He labeled the workers who depended on the bourgeoisie for employment and survival the proletariat. Thus, since powder cocaine use was associated with wealthy whites, the laws were enacted to be lenient on powder cocaine but extremely punitive toward crack-cocaine. In order to address this type of issue, feminists successfully pressed the Supreme Court to deliver rulings that restricted a defense attorneys access to a victims medical and counselling records, and rules of evidence were changed to prevent a womans past sexual history from being used against her. Conflict theory developed by Karl Marx is a sociological theory, which postulates that society is an endless competition due to limited resources . To Merton, anomie was a condition that existed in the discrepancy between societal goals and the means that individuals have in achieving them. The. 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Read about other differences between the most restrictive state, Mississippi, and the least restrictive state, California. One method is the conflict theory of deviance. interprets society as a struggle for power between groups engaging in conflict for limited resources. The majority of women who did not report incidents to the police stated that they either dealt with them in another way, felt they were a private matter, or did not think the incidents were important enough to report. Conflict theory was greatly influenced by the work of 19th-century German philosopher, economist, and social scientist Karl Marx. Conflict theory in sociology describes society's tendency to change and develop due to perpetual conflict between classes. This would imply that all laws have political . Unlike functionalists, conflict theorists don't see these factors as positive functions of society. Sometimes that disparity is even greater. At the very top of the spectrum is a powerful elite clique that hold all the power and resources. Since then, a plethora of restrictions including waiting periods, restrictions on public funding for abortions, mandated counseling, parental involvement for minors, and others have made it exceedingly difficult. 1. This is an important function that affirms the cultural values and norms of a society for the members of that society. This double standard also explains the tendency to medicalize womens deviance, to see it as the product of physiological or psychiatric pathology. An important sociological approach, begun in the late 1800s and early 1900s by sociologists at the University of Chicago, stresses that certain social and physical characteristics of urban neighborhoods raise the odds that people growing up and living in these neighborhoods will commit deviance and crime. Most studies show rates of drug use among whites and blacks were similar. The sociological definition of social deviance a. stresses social context, not individual behavior. According to sociologist Edwin Lemert, the term 'primary' means the first deviation in a person's life and is . When either class feels like their position is too much of a disadvantage, then the chances of a conflict starting will rise. Regulating womens bodies is nothing new, particularly when it comes to minority women in the U.S. White slaveowners raped black female slaves with impunity and then increased their property with the offspring. In part the gender difference revolves around patriarchal attitudes toward women and the disregard for matters considered to be of a private or domestic nature. In sociology classes you're taught the major different sociological views (functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic-interactionism, etc) as if they are separate views and conflict with each other. b. everyone in society must regard it as deviant. Marx believed that the general population was divided into two groups. Conflict Theory Conflict theory looks to social and economic factors as the causes of crime and deviance. Overview of Robert Merton's Theory of Deviance Building off of Durkheim's work on anomie, Merton (1957), was the first person to write about what sociologists call strain theory. Watch the selected clip from this video to examine how conflict theorists think about deviance. In 1986, federal law mandated that being caught in possession of 50 grams of crack was punishable by a ten-year prison sentence. These theorists seek to understand how/why some groups of society have attained the power to facilitate resources to other groups of society that they have deemed inferior. How would Conflict Theory define deviance?. Conflict Theory Conflict Theory Conflict theorists focus on how advantaged and disadvantaged groups are bolstered or broken by the competition for necessary resources. Deviance and Power Conflict theorist Alexander Liazos points out that the people we commonly label as deviant are also relatively powerless. They just function for the interest and protection of upper class. Johnson (1996) reported that in the mid-1990s, when violence against women began to be surveyed systematically in Canada, 51 percent of Canadian women had been subject to at least one sexual or physical assault since the age of 16. