Society Free of Criminal Activity Critical Thinking

Society Free of Criminal Activity Critical Thinking Questions

Critical Thinking Questions

1.  Imagine a society without deviant behavior—where everyone continually conforms to the prevailing social norms. Describe the daily lives of the inhabitants of such a society. What are the advantages and disadvantages of total conformity for the society as a whole and for its individual members? Is it possible that a society without deviant behavior would persist through time?

2.  How does globalization provide a context for the cross-cultural dissemination of deviant behaviors? How does the Internet and social media facilitate the emergence, perpetuation, and redefinition of deviant activities across the globe?

3. Devise a strategy for the definition of deviant behavior that differs from the normative and situational approaches discussed in this chapter. What forms of deviant behavior might emerge from your definition of deviant behavior? What forms of deviant behavior defined by the normative or situational approach might be omitted?

4. Why are the vast majority of deviant behaviors routine and institutionalized and so few are considered innovative or idiosyncratic?

5. Discuss how the use of social media affects the formation of a self-identity that is particularly vulnerable to engaging in deviant behaviors. Alternately, how do individuals use social media to create forms of deviant behavior that reinforce a negative self-identity?