4 deviance lies not just in behavior itself but also

4. Deviance lies not just in behavior itself but also in the social responses of groups to
behavior by others
ANOMIE – the condition existing when social regulations (norms) in society break down; not an
individual’s state of mind, but the social conditions.
DEVIENT CAREER – continuing to be labeled as deviant even after the initial deviance may
have ceased

DEVIENT COMMUNITIES – deviance within a group context; some groups are organized
around particular forms of social deviance – they maintain their own values, norms, and rewards
for deviant behavior (i.e. skinheads, gangs, hookers)
SOCIAL CONTROL – process by which groups and individuals within those groups are brought
into conformity with dominant social expectations
COST OF CRIME (elite vs. street crime) – Elite crime may be as high as $200 billion per year
opposed to street crimes that total out at about $15 billion.
MEDICALIZATION OF DEVIENCE –attributes deviant behavior to a “sick” state of mind
where the solution is to “cure” the deviant through therapy or other psychological treatment (i.e.
alcoholism viewed as a sickness instead of a crime)
PONZI SCHEME – a con-game whereby a central person collects money from a large number of
people, including friends and relatives, and then promises to invest their dollars with a high rate
of interest for them. Madoff promised a 10% rate of annual return – however the money was
never invested at all, instead it was used to pay off earlier investors. This is the key principle of a
Ponzi scheme.
Chapter eight.
CLASS CONCIOUSNESS – the perception that a class structure exists along with a feeling a
shared identification with others in one’s class.
FALSE CONCIOUSNESS – used to describe the class consciousness of subdominant classes
who had internalized the view of the dominant class (Marx)

ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING – refers to the decline of manufacturing jobs in the United
States, the transformation of the economy by technological change, and the process of
globalization.
SOCIAL CLASS – the social structural position that groups hold relative to the economic, social,
political, and cultural resources.
SOCIAL MOBILITY – a person’s movement over time from one class to another
FEMINZATION OF POVERTY – refers to the large proportion of the poor who are women and
children
CULTURE OF POVERTY – attributes the major causes of poverty to the absence of work values
and the irresponsibility of the poor
IDEOLOGY – refers to belief systems that supports the status quo
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION – is a system of structured social inequality; relatively fixed,
hierarchical arrangement in society by which groups have different access to resources, power,
and perceived social worth.
MERITOCRACY – a system in which one’s status is based on merit or accomplishments, not
other social characteristics.