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. The elite must therefore walk a balancing act between maintaining the status quo of their power while giving enough to the working class to appease them so theyll continue selling their labor. Those who are at the bottom of social ladder (lower class) are not entertain by law enforcing institutions as they entertain upper class. Low-income women in all racial groups are more likely to experience unintended pregnancies, largely due to a lack of health insurance and access to contraception. The U.S. Supreme Court inRoe v. Wade(1973) decided in a 7-2 decision that states cannot unduly restrict abortions. Max Weber perceived the social hierarchies as a root cause of conflict in a society. The study of social deviance is the study of the violation of cultural norms in either formal or informal contexts. We also acknowledge previous National Science Foundation support under grant numbers 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739. In 2009, 84 percent of violent spousal incidents reported by women to police resulted in charges being pursued. The first myth is that women are untrustworthy and tend to lie about assault out of malice toward men, as a way of getting back at them for personal grievances. Conflict theorists often look at social groups through an ethnic or gender based lens because those traits have been the source of America's longest lasting . With changing norms in response to deviance, the deviant behavior can contribute to long-term social stability. What factors best explain how this person might be punished if convicted of the crime? What crime did he or she allegedly commit? In the usual relationship between these two groups, the working class will sell their labor and talents to the wealthy class so that both groups can achieve a compromise of sorts. Abortion's racial gap. From a pharmaceutical standpoint, crack and cocaine are nearly the same in terms of effect. Module 6: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control, Module 17: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment, Module 18: Social Movements and Social Change, Crime Rates Have Fallen since the Early 1990s.. working class. 97 Reading: Conflict Theory and Deviance Conflict Theory Conflict theory looks to social and economic factors as the causes of crime and deviance. A law that benefits one class, but not the other, creates a conflict between the two. Instructions You are working for a local department store in the Operations Department. Marxists focus on the political economy and the capitalist system in their analyses of power and conflict, while the conflict theorists have customarily expanded their definitions of power beyond focus on the capitalist system. Gramlich, J. The second difference between the two is the policy implications that branch from the theories. Whatever group is able to control the wealth in the society is going to have the power to control manufacturing, production, wages, benefits, and resource access. The second myth, is that women will say no to sexual relations when they really mean yes. Typical of these types of issues was the judges comment in a Manitoba Court of Appeals case in which a man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his twelve- or thirteen-year-old babysitter: The girl, of course, could not consent in the legal sense, but nonetheless was a willing participant. In addition to clarifying the moral boundaries of society, deviant behavior can also promote social unity by creating an us-versus-them mentality in relation to deviant individuals. In the conflict theory of deviance, laws are simply a way for one class to control another class so that resources do not need to be shared. (2014). In response to these inequalities, certain groups will act deviantly in order to change their circumstances, change the social structure that engendered their circumstances, or just to act out against their oppressors. Conflict theory derives from the ideas of Karl Marx. Explain his or her actions from the point of view of one of the major sociological paradigms. Conflict theory on crime and deviance: Marxism. The only problem with this relationship is that it benefits the wealthy class to keep the working class at a disadvantage. Thus, since powder cocaine use was associated with wealthy whites, the laws were enacted to be lenient on powder cocaine but extremely punitive toward crack-cocaine. Specifically, this paper defines deviance from the conflict perspective by using objective criteria. Consent to sexual intercourse was redefined as what a woman actually says or does, not what the man believes to be signalling consent. Deviance under a social-conflict theory is seen as a result of social inequality. Legal. Around the globe, criminal activities seem to increase daily. Deviance from conflict perspective can be explain by breaking up the theories of Karl Marx. Most studies show rates of drug use among whites and Blacks were similar. 2003). The crack-cocaine punishment disparity remained until 2010, when President Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act, which decreased the disparity to 1 to 18 (The Sentencing Project 2010). For example, until 1969, abortion was illegal in Canada, meaning that hundreds of women died or were injured each year when they received illegal abortions (McLaren and McLaren 1997). Labeling theory is a sociological theory that views deviance as a result of the way society labels people. Four main sociological theories of deviance exist. Conflict theories of deviance focus less on deviant acts and more on inequality and power in the process of creating and enforcing norms. by kdkasi | Dec 11, 2017 | Deviance and Social Control. Functionalism proposes that each individual contributes to the society's overall performance and stability. The US has one of the world's biggest populations of prisoners. Unlike functionalists, conflict