Part VI

This section looks more closely at the lives and activities of deviants.

Best and Luckenbill (1980) have noted in their analysis of the social organization of deviants that relationships among deviants take many forms varying in: (1) numbers of members(2) task specialization (3) stratification within group(4) type of authority structure

Part 6

Such deviants are most solitary interacting with others but keeping their deviant attitudes, behaviors or conditions secret

This category includes sexual asphyxiates, self-injurers, anorectics, bulimics, computers hackers, and pedophiles

Websites now permit many such “loners” to connect online with others like themselves thereby presenting potential surrogate forms of “community”

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Such websites provide several latent functions for participants, they: Transmit technical and ideological know-

how enabling deviants to more effectively engage in and legitimate their deviance

Bring together persons into common discourse regardless of age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, or SES

Are global spanning several continentsSuch deviant cyber-communities provide a

“space” for deviance to grow

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Such deviants have face-to-face relationships with others like themselves but don’t need their cooperation to perform their deviance

This category includes the homeless, recreational drug users & con artists

Big advantage over loners is that mutual association brings possibility of membership in a deviant subculture or counterculture

The individual gains social support from colleagues

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Such deviants engage in deviance with others like themselves but have only minimal division of labor

This category includes neighborhood gangs who congregate with their friends but have little division of labor except possibly a leaders

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A deviant group of 3-12 persons who band together to engage in more sophisticated deviant acts with larger monetary payoffs such as theft, smuggling, hustling at gambling

Especially fascinating to media and the public, crew deviance involves a complex division of labor involving specialized training and socialization

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Larger than crews and extending over time and space, this category includes Cosa Nostra Mafia “families” and the Columbian drug cartels

Such organizations may involve transnational links to other similar groups

They are much larger than crews & may have 100 or more members

They are ethnically homogenous, employ violence & are vertically & horizontally stratified, and have been known to infiltrate and corrupt law enforcement

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Legitimate persons and organizations may engage in deviant acts although these may be an occasional or “side” activity to their main activity

This is crime that is directly related to those privileged persons and groups in a position to abuse financial, organizational or political power

Such deviance may be financial but may also extend to bodily injury and death

White collar crime can be divided into two main subsections: occupational and organizational crime

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Pursued by persons acting on their own behalf

This includes employees at all levels of organizations who may steal from their companies, including embezzlement & computer crimes

Corporate executives at firms such as Enron, Tyco, and WorldCom looted their companies, shareholders & employee retirement plans through fraudulent accounting, offshore & dummy corporations to live in high style

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Persons in charge of purchasing for their firms are in a position to accept bribes to give business to its vendors

In government sector persons evade taxes through offshore companies and false tax shelters often sold to them by accounting and brokerage firms who charge millions for their services

Politicians may sell political power such as awarding of military contracts

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Professionals may collect money for their individual benefit such as doctors who accept gifts from drug companies to steer patients toward the use of their drugs

This includes a stockbroker who may engage in insider trading (e.g., Martha Stewart case)

Physicians who overcharge and/or over-service patients with Medicare/Medicaid fraud

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Crime committed with support of a legitimate formal organization & designed to advance goals of the firm or agency

Examples: false advertising, fraud, Antitrust violations, corruption pertaining to government contracts

Unsafe products represent another area: drugs, auto and tire industry, medical products

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Worker safety violations & unsafe working conditions result in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries annually including but not limited to coal mining, oil

and chemical industries, nuclear power plants, pesticide manufacturers

Government activity such as illegal domestic or international police or military operationsSecret FBI files, Iran-Contra scandal, secret

CIA prisons, etc

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Part VIChapter 32

Most research focuses on either eating disorders or drug use.

This study reports original research on college women who used licit pharmaceutical drugs or illicit street drugs in an ongoing effort to manage their body weight.

Evidence of eating disorders since ancient times, but before the late 1960s, virtually unknown to the general public.

Diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa & other eating related medical syndromes skyrocketed during the 1970s

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Part 6: Ch. 32

In-depth life-history interviews conducted with 57 college-age women at large, public university (N=57)Freshman to seniors, living on & off

campusAges 18-25 yearsFrom middle to upper-middle SES groups

Convenience sampling given difficulty of finding participantsSemi-structured interviews

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Part 6: Ch. 32

Licit: pharmaceutical, generally prescribed

Illicit: “street” drugs

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Instrumental: motivation to use predicated on substances’ specific effects

Instrumental drug-using women varied according to temporal nature:Some reported disordered eating before

onset of drug useOthers reported development of non-

normative weight managing behaviors after a period of drug use

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Part 6: Ch. 32

Reported history (foundation) of disordered eating prior to instrumental prescription drug use for weight loss

Conventional in that they used more socially acceptable Rx drugs instead of street drugs

Overall motivation – achieving cultural ideal of thinness, thus the goal was to conformConforming became over-conforming

Most presented as thin, but not too thinLargest category in typology (n = 24)

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Reported foundation of disordered eating after turning to street drugs for weight control

Drugs used were described as “dirty,” “unacceptable” & “inappropriate”Access to drugs not as reliable or

consistent, thus they scrounged to find them

Second largest category of instrumental users (n = 13)

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Those whose drug use pattern “journeyed” or “evolved”

Used Rx drugs recreationally or medicinally prior to their instrumental use for weight control

Journeyers comprised smaller typology (n = 11)

