Deck 1: Determining Deviance

Question 1

According to the definition of deviance that emphasizes harm, something is "deviant" only if it harms someone else rather than oneself.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

In the 19?? century women's groups attempted to reduce alcohol consumption,
claiming it to be the "demon liquor". From the perspective of deviance specialists, these women were an example of moral entrepreneurs.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Criminal laws, which define the social norms and subsequent behaviours that are deemed deviant, are born from consensus.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Deviance specialists who focus on the more subjective aspects of deviance analyze the perceptions of and reactions to deviant acts, rather than the deviant acts themselves.

Question 5

The "deviance dance" is of particular interest to deviance specialists who lean toward the subjective end of the objective-subjective continuum.

Question 6

The alcohol industry itself has the power to influence government alcohol policies.

Question 7

Defining deviance on the basis of statistical rarity is more common in everyday conversation than in scientific research.

Question 8

Because most Canadians disapprove of heroin use, we can say that heroin use is "deviant", according to the definition of deviance that emphasizes negative societal reaction.

Question 9

In the early 20th century, social activist Emily Murphy claimed that marijuana use caused extreme violence, insanity, and death. When we evaluate her claims today, we can see one of the limitations of defining deviance on the basis of negative societal reaction.

Question 10

Under leader Stephen Harper, the Conservative Party of Canada held free votes in Parliament (as a proxy for societal reaction) on the two "hot-button" issues of the day-same sex marriage and the decriminalization of marijuana.

Question 11

One of the limitations of using harm as the defining characteristic of deviance is that perceptions of harm change over time.

Question 12

A question that some people raise about defining deviance on the basis of societal reaction is whether some people's reactions (e.g. the Prime Minister's) count more than other people's reactions (e.g. a homeless person's).

Question 13

The fact that left-handedness is considered acceptable in Canadian society suggests that there are limitations to defining deviance on the basis of statistical rarity.

Question 14

According to subjective definitions of deviance, the presence of specific observable characteristics tells us whether someone is deviant.

Question 15

One of the limitations of defining deviance on the basis of a negative societal reaction is that there are usually varying reactions to the same act, wherein different groups of people in society have different opinions on the same issue.

Question 16

According to some deviance specialists, recent definitions of deviance have largely come to accept the notion of an observable characteristic that all "deviants" share.

Question 17

According to the textbook author, the greatest degree of understanding of deviance comes from combining both more objective and more subjective approaches.

Question 18

Many contemporary definitions of deviance combine both objective and subjective elements.

Question 19

The "subjective" approach to the study of deviance has also been labelled

A) the absolutist approach.
B) the relativist perspective.
C) the normative perspective.
D) the deterministic approach.
E) the pseudo-scientific approach.

Question 20

A century ago, doctors claimed that masturbation caused acne, hairy palms, and insanity. When we consider these claims today, we can see one of the limitations of defining deviance on the basis of harm.

Question 21

When considering the role of the nun's habit in contemporary religious orders, we see an example of

A) debates over harm.
B) statistical rarity as a definition of deviance.
C) normative violation as a definition of deviance.
D) absolutism.
E) debates over societal reaction.

Question 22

What view of normative violation is held by more recent objectivists?

A) the "soft" or "contextual" view
B) the "constructionist" view
C) the view that emphasizes universal laws based on the word of God
D) the view that emphasizes the culturally- and historically-specific nature of norms
E) the view that emphasizes universal norms based on the laws of nature

Question 23

Research has consistently found that "a strong majority" of Canadians approve of the decriminalization of marijuana, yet marijuana possession remains illegal. This fact points to the limitations of defining deviance on the basis of

A) normative violation.
B) statistical rarity.
C) social harm.
D) negative societal reaction.
E) the "social contract hypothesis".

Question 24

Which of the following examples reflects the limitations of using statistical rarity as the defining characteristic of deviance?

A) Wayne Gretzky is not considered "deviant" in Canadian society
B) left-handed people are not considered "deviant" in Canadian society
C) "heavy petting" among teenagers is socially controlled in Canadian society
D) people who are physically active are not considered "deviant" in Canadian society
E) the limitations of using statistical rarity as the defining characteristic of deviance are reflected by all of the above statements

Question 25

If you violate a folkway, other people will probably think you are

A) immoral.
B) evil.
C) criminal.
D) odd.
E) immoral or evil

Question 26

Proponents of which view of law would point out that middle class youth are less likely to be penalized for the same crimes than are youth of the lower class?

A) contractual
B) normative
C) consensual
D) conflict
E) non-egalitarian

Question 27

What was the primary reason given for the criminalization of marijuana possession in the 1920s?

A) normative violation
B) statistical rarity
C) negative societal reaction
D) harm
E) harm and statistical rarity

Question 28

According to some deviance specialists, how have academic definitions of deviance changed in recent years?