theorists dont see these factors as positive functions of society. All the efforts are put together by working class for production but they do not receive the fair share of their work. For instance, individuals in the U.S. who sell illegal drugs have rejected the culturally acceptable means of making money, but they still share the widely accepted cultural value of making money. Get full access to this article The second myth, is that women will say no to sexual relations when they really mean yes. Typical of these types of issues was the judges comment in a Manitoba Court of Appeals case in which a man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his twelve- or thirteen-year-old babysitter: The girl, of course, could not consent in the legal sense, but nonetheless was a willing participant. Because of this, the rules of society are stacked in favor of a privileged few who then manipulate them to maintain their positions. Subcultural Theory: The Basics. These policies oblige police to pursue charges in cases of domestic violence when a complaint is made, whether or not the victim wishes to press charges (Kramar 2011). Those in the upper classes, however, will do what they can to stop that transformation. Pick a famous politician, business leader, or celebrity who has been arrested recently. Until the 1970s, two major types of criminal deviance were largely ignored or were difficult to prosecute as crimes: sexual assault and spousal assault. An example of conflict theory would be the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in the fall of 2011. 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\newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\), Regulating womens bodies is nothing new, particularly when it comes to minority women in the U.S. White slaveowners raped black female slaves with impunity and then increased their property with the offspring. This had excluded spousal sexual assault as a crime and had also exposed women to secondary victimization by the criminal justice system when they tried to bring charges. A conflict theorist would note that those in society who hold the power make the laws concerning crime that benefit their own interests,while the powerless classes who lack the resources to make such decisions suffer the consequences. Conflict theory was greatly influenced by the work of 19th-century German philosopher, economist, and social scientist Karl Marx. It was not until the Canadian Supreme Court ruling in 1988 that struck down the law that it was acknowledged that women are capable of making their own choice, in consultation with a doctor, about the procedure. Who was the victim? Examples of Conflict Theory The farmers, workers, and laborers were the Proletariats. KARL MARX ON CONFLICT THEORY Conflict theory, in short, was the theory which showed everybody how the difference in rights and power in different groups can lead to conflicts and tension among the various groups of people. The protesters were deviating from social norms of coherence in order to articulate grievances against the extremely wealthy. . This had excluded spousal sexual assault as a crime and had also exposed women to secondary victimization by the criminal justice system when they tried to bring charges. Conflict Theory is one of the theoretical frameworks sociologists can use to study deviance. Functionalist and Conflict's Perspectives of Theories of Deviance. The same is true for the wealthy class. Conflict theory originated in the work of Karl Marx, who focused on the causes and consequences of class conflict between the bourgeoisie (the owners of the means of production and the capitalists) and the proletariat (the working class and the poor).Focusing on the economic, social, and political implications of the rise of capitalism in Europe, Marx theorized that . the institution`s ability to change norms, wealth, or status comes into . Angered at the extreme inequalities in wealth distribution in the United States, protesters began to organize more communal ways of living in Zucotti Parknear Wall Street in New York Cityin order to protest the lavish means of life of those at the top of the socioeconomic ladder. This process works because of stigma; in applying a deviant label, one attaches a stigmatized identity to the labeled individual. Furthermore, in capitalist society the goal of each and every individual is, to become economically prosper. The conflict theory of deviance is about control. This theory helps the employees and employers to understand the cause behind the imbalance of power and dissent in the workplace. Secondary victimization occurs when the womens own sexual history and her willingness to consent are questioned in the process of laying charges and reaching a conviction, which as feminists pointed out, increased victims reluctance to press charges. [1] He defined the term ascrime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation. Typically, these are nonviolent crimes committed in commercial situations for financial gain andaccording to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), white-collar crime is estimated to cost the United States more than $300 billion annually. Since then, a plethora of restrictions including waiting periods, restrictions on public funding for abortions, mandated counseling, parental involvement for minors, and others have made it exceedingly difficult. Property crimes have fallen dramatically over the past twenty years (see chart below); it is also important to keep in mind that only 36 percent