Sociology

Sociology Study Guide

• The correctional systems are supposed to apply the sanctions given by the courts. o There are four purposes of the correctional facility:  Retribution: Punishment  Deterrent: To keep the criminal and others from thinking about crime  Incapacitation: Restrict the criminal’s freedom  Rehabilitate: Provide skill training to help offender become law-abiding o The rate of recidivism, repeated crime, is high. Resource limitations keep prisons from concentrating on rehabilitation. An environment ripe with new criminal knowledge offers another challenge to rehabilitation. Crime and the Conflict Perspective Looking for a conflict, the relationship between deviants and their accusers is examined. Whose law and order is upheld by the legal sanctions? Each group has their own interests and conflict is imminent. Marx, of course, asserts that laws support the powerful over the weak and the rich over the poor. It is argued that crime is behavior that powerful groups consider to be a threat (to their positions andauthority). Mental Disorders: A psychological inability to handle ordinary situations can be considered a form of deviance, because people with a mental disorder violate norms consistently. From irrational speech and thoughts to delusions and hallucinations, their behavior is unpredictable and certainly does not fall within what the society at large would condone as acceptable. The causes of most mental disorders are unknown. Some result from physical brain damage, but often, no observable physical cause is apparent. Thomas Szasz argued that mental illness is a myth; he asserted that the behavior is not an illness but a defective means of coping – a mislearnedability. The highest rates of mental disorder are found in the lowest social classes. The reasons for this are hotly debated. The additional stress of living at or near poverty can make them more susceptible tomental disorder. Another theory is being lower class increases the likelihood of being labeled as mentally ill. Psychosis is a profound mental disturbance or break with reality that renders theindividual unable to function appropriately in society. Psychosis includes extreme paranoia (delusions of grandeur or persecution), manic-depression (dramatic mood shifts), schizophrenia (intellectual and emotional disengagement). Deviance has its place in society, but it is also disruptive to society. 3.7 Sexuality and Society Sociologists rejected sexuality as a legitimate research topic until after World War II, even though sexuality has played a significant part in society, whether in the formation or deviations of the population. Sexual acts, feelings, and thoughts are a constant part of life. Sex affects marriage, a classic

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