Question 1

In "On Being Sane in Insane Places," David Rosenhan describes how:
A) although it may be difficult for the rest of us, psychiatrists can easily differentiate between those who are sane and those who are insane.
B) researchers posing as "pseudopatients" in a mental hospital, but otherwise acting normally, were nonetheless treated as insane by the hospital staff.
C) mental patients were unable to determine who among them were really researchers posing as "pseudopatients."
D) researchers, working in mental hospitals, started to develop higher rates of mental illness.

Accepted Answer

In the article, David Rosenhan describes how he and other researchers posed as "pseudopatients" in mental hospitals and acted normally, but were still diagnosed with mental illness and treated as insane by the hospital staff. This illustrates the difficulties in accurately diagnosing and treating mental illness and the potential for bias or labels to affect perceptions of patients. Option A is incorrect because the article actually suggests that even psychiatrists may struggle to differentiate between sanity and insanity. Option C is also incorrect because the study did not involve mental patients trying to identify which individuals were researchers. Option D is incorrect as there is no evidence in the article to suggest that researchers started developing higher rates of mental illness.

Question 2

Robert Merton developed structural strain theory to explain why deviance happens.To what sort of strain does the theory's name refer?
A) strain between deviant and nondeviant citizens
B) strain between social norms that are codified in laws and those that are not
C) strain between different value systems within a society
D) strain between socially approved goals and the means an individual has for realizing them

Accepted Answer

Structural strain theory posits that deviance arises when an individual experiences strain between their socially approved goals and the means they have to achieve those goals. This strain arises when individuals are unable to achieve the goals that society values and respects, whether due to social or economic constraints. As a result, they turn to alternative means to achieve those goals, which may not be approved by society and may be considered deviant.

Question 3

The parents of a deviant child often want to find some way to excuse their offspring's behavior,and it is common to hear them say,"He just fell in with a bad crowd." Which symbolic interactionist theory of deviance does this explanation most closely resemble?
A) differential association
B) labeling theory
C) self-fulfilling prophecy
D) structural strain theory

Accepted Answer

The explanation "He just fell in with a bad crowd" is most closely related to the differential association theory of deviance within symbolic interactionism. This theory suggests that people become deviant as a result of the people they associate with and the values they learn from them. In this explanation, the child is seen as having been influenced or taught deviant behavior by their peers.

Question 4

According to conflict theory,why are vagrancy laws passed?
A) to improve public health by preventing the spread of disease
B) to prevent the sort of crime that is often associated with vagrant populations
C) to ensure that someone is paying attention to the homeless so they receive help and assistance from the government
D) as a way of targeting groups who threaten society's elites

Accepted Answer

According to conflict theory, vagrancy laws are passed as a way of targeting groups who are seen as a threat to society's elites. These laws are often used to criminalize the homeless population and justify the punishment or imprisonment of individuals who have no other place to go. In this way, vagrancy laws are seen as a tool of social control used by those in power to maintain the status quo and protect their own interests.

Question 5

Robert Merton's structural strain theory sees deviance as the result of a person's position in a social structure.What do you think Jack Katz,author of Seductions of Crime,would say about structural strain theory?
A) Merton's analysis fails because it does not understand that some people will reject both mainstream cultural goals and the institutionalized means to achieve them.
B) Merton's analysis was correct, in that background factors are almost always the most effective way to predict who will commit deviant acts.
C) A focus on social position misses the emotional appeal that a deviant act has for an individual.
D) Merton needs to look at a broader range of background factors, including age and sexuality.

Accepted Answer

Jack Katz would argue that Merton's structural strain theory overlooks the emotional and seductive aspects of deviant acts, which can be a significant motivator for individuals.

Question 6

Stealing avocados,or almost any other agricultural product,is a felony in California if the product is worth more than $100.Supporters of the law believe it is the only way to protect farmers from vagrants and transients who can ruin the viability of small farms.However,if you believe that such laws target homeless people who have little power in society and are simply trying to eat,then you are probably a:
A) conflict theorist.
B) functionalist.
C) symbolic interactionist.
D) follower of Robert Merton.

Accepted Answer

Conflict theorists view society as being divided into groups that compete for resources and power. In this scenario, the law appears to target homeless individuals who are already at a disadvantage and are simply trying to survive.

Question 7

According to the structural strain theory of deviance as articulated by Robert Merton,what is one of the principal reasons people turn to deviant behavior in the United States?
A) There are a lot of people with inborn antisocial tendencies.
B) American society is very lax in enforcing laws.
C) Deviant behavior is glamorized in the media and therefore becomes increasingly attractive to young people.
D) The goal of success is shared by a majority of people, but not everyone has equal means for achieving that goal.

Accepted Answer

According to Merton's structural strain theory, deviant behavior arises when individuals are unable to achieve their goals through legitimate means. In the United States, success is a commonly shared goal, but not everyone has access to the same opportunities and resources for achieving that goal, leading some to turn to deviant behaviors to accomplish their objectives. Therefore, option D is the correct answer. Options A, B, and C are incorrect as they do not align with Merton's structural strain theory.

