The Conflict Perspective of Deviance and Deviants Essay -- Deviance So

The Conflict Perspective of Deviance and Deviants Works Cited Not Included  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When it comes to the conflict perspective and deviance, researchers have discovered one of the most influential lines of theory and research (Quinney, 1980; Chambliss and Seidman, 1982; Swaaningen, 1997; Arrigo, 1999). Marxist criminologists see deviance as a product of the exploitative nature of the ruling class. Deviance is a behavior that the rich and powerful see as threatening to their interests. An example of the conflict perspective relating to deviance is white- collar crimes. (Edwin Sutherland {1940,1983}) White-collar crime is any crime committed by respectable and high status people in the course of their occupations. (Lower status people commit crimes of the streets; higher status people engage in ?crimes of the suites?). (Nader and Green, 1972; D.R. Simon, 1998). Examples of these crimes include: price fixing, illegal rebates, embezzlement, manufacture of hazardous products, toxic pollution and more. ( Geis Meier, and Salinger, 1995; J.W. Coleman, 1977; Calavita,Pontell, and Tillman, 1999). Although the costs of these crimes are higher than lower status crimes, and these crimes are more harmful to society, tolerance is shown and leniency is shown because of their high-class position. In the end penalties are both tougher and more likely to be imposed for crimes committed by lower class people than those of higher social classes. The conflict approach to deviance underscores the relativity of deviance. The conflict perspective when applied to the study of deviant behavior emphasizes social inequality and power differentials. The most powerful members of society are said to determine group norms, and consequently who will be regarded as deviant. Conflict theorists relate deviance to capitalism pointing the relationship between race, ethnicity, and crime. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Please explain deviance and discuss the relationship between race and deviance as it relates to crime and criminal behavior. Please consider differences in perception among groups or people who define persons as deviant.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deviance is any behavior that departs from societal of group norms. (Ex: criminal behavior; violations of significant social norms) These significant norms are those that are highly important to either most members in a society or to the members wit... ...s another person would), and game stage (children learn to engage in more sophisticated role taking. Mead believes the self is composed of two separable parts: the ?me? and the ?I?. The ?me? is self- formed through socialization. The ?I? interacts constantly with the ?me? as we conduct ourselves in social situations. Cooley believed self- concept is an image of oneself as an entity separate from other people--- that still stands today. He also believes that children learn to judge themselves in terms of how they imagine others will react to them. We serve as mirrors for the development of self. (Cooley). He called this concept the looking glass self. (A self-concept based on our perception of others? judgments of us.) We use others as mirrors reflecting back our imagined reactions of them to us. According to Cooley, the, looking glass self is the product of a three-stage process that is constantly taking place. First we imagine how we appear to others. Next, we imagine the reaction of others to our imagined appearance. Finally, we evaluate ourselves according to how we imaged others have judged us. The result of this process is negative or positive self-evaluation.