A) there has been a shift from objective to subjective definitions
B) there has been a shift from subjective to objective definitions
C) there has been a shift from emphasizing "personal pet peeves" to emphasizing "social deviance"
D) there has been a shift from the "problem of definition" to a broader consensus about the definition of deviance
E) there has been a shift from plural definitions of deviance to the singular definition that can be found in the dictionary

Question 29

Which of the following statements supports the "absolutist" view of normative violation?

A) premarital sex is "deviant" in Saudi Arabia, but "normal" in Canada
B) all cultures prohibit incest between parent and child, therefore incest is "deviant"
C) taking a human life is "deviant", unless it is in self-defense
D) smoking marijuana was more "deviant" in the 1920s than it is today
E) same-sex marriage is legal throughout Canada, but not throughout the United States

Question 30

What do deviance specialists who follow the objective side of the objective/subjective dichotomy believe is the defining characteristic of deviance?

A) normative violation
B) negative societal reaction
C) harm
D) statistical rarity
E) each of the above characteristics is considered to be the defining characteristic of deviance by particular groups of objectivists

Question 31

What are the limitations of definitions of deviance that emphasize statistical rarity?

A) some statistically common characteristics are considered "deviant" in society
B) some statistically rare characteristics are considered "normal" in society
C) there is too much consensus and too little debate about the precise meaning of "rare"
D) the law (i.e. as seen in the Criminal Code) reflects power and vested interests rather than normative consensus
E) some common characteristics are considered "deviant", and some rare characteristics are considered "normal" in society

Question 32

Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on which of the following issues was a free vote held within Parliament, as a proxy for societal reaction?

A) toughening the Youth Criminal Justice Act
B) decriminalization of marijuana
C) same-sex marriage
D) abortion
E) free votes were held on both same-sex marriage and the decriminalization of marijuana

Question 33

What are the limitations of defining deviance on the basis of harm?

A) perceptions of harm can be subjective
B) perceptions of harm rarely change over time
C) behavioural expectations are frequently characterized by power and vested interests
D) typical behaviours are sometimes perceived as "deviant" in society
E) the reactions of some groups of people in society often carry more weight than do the reactions of other groups

Question 34

The ----------/--------------- dichotomy has traditionally served as the foundation for discussing definitions of deviance.

A) objective/subjective
B) singular/pluralistic
C) dissensus/consensus
D) social typing/constructionist
E) statistical/normative

Question 35

Imagine the following hypothetical news headline: "More than 70% of Canadians dislike people who drink cheap beer." Based on this report, we can say that drinking cheap beer is "deviant", according to the definition of deviance that emphasizes

A) normative violation.
B) negative societal reaction.
C) statistical rarity.
D) the "social contract hypothesis".
E) social harm.

Question 36

Which of the following behaviours, characteristics, or people was considered "deviant" at some point in history, based on the concept of harm?

A) Joan of Arc
B) masturbation
C) marijuana use
D) early 20th century feminists
E) Joan of Arc, masturbation, marijuana use, and early 20th century feminists were all considered "deviant" at some point in history, based on the concept of harm

Question 37

Josh is a boy in Grade 11 who has never participated in "heavy petting". According to which definition of deviance would Josh be considered "deviant"?

A) physical harm
B) societal reaction
C) statistical rarity
D) normative violation
E) ontological harm

Question 38

Which of the following groups of people would be considered "deviant", based on the concept of statistical rarity?

A) Canadians who smoke
B) high school students who participate in "heavy petting"
C) adolescent consumers of alcohol who have engaged in binge drinking
D) adolescents who abstain from marijuana use
E) Canadians who smoke and high school students who participate in "heavy petting" would both be considered "deviant", based on the concept of statistical rarity

Question 39

The view of law claims that society's powerful define the criminal law on behalf of interest groups in society.

A) interactionist
B) conflict
C) normative
D) consensual
E) social power

Question 40

Which of the following behaviours or characteristics would be considered "deviant", based on the concept of harm?

A) smoking
B) alcoholism
C) criminal behaviour
D) emotional abuse
E) smoking, alcoholism, criminal behaviour, and emotional abuse would all be considered "deviant," based on the concept of harm

Question 41

Which of the following approaches to social constructionism claims that "there is no essential reality to the social world at all"?

A) radical
B) soft
C) contextual
D) fundamentalist
E) ontological

Question 42

Explain how the 1999 deaths of three Toronto youths at raves resulted in a deviance dance.

Question 43

Which of the following concepts is located at the extreme "objective" end of the objective-subjective continuum?

A) concept of contextual constructionism
B) concept of an absolute moral order
C) concept of low-consensus deviance
D) concept of radical constructionism
E) concept of social power

Question 44

Which of the following groups of moral entrepreneurs has the most overt power in modern state systems?

