NCJ Number
48267
Journal
American Sociological Review Volume: 41 Issue: 4 Dated: (AUGUST 1976) Pages: 660-676
Date Published
1976
Length
17 pages
Annotation
THE SYNTHESIS OF THE FUNCTIONAL THEORY OF SOCIAL CONTROL WITH THE LABELING THEORY OF DEVIANCE IS PRESENTED WITH A TESTING OF SOME OF THE RESULTANT CONSEQUENCES.
Abstract
THE ANOMIE AND DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION APPROACHES TO DEVIANCE AND THEIR REFORMATIONS PRESENT DEVIANCE AS THE PRODUCT OF THE MOVEMENT OF ACTORS ACROSS THE MORAL BOUNDARIES OF A PARTICULAR SOCIAL SYSTEM. THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT DEVIANCE CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A PRODUCT OF THE MOVEMENT OF MORAL BOUNDARIES IN A SOCIAL SYSTEM. THIS STUDY IS AIMED AT EXPLAINING HOW IT IS THAT THE DEFINITION OF DEVIANCE AND VOLUME OF DEVIANCE CAN CHANGE IN A PARTICULAR SOCIAL SYSTEM INDEPENDENT OF THE ACTIONS OF THE DEVIANTS WITHIN THAT SYSTEM. THE RESEARCH SUBJECTS WERE MALES RANGING IN AGE FROM 17 TO 25 RECRUITED FROM THE COLLEGES IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. THE SUBJECTS WERE SOLICITED TO JOIN A SOCIAL WORK GROUP FOR THE OSTENSIBLE PURPOSE OF REVIEWING THE CASE HISTORIES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENTS AND TO RECOMMEND CORRECTIONAL TREATMENT TO VARIOUS AUTHORITIES. IN GROUP DISCUSSIONS OF THE CASE HISTORIES, CONFEDERATES OF THE RESEARCHERS MAINTAINED EXTREME POSITIONS, THUS TAKING THE ROLE OF 'DEVIANTS' WITHIN THE CORPORATE SOCIAL SYSTEM OF THE WORK GROUPS. IN OTHER EXPERIMENTAL SITUATIONS, OUTSIDE OBSERVERS-CONFEDERATES POSED A TREAT TO THE GROUPS' CONTINUANCE TO TEST GROUP SOLIDARITY AND THE INTERNAL VOLUME OF GROUP DEVIANCE. THE EVIDENCE OF THIS STUDY SUPPORTS THE CONTENTION THAT DEVIANTS, INDEPENDENT OF THEIR ACTIONS, WILL BE MORE SEVERELY REJECTED AND STIGMATIZED FOLLOWING AN EXTERNAL TREAT TO THEIR CORPORATE SOCIAL SYSTEM. CHARTS, GRAPHS, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--JSP)