of property crimes are reported to police[3]. Social strain typology, developed by Robert K. Merton, is based upon two criteria: (1) a persons motivations or adherence to cultural goals; (2) a persons belief in how to attain her goals. The goal of the amendments was to emphasize that sexual assault is an act of violence, not a sexual act. Pick a famous politician, business leader, or celebrity who has been arrested recently. Unlike functionalists, conflict theorists dont see these factors as positive functions of society. McLeay Sociology - Block H 29 October 2014 Deviance I believe that conflict theory represents deviance the best.Conflict theory is defined as societies competition for scarce resources and how social groups use their power to take advantage of one another. In addition to examining the ways in which the state regulates womens bodies, feminist theorists also look at violent crimes against women that are sexual in nature. According to conflict theory, deviance occurs due to class conflict. The goal of the amendments was to emphasize that sexual assault is an act of violence, not a sexual act. Because the girl was willing to perform household chores in place of the mans estranged wife, the judge assumed she was also willing to engage in sexual relations. In 1983 the Criminal Code was amended to replace the crimes of rape and indecent assault with a three-tier structure of sexual assault (ranging from unwanted sexual touching that violates the integrity of the victim to sexual assault with a weapon or threats or causing bodily harm to aggravated sexual assault that results in wounding, maiming, disfiguring, or endangering the life of the victim) (Kong et al. The broadcast media and social media have been rife with stories of #metoo, which feminists are examining from a macrosociological approach (power and structures of power) and a microsociological approach (hashtag movement, personal identification with others who have similar experiences). I happen to be a huge fan of Marx and conflict theory, but also view society as it interacts as a whole through a functional perspective. "White-collar crime." Feminists also argued that spousal assault was a key component of patriarchal power. The American Sociological Associations 1939 President Edwin Sutherland coined the term white-collar crime in his address White Collar Criminality, which was one of the few such addresses to make front-page news. Marxists argue that unequal power structures and injustices in society result in crime. Abortion has been declining with approximately 1.1 million abortions performed in 2011, at a rate of 16.9 abortions for every 1,000 women of childbearing age, down from a peak of 29.3 per 1,000 in 1981 (Dutton 2014). Marx believed that the general population was divided into two groups. "Five facts about crime," Pew Research Center.(2018). This makes accessing proper health care more difficult for the poor and the middle classes. "Five facts about crime," Pew Research Center.(2018). Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. CEO salaries are often discussed when looking at wage disparity, but take a look at the wages of doctors in the United States and youll see a greater disparity. Laws are created by those in power in order to maintain their rights, interests, and dominance. In conflict theory, deviant behaviors are actions that do not comply with social institutions. c 2. [1] He defined the term as crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation. Typically, these are nonviolent crimes committed in commercial situations for financial gain and according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), white-collar crime is estimated to cost the United States more than $300 billion annually. Typically it was hidden in the household and largely regarded as a private, domestic matter in which police were reluctant to get involved. Mertons typology is fascinating because it suggests that people can turn to deviance in the pursuit of widely accepted social values and goals. In agriculture society land lords exploited peasants and Karl Marx refer to the status qua society as capitalist society, where bourgeoisie exploits proletariat (working class). The main argument is that crime rates are higher when social bonds among people become weak, and conflicts between groups . It is a war between the various socioeconomic groups that happen to form a complete society. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/white-collar_crime, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/10/17/facts-about-crime-in-the-u-s/, https://www.vox.com/2016/1/25/10826560/opioid-epidemic-race-black, https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/abortions-racial-gap/380251/, https://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/health-and-society/dark-history-forced-sterilization-latina-women, https://cnx.org/contents/AgQDEnLI@10.1:OY7OWJCz@6/Theoretical-Perspectives-on-Deviance, http://cnx.org/contents/02040312-72c9333f3e1d@3.49, https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology/chapter/chapter7-deviance-crime-and-social-control/, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/30/5-facts-about-crime-in-the-u-s/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06IS_X7hWWI&index=20&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtMJ-AfB_7J1538YKWkZAnGA, status page at https://status.libretexts.org, Explain how conflict theorists understand deviance. Sociological theories of deviance are those that use social context and social pressures