudes.

Selected Examples

• How deviance and crime are socially constructed
• U.S. public perception of crime compared to reality

Social Structure

Definition

The relationships and patterned interaction connecting different individuals, groups, and organizations that endure and shape behavior and attitudes.

Selected Examples

• Émile Durkheim’s contributions to the study of deviance and crime
• Study of suicide
• Structural strain theory
• Different forms of social control

Socialization

Definition

The process by which people learn about their culture.

Selected Examples

• Social control theory
• Labeling theory

Stratification

Definition

The systematic and unequal distribution of power, status, and resources.

Selected Examples

• Marxist theory
• Critical race theory
• Stigma
• Incarceration
• Medicalization

Social Change and Social Reproduction

Definition

The process by which people transform and maintain social arrangements and social structure.

Selected Examples