A) religious institutions
B) scientists
C) commercial enterprise
D) politicians
E) educational institutions

Question 45

Discuss the concepts of high-consensus deviance and low-consensus deviance as
outlined by Thio. Describe a type of behaviour that would apply to each of these concepts.

Question 46

Which component of the social typing process involves placing an individual into a specific category because of an observed or presumed characteristic?

A) evaluation
B) stigmatization
C) description
D) prescription
E) discrimination

Question 47

What topics are more likely to be studied by researchers who lean toward the "objective" end of the objective-subjective continuum?

A) changing perceptions of masturbation
B) low-consensus forms of deviance
C) debates over how to best control the potential dangers associated with raves
D) the family backgrounds of illegal drug users
E) the role of power in determining which drugs are considered "illegal" in a particular society at a given point in time

Question 48

Describe what moral entrepreneurs are. Provide one historical and one
contemporary example of moral entrepreneurs, clearly illustrating how these are examples of moral entrepreneurs.

Question 49

You see someone who is "obese" at the mall, and assume that she is unintelligent and is low in self-esteem, yet likely has a good sense of humour. Which step in the social typing process have you engaged in by making these assumptions?

A) evaluation
B) prescription
C) description
D) formal regulation
E) discrimination

Question 50

According to subjective definitions of deviance, serve as the foundation for determining who/what is "deviant".

A) high-consensus norms
B) low-consensus norms
C) dominant moral codes
D) social contracts
E) criminal laws

Question 51

Apply the three components of the social typing process to someone who is a member of a white supremacist group.

Question 52

Why does the textbook author suggest that contemporary analyses of deviance transcend the notion of an objective/subjective dichotomy?

A) many contemporary definitions of deviance combine both objective and subjective elements
B) over time, "objective" researchers have begun integrating more subjectivism into their analyses
C) over time, "subjective" researchers have begun integrating more objectivism into their analyses
D) the processes by which something is socially constructed as "deviant" frequently includes references to objectivist notions (e.g. statistical rarity; social harm)
E) contemporary analyses of deviance transcend the notion of an objective/subjective dichotomy for all of the reasons listed above

Question 53

Considering the issue of drug abuse, provide an example of each of the following forms of social control: (a) retroactive, formal control; (b) preventative, informal control; and (c) retroactive self-regulation.

Question 54

Which view of law claims that criminal laws are created by the powerful to serve their own interests?

A) consensual
B) interactionist
C) power reflexive
D) postmodern
E) social power

Question 55

Explain how the conception of norms has changed over time for more "objective" deviance specialists.

Question 56

Explain the multilevel process of social construction as it applies to development of
deviant behaviours.

Question 57

The principle of equality, which is a fundamental Canadian value, influences the social construction of deviance at which of the following levels?

A) interactionist level
B) institutional level
C) ethical level
D) sociocultural level
E) individual level

Question 58

In present day Canadian society there are moral entrepreneurs who exert influence and power in the development and enforcement of society's moral codes. Which one seems to particularly influential, in that it acts as both a tool used by other moral entrepreneurs and as a moral entrepreneur itself?

A) educational institutions
B) religious institutions
C) scientists
D) media
E) commercial enterprise

Question 59

While riding the subway, you look at a fellow passenger and immediately think, "Skinhead". Which part of the social typing process have you just engaged in?

A) evaluation
B) stigmatization
C) description
D) prescription
E) formal regulation

Question 60

Azra arrives at school with a new haircut. As she walks down the hall, she hears people laughing and making comments about her hair. What type of regulation or social control has occurred?

A) retroactive
B) formal
C) preventative
D) informal
E) retroactive and informal

Question 61

Explain what the objective-subjective dichotomy is, and describe the basic assumptions of each side of this dichotomy. How is the objective-subjective dichotomy different from the objective-subjective continuum, and why does the textbook author suggest that the latter may be a more accurate representation than the former?

Question 62

The text addresses four different "objective" definition of deviance, as well as one "subjective" definition. Select the ONE definition that you think best applies to why people who smoke are socially typed as deviant and made subject to social control in contemporary Canadian society. Be sure to provide that definition and explain why you think it is the best one in this particular instance.

Question 63

Describe the four different "objective" definitions of deviance, and give one example of each. For each of those definitions, list one limitation and provide one example of that limitation.

Question 64

Under leader Stephen Harper, the Conservative Party of Canada held free votes in Parliament (as a proxy for societal reaction) on one "hot-button" issue of the day (same-sex marriage), but not another (the decriminalization of marijuana). Using at least three concepts from Chapter 1, describe how someone from the more subjective end of the objective-subjective continuum might explain this discrepancy.

Question 65

List the five powerful groups that influence the creation of dominant moral codes in society. For each of those groups, explain how their power enables them to influence the social construction of deviance, and provide an example.