medicalization of deviance

(noun)

The medicalization of deviance refers to the process that changes "bad" behavior into "sick" behavior.

Related Terms

  • demedicalization
  • symbolic interactionist

Examples of medicalization of deviance in the following topics:

  • The Functionalist Perspective

    • In the functionalist model, Parsons argued that illness is a form of deviance that disturbs the social function of a society.
    • Sick role is a term used in medical sociology regarding sickness and the rights and obligations of the affected.
    • Parsons was a functionalist sociologist who argued that being sick means that the sufferer enters a role of "sanctioned deviance".
    • Therefore this deviance needs to be policed, which is the role of the medical profession.
    • In the functionalist model, Parsons argued that the best way to understand illness sociologically is to view it as a form of deviance that disturbs the social function of the society.
  • Psychological Theories of Deviance

    • Bales's alleged deviance.
    • One case study of a psychological theory of deviance is the case of conduct disorder.
    • Psychological theories of deviance do not necessarily have a biological element.
    • Bales's alleged deviance.
    • This goes to demonstrate the fluctuating nature of psychological theories of deviance.
  • Deviance

    • Karen Halnon of Pennsylvania State University studies informal deviance and focuses on what she calls "deviance vacations," whereby people of a certain socioeconomic status voluntarily enter another, usually lower, social strata.
    • Deviance is often divided into two types of activities.
    • The first, crime, is the violation of formally enacted laws and is referred to as formal deviance.
    • Examples of formal deviance include robbery, theft, rape, murder, and assault.
    • Karen Halnon of Pennsylvania State University studies informal deviance and focuses on what she calls "deviance vacations," whereby people of a given socioeconomic status voluntarily enter a different, often lower, social strata.
  • Introduction to deviance

    • Deviance is often divided into two types of deviant activities.
    • The first, crime is the violation of formally enacted laws and is referred to as formal deviance.
    • Examples of formal deviance would include: robbery, theft, rape, murder, and assault, just to name a few.
    • Karen Halnon of Pennsylvania State University studies how some people exercise informal deviance.
    • Sociological interest in deviance includes both interests in measuring formal deviance (statistics of criminal behavior; see below), examining how people (individually and collectively) define some things deviant and others normative, and a number of theories that try to explain both the role of deviance in society and its origins.
  • Biological Theories of Deviance

    • A biological theory of deviance proposes that an individual deviates from social norms largely because of their biological makeup.
    • A biological theory of deviance proposes that an individual deviates from social norms largely because of their biological makeup.
    • The theory primarily pertains to formal deviance, using biological reasons to explain criminality, though it can certainly extend to informal deviance.
    • A biological interpretation of formal deviance was first advanced by the Italian School of Criminology, a school of thought originating from Italy during the mid-nineteenth century.
    • The school was headed by medical criminologist Cesare Lombroso, who argued that criminality was a biological trait found in some human beings.
  • Sociological Theories of Deviance

    • Sociological theories of deviance are those that use social context and social pressures to explain deviance.
    • The study of social deviance is the study of the violation of cultural norms in either formal or informal contexts.
    • Sociological theories of deviance are those that use social context and social pressures to explain deviance .
    • Four main sociological theories of deviance exist.
    • The third main sociological theory of deviance is conflict theory.
  • Deviance and Technology

    • Advances in technology have resulted in new forms of deviance as well as new forms of control.
    • In addition to new forms of deviance in traditional cultural mores, new forms of deviance have arisen within cyberculture.
    • For this reason, all of these behaviors are considered production deviance.
    • More serious cases of deviant behavior involve property deviance.
    • Discuss the impact of technological innovation on forms of deviance and social control
  • Strain Theory: How Social Values Produce Deviance

    • What makes Merton's typology so fascinating is that people can turn to deviance in the pursuit of widely accepted social values and goals.
    • Thus, deviance can be the result of accepting one norm, but breaking another in order to pursue the first.
    • According to Merton, there are five types of deviance based upon these criteria:
    • Thus, deviance can be the result of accepting one norm, but breaking another in order to pursue the first.
    • Apply Merton's typology of deviance to the real world and give examples for each type
  • The Functionalist Perspective on Deviance

    • Functionalism claims that deviance help to create social stability by presenting explanations of non-normative and normative behaviors.
    • First, systems of recognizing and punishing deviance create norms and tell members of a given society how to behave by laying out patterns of acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
    • Deviance allows for the majorities to unite around their normativity, at the expense of those marked as deviant.
    • Deviance provides the key to understanding the disruption and re-calibration of society that occurs over time.
    • This is a short clip from the "Functions of Crime" segment of their new seven-part DVD "Short Cuts to Sociology: Crime and Deviance
  • The Functions of Deviance

    • What function does the notion of deviance play in society?
    • This cannot be answered without addressing this question of deviance.
    • First, systems of deviance create norms and tell members of a given society how to behave by laying out patterns of acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
    • Deviance allows for group majorities to unite around their worldview, at the expense of those marked as deviant.
    • Deviance provides the key to understanding the disruption and recalibration of society that occurs over time.
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