NCJ Number
88726
Date Published
1981
Length
238 pages
Annotation
This textbook introduces six major perspectives on the sociology of deviance: structural/functionalism, the University of Chicago theorists who emphasized social ecology, social control, labeling theory, ethnomethodology, and social conflict.
Abstract
A brief introduction defines a theoretical perspective as an integrated conceptual scheme which includes subject matter, theory, supporting research, and social policy implications. Individual chapters examine each perspective on deviance in detail, beginning with the principal theorists. A research section reviews selected studies which illustrate the theory and demonstrate its applications to specific patterns of deviance, such as drugs or prostitution. Implications of the theory and research for social policy are discussed, along with specific programs stimulated by this approach. A final section reviews the theory's weaknesses and limitations. Each chapter provides diagrams, references, a summary, and photographs of the leading theorists. The text concludes with a comparison of the six perspectives and suggestions for future research. An index is included.