Question 8

According to labeling theory,why were none of the pseudopatients in David Rosenhan's "On Being Sane in Insane Places" discovered?
A) They all were mentally ill, at least to some extent.
B) They were too "clean-cut" to be considered mentally ill.
C) They were well coached in the symptoms real patients would experience.
D) Once a person has been labeled "mentally ill," it is very hard for anyone to see past the label.

Accepted Answer

According to labeling theory, once a person has been labeled as mentally ill, it becomes very hard for anyone to see past the label. Therefore, even if the pseudopatients did not exhibit any symptoms of mental illness, their label made it difficult for the staff to recognize them as anything else.

Question 9

The idea that individuals learn to be deviant by interacting with others who are already deviant is called:
A) conflict theory.
B) self-fulfilling prophecy.
C) differential association theory.
D) labeling theory.

Accepted Answer

Differential association theory states that individuals learn to be deviant by interacting with others who are already deviant. It is based on the idea that people's behaviors, attitudes, and values are influenced by the people they associate with.

Question 10

In the 1960s Timothy Leary famously advised everyone to "turn on,tune in,and drop out," and,although he insisted that it meant more,most people assumed he was telling them to "get stoned and abandon all constructive activity." How would Robert Merton's structural strain theory classify someone who took this advice?
A) as a ritualist
B) as a retreatist
C) as an innovator
D) as a rebel

Accepted Answer

According to Merton's structural strain theory, a retreatist is someone who rejects both the goals and means of society. A person who takes Leary's advice to "turn on, tune in, and drop out" could be characterized as rejecting societal goals and means, which would make them a retreatist.

Question 11

Nowhere to Grow by Les Whitbeck and Dan Hoyt explored the lives of homeless and runaway teens in the Midwest.The authors found that "associating with deviant peers" had a dramatic effect on a wide range of deviant behaviors,including increasing "the likelihood of serious substance abuse almost 32 times." What theory of deviance considers the way such interpersonal relationships help to predict deviant behavior?
A) self-fulfilling prophecy
B) retreatism
C) differential association
D) labeling theory

Accepted Answer

The theory of differential association suggests that individuals learn deviant behavior through interactions with others who engage in those behaviors, particularly in close relationships with deviant peers. This theory aligns with the findings of the study in Nowhere to Grow, where associating with deviant peers had a dramatic effect on deviant behaviors such as substance abuse. Self-fulfilling prophecy pertains to the way expectations can shape behavior, retreatism refers to withdrawing from society entirely, and labeling theory focuses on how being labeled as deviant can reinforce and perpetuate deviant behavior.

Question 12

How do self-fulfilling prophecies work?
A) We respond not only to the objective features of a situation but also to its meaning. Once meaning has been assigned to our behavior, the consequences of that behavior are determined by the meaning.
B) We learn to be deviant through our interactions with others who break the rules.
C) We tend to respond to the physical and social marks that discredit our identities and leave us vulnerable to negative social judgments.
D) Our social locations are a crucial factor in determining how others see us; therefore, social status is the most important determinant of deviance.
E) Our backgrounds do not determine deviance; rather, the in-the-moment emotional experience of a deviant action makes it seem like a good or bad idea.

Accepted Answer

Self-fulfilling prophecies work by assigning meaning to our behavior and then determining the consequences of that behavior based on that meaning. We respond not only to the objective features of a situation but also to its meaning.

Question 13

If you decided that you could never get into a good school and therefore could never get a good job,you might decide to sell crack cocaine instead as a way to make a living.According to Robert Merton,what sort of deviant would you be?
A) a conformist
B) a ritualist
C) an innovator
D) a rebel

Accepted Answer

According to Robert Merton's strain theory, an individual who accepts society's goals but rejects the legitimate means of achieving them is considered an innovator. In this scenario, the goal is to make a living, and the legitimate means are getting an education and finding a good job. The individual has rejected these means and turned to selling drugs as a way of achieving the goal, making them an innovator.

Question 14

In his book Streetwise,Elijah Anderson argues that young African American men are more likely to be arrested because:
A) they commit more flagrant crimes.
B) they are more likely to engage in deviant behavior.
C) they are more likely to be poor.
D) both police and community members perceive them as more criminal than others.

Accepted Answer

Anderson argues that both police and community members have a perception of young African American men as being more criminal, which leads to greater surveillance and arrest rates even when they are not committing more crimes than other groups. This perception is influenced by stereotypes and biases that are deeply ingrained in American society.

Question 15

In Office Space,the character Peter Gibbons spends much of the movie trying to find unconventional and even illegal ways of making more money.According to Robert Merton's typology,into what category does Peter fit?
A) ritualist
B) rebel
C) innovator
D) retreatist

Accepted Answer

Peter Gibbons is trying to find unconventional and illegal ways of making more money, which aligns with the innovator category in Robert Merton's typology. Innovators accept society's goals but reject the conventional means of achieving them, instead seeking new ways to achieve success.