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Engaged in substance use before they turned into instrumental drug users

Initially used street drugs recreationally & later instrumental patterns for weight control purposes

Smallest category (n = 9)

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Individuals engaged in deviance alone as “loners” (Best & Luckenbill, 1980)Examples: sexual asphyxiates, self-

injurers, substance abusing pharmacists, embezzlers, anorectics & bulimics

Solitary operators act alone & don’t associate with deviant others, while subcultural participants acted alone but their behaviors heavily influenced by group memberships (Prus & Grills, 2003)

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Lies & secrecy employed by participants in this research

They kept their deviant behaviors hiddenMany feared if others found out about

their instrumental drug use, they would be forced to stop

Chose loner lifestyle to avert potential negative consequences

Online communities (“pro-anorexia” & “pro-bulimia”) provide community of support that encourages their deviance

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Often embarrassed about methods of weight control

Other methods employed by participants to control weight:Severe caloric restrictionEpisodes of bingeing & purgingLaxative abuseCigarette smokingDishonesty in the course of medical careObsessive thoughts about weight & body

management

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In general, research participants were high achievers or perfectionists, included:Honor studentsCollege athletesSocial leaders Award winnersFuture professionals

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Participants worried that instrumental drug use would be associated with disordered eating, which was generally negatively stigmatized

Obtaining their medications entailed lies & secrecy:Visiting campus clinic during the weekCreated alibis for such visits

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Different kind of secrecy employed in that street drug illegal & frowned upon socially

Had to access those who valued and used psychoactive substances

Secrecy about their drug use dropped when around others who engaged

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Part 6: Ch. 32

This was voluntary during episodes of drug use

Fear of others finding out would result in benefits of weight control diminishing

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Participants not truthful with medical personnel thus they were forced to rely on self-created systems of interpreting signs & signals regarding changes in their bodies

Rx users too felt the need to withhold negative information from their doctors

Most Rx users went to psychiatrists, thus no physical exams conducted to make sure they were “fit” enough to take medication

All users reported effects on their moods & energy levels

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Costs varied depending on dosages of drug use & specific substances

On average, cocaine users spent more for their supply ($50-$100 per gram)

Rx users costs’ varied (estimated $40-$200/mo)

Some given generous allowances, others worked None engaged in selling to support drug use Some played “middleman” role hooking sellers

with users without benefits for themselves But more time they spent with dealers & drug

subculture, less their drugs costsPart 6: Ch. 32

Rx drug users filled prescriptions & the cost varied depending on whether they had health insurance

Patterns of use depended on supply – the more available the more they did, however, money was not a significant concern for participants

Overall, financing drug use didn’t force illicit drug users out of their deviant careers

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How does this form of deviance differ from other forms in the context of its stigmatizing effects?

What were some of the major differences among illicit & licit drug users?

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Part VI Chapter 33

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Those who cut, burn, brand, pick at, or otherwise injure themselves in a deliberate but non-suicidal attempt to achieve relief by harming themselves

They grew from relatively small & unknown population into a burgeoning but largely secretive group in the late 1990s

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The early 2000s saw rise of online communities of self-injurersfirst just as places where individuals could

find each other and gain non-judgmental acceptance

later as support groups composed of like-minded others.

Self-injurers thus represent a hybrid associational form, behaving as loners in the solid world and colleagues in the cyber world.

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In-depth interviews with 25 self-injurers conducted between 2001 to 2004 (N = 25)

Ages 16-35 years with most given up behavior

Self-injury for most occurred in middle & high school, with just a few continuing past that age

Three-quarters women, all whiteConvenience sampling usedFocus on loner self-injurers – 80% of total

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Characteristics of loners outlinedDescribes ways self-injurers are similar &

differ from Best & Luckenbill’s (1982) ideal typical model: where some deviants organize & commit their acts as loners, without the support of fellow deviants

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Part 6: Ch. 33

Depression, alienation, rebellion, malaiseA form of comfort during stressful

periods

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As loners, on their own in constructing meaning & set of rationalizations to legitimize their deviance

Similar to rationalizations of convicted rapists where rapists denied violent nature of act & suggested that victims precipitated or wanted it

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Nonetheless, self-injurers had a much more difficult time giving social meanings & legitimacy to acts

Some focused on neatness – ability to do it without making a mess

For others, control was the issue – they could control where to hurt themselves & when

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Behavior viewed as private, not to be shared

A need for focus & concentration of being alone while injuring themselves

Given opportunity to interact or meet other self-injurers, many withdrew from or avoided interactions

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Without a subculture, self-injurers found themselves on their own in coping with practical problems presented by their devianceUnable to anticipate peoples’ reactionsPrior to 1996, scars could be explained

away, but no nowLed to cutting in places that weren’t as

visible such as the stomach, thighs, etc.

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Self-injurers socialized by society, not by fellow deviants, to choose devianceThus they choose it because they face

situations where respectable courses of action not attractive or satisfactory

Resulted in condemnation of their behavior & feelings of shame

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Self-injurers lack of support made deviance unstable, with difficulty sustaining their deviance over long periods of time

Structural strain between normative expectations & deviant behavior

Lack of support also made it difficult to reaffirm meaning of their deviance

Ceasing of their deviance left strong feelings of absence

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Why do self-injurers have difficulty sustaining their deviance over an extended period of time?

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