The Relativity of Deviance
is a primer on
the constructivist perspective on deviance—the idea that deviance cannot be explained in terms of absolutes, nor can it be understood apart from its social setting. The book is frequently used alongside all of the major core deviance textbooks on the market. It answers such questions as: What is deviant? What is deviant behavior? How should the deviant be treated? Why is the same act sometimes praised and sometimes condemned? Readers will see that what qualifies as deviance varies from place to place, time to time, and situation to situation. The book explores some of the most frequent contexts for deviant behavior in ways that challenge definitive or objective judgments.
The
Fifth Edition has been updated to include the most current developments in American society, including deviance at the highest levels of national politics and corporate life, sex abuse scandals, the opioid crisis, and the growing decriminalization of marijuana.
Tabella dei contenuti
Preface
Chapter 1 The Dynamic Nature of Deviance
Being Left in a Right World
Relationships and Rule Breaking
Sociological Relativity
The Social Construction of Reality
Theoretical Views: The Old and the Not-So-Old
Relativity and Social Deviance
Whose Side Are We On?
Conclusions
References
Chapter 2 Being Deviant
The Original Blue Man (and Woman) Group
Being and Doing
Deviance and Responsibility
The Social Construction of Spoiled Identities
Managing Stigma
Conclusions
References
Chapter 3 Power, Social Networks, and Organizational Deviance
Power Corrupts, and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
The Carrier’s Case: Other People’s Belongings and the Crime of Theft
White-Collar Crime and Elite Deviance
The Relativity of Terrorism
Conclusions
References
Chapter 4 Mental Disorders
Medicalization on 34th Street
The Medicalization Process
Manufacturing Madness
Mental Health Buccaneers and Social Control
Sense and Nonsense in the Psychiatric Enterprise
Meltdown in the DSM
Conclusions
References
Chapter 5 Predatory Violence
The Social Construction of Murder and Violence
Arbitrary Meanings
Patterned Violence
Vocabularies of Motive and Interpersonal Accounts
The Curious Case of Jack the Ripper
Variable Violence: When Killing is Not Murder?
Conclusions
References
Chapter 6 Sexual Violence
Defining Rape
The Symbolic Organization of Sexual Violence
Rape and Social Conflict
Rape Scenes
Normalizing Sexual Violence
The Rape of Males
Conclusions
References
Chapter 7 Suicide
Social Frames and Definitions of the Situation
The Meanings of Suicide
The Curious Case of Autoerotic Asphyxiation
Sociocultural Variations in Suicide: Motive, Intent, and Interpretation
Suicide, Stigma, and Responsibility
Conclusions
References
Chapter 8 Sexual Diversity
Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
Sexuality: A Sociocultural Understanding
The Curious Case of the Berdache
Sexual Differentiation and Sexual Asymmetry
The Myth of the Universal Turn-On
Sexual Politics and the Transformation of Intimacy
Deviantizing Sexual Matters
Conclusions
References
Chapter 9 Drugs and Drug Taking
The Social Reality of Drug Use
Getting Stoned in the Animal Kingdom
Imprecise Definitions and Arbitrary Meanings
The Social Dynamics of Human Drug-Taking Experiences
Moral Entrepreneurs and Drug Crusades
Conclusions
References
Index
About the Author
Circa l’autore
John Curra (Ph D, Purdue University) is a professor at Eastern Kentucky University where he has taught courses in introductory sociology, social deviance, criminology, sociological analysis, social problems, social psychology, juvenile delinquency, and criminological theory since 1975. He has taught. In 1981, he received the prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. In 2005–2007, he was selected as a Foundation Professor, one of the highest honors a professor can receive at Eastern Kentucky University. In 2012, Curra moved to the Department of Criminal Justice in the School of Justice Studies. That same year, he was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award by the Department of Criminal Justice in the College of Justice and Safety. Curra has authored or co-authored several texts, an instructor’s manual, and a reader.
Altri ebook dello stesso autore / Editore
146.564 Ebook in questa categoria