Question 16

What happened to the pseudopatients in David Rosenhan's "On Being Sane in Insane Places"?
A) Several of them finally had to break out.
B) One of them turned out to be genuinely mentally ill and was never released.
C) They were all released once doctors realized that they were not actually mentally ill.
D) They were all finally released, but the diagnoses were that their "illnesses" were "in remission."

Accepted Answer

The pseudopatients were ultimately released, but their diagnoses were changed to that their "illnesses" were "in remission." This suggests that the doctors were reluctant to admit that their initial diagnoses were incorrect and instead labeled the pseudopatients as having had a temporary illness that had resolved.

Question 17

Which group of people within the hospital were able to tell that the pseudopatients in David Rosenhan's "On Being Sane in Insane Places" were NOT actually mentally ill?
A) only the older, more experienced doctors
B) the other patients
C) the nursing staff
D) the orderlies

Accepted Answer

In Rosenhan's study, it was the other patients who often suspected that the pseudopatients were not genuinely mentally ill, while the hospital staff generally did not recognize them as impostors.

Question 18

The fact that many individuals who engage in deviant behaviors have NEVER associated with other deviants is evidence against which theory?
A) self-fulfilling prophecy
B) differential association
C) conflict
D) structural strain

Accepted Answer

The theory of differential association proposes that individuals learn deviant behaviors and values from those with whom they associate or interact. The fact that some individuals engage in deviant behavior without having associated with other deviants is evidence that the theory is not always applicable or that there may be other factors contributing to deviant behavior.

Question 19

Under what circumstances does a deviant label lead from primary to secondary deviance?
A) when the deviant label is applied by a large number of people
B) when the deviant label is applied by someone very powerful
C) when the deviant label is internalized
D) when the deviant label is applied later in life

Accepted Answer

Secondary deviance occurs when a person accepts and internalizes a deviant label as part of their identity, leading to continued deviant behavior. This can occur after experiencing primary deviance (initial deviant behavior), but only if the person accepts the label and begins to identify as a deviant. The application of the label by a large number of people or someone powerful may increase the individual's exposure to the label, but it does not necessarily lead to secondary deviance. The timing of when the label is applied is also not a determining factor in the development of secondary deviance.

Question 20

If an upper-middle-class,white college student is sentenced to rehab for the same drug crime that a lower-class,black man is sentenced to jail for committing,what might a conflict theorist conclude about deviance?
A) Differential levels of punishment are functional, as they keep the most productive members of society out of jail.
B) We need to punish criminals from the lower class more harshly, as they are more likely to re-offend.
C) The two criminals probably had very different motives for committing their crimes, and this explains the difference in punishment.
D) The rules are applied unequally, and those with power or influence are punished much less harshly.

Accepted Answer

A conflict theorist would likely argue that the criminal justice system operates in a way that benefits those with power and influence, while punishing those without. This would explain why the upper-middle-class, white student is given a less severe sentence than the lower-class, black man. The theory would view this as an example of how social inequality and power dynamics play a role in determining who is labeled deviant and how they are punished.

Quiz 6: Deviance

In "On Being Sane in Insane Places," David Rosenhan describes how:

Robert Merton developed structural strain theory to explain why deviance happens.To what sort of strain does the theory's name refer?

The parents of a deviant child often want to find some way to excuse their offspring's behavior,and it is common to hear them say,"He just fell in with a bad crowd." Which symbolic interactionist theory of deviance does this explanation most closely resemble?

According to conflict theory,why are vagrancy laws passed?

Robert Merton's structural strain theory sees deviance as the result of a person's position in a social structure.What do you think Jack Katz,author of Seductions of Crime,would say about structural strain theory?

According to the structural strain theory of deviance as articulated by Robert Merton,what is one of the principal reasons people turn to deviant behavior in the United States?

According to labeling theory,why were none of the pseudopatients in David Rosenhan's "On Being Sane in Insane Places" discovered?

The idea that individuals learn to be deviant by interacting with others who are already deviant is called:

How do self-fulfilling prophecies work?

If you decided that you could never get into a good school and therefore could never get a good job,you might decide to sell crack cocaine instead as a way to make a living.According to Robert Merton,what sort of deviant would you be?

In his book Streetwise,Elijah Anderson argues that young African American men are more likely to be arrested because:

In Office Space,the character Peter Gibbons spends much of the movie trying to find unconventional and even illegal ways of making more money.According to Robert Merton's typology,into what category does Peter fit?

What happened to the pseudopatients in David Rosenhan's "On Being Sane in Insane Places"?

Which group of people within the hospital were able to tell that the pseudopatients in David Rosenhan's "On Being Sane in Insane Places" were NOT actually mentally ill?

The fact that many individuals who engage in deviant behaviors have NEVER associated with other deviants is evidence against which theory?

Under what circumstances does a deviant label lead from primary to secondary deviance?

If an upper-middle-class,white college student is sentenced to rehab for the same drug crime that a lower-class,black man is sentenced to jail for committing,what might a conflict theorist conclude about deviance?