to explain deviance. The following discussions further delve into their . At the same time, Bernie Madoff was arrested in 2008 for creating losses that totaled $50 billion. Karl Marx. Subcultural theorists argue that deviance is the result of whole groups breaking off from society who have deviant values (subcultures) and deviance is a result of these individuals conforming to the values and norms of the subculture to which they belong. The working class cannot afford to buy the same products, which they have produced in the factory, because they are not being paid for their work fairly. The most effective and long-term contraception, an intrauterine device or IUD, costs between $500-1000 and office visit fees are in addition to the cost of the IUD itself; community health centers and Medicaid typically do not cover 100% of the costs, but often IUDs are covered by private insurance. They are only left with an option of deviance to obtain their goals. Since you began working with this organization, [] Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. They see them as evidence of inequality in the system. While traditional societies share cultural values and have relatively harmonious relationships, this is comparatively absent in modern A conflict theorist would note that those in society who hold the power make the laws concerning crime that benefit their own interests, while the powerless classes who lack the resources to make such decisions suffer the consequences. This approach argues that deviant behavior plays an active, constructive role in society by ultimately helping to cohere different populations within a particular society. However, most of them fail to obtain that goal because they do not have means to achieve the goal. In addition to examining the ways in which the state regulates womens bodies, feminist theorists also look at violent crimes against women that are sexual in nature. The second main sociological explanation of deviance comes from structural functionalism. Merton proposed a typology of deviant behavior, a classification scheme designed to facilitate understanding. Conflict theory looks at society as a competition for limited resources. Inequality in a society create chaos and unrest, if resources are distributed equally amongst the individuals there would be no crime. C. Wright Mills believed that an individual's personal life should be a requirement within sociology, whereas Berger believed that mixing personal life and other aspects such as work life can lead to inconsistencies. Focus: Creation and Enforcement of Law. Conflict Theory Conflict theory looks to social and economic factors as the causes of crime and deviance. Conflict theory on deviance is based on two assumptions these include. All the efforts are put together by working class for production but they do not receive the fair share of their work. Deviance helps to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. According to Merton, there are five types of deviance based upon these criteria: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. According to Merton, there are five types of deviance based upon these criteria: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. Though Marx spoke little of deviance,he wrote a great deal about laws and developed a legal theory thatcreated the foundation for conflict theorists. This double standard also explains the tendency to medicalize womens deviance, to see it as the product of physiological or psychiatric pathology. The American Sociological Associations 1939 President Edwin Sutherland coined the term white-collar crime in his address White Collar Criminality, which was one of the few such addresses to make front-page news. The fact that good middle- and upper-class women, who were at that time coincidentally beginning to experience the benefits of independence from men, would turn to stealing in department stores to obtain the new feminine consumer items on display there, could not be explained without resorting to diagnosing the activity as an illness of the weaker sex (Kramar 2011). Wealthy executives, politicians, celebrities, and military leaders often have access to national and international power, and in some cases, their decisions affect everyone in society. In particular feminists challenged the twin myths of rape that were often the subtext of criminal justice proceedings presided over largely by men (Kramar 2011). Mills theories explain why celebrities such as Chris Brown and Paris Hilton, or once-powerful politicians such as Eliot Spitzer and Tom DeLay, can commit crimes and suffer little or no legal retribution. We'll explo. Nearly one-third of women of child-bearing age in Puerto Rico were sterilized between 1930 and 1970, as funded by the U.S. Department of Health, Welfare, and Funding to mitigate high levels of unemployment and poverty. It is one of the four paradigms of sociology, which include functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and feminism. The third main sociological theory of deviance is conflict theory. The root cause of the deviance is class struggle. Johnson (1996) reported that in the mid-1990s, when violence against women began to be surveyed systematically in Canada, 51 percent of Canadian womenhad been subject to at least one sexual or physical assault since the age of 16. He labeled the workers who depended on the bourgeoisie for employment and survival the proletariat. Symbolic interactionists also study how people use symbols to create meaning. Those who follow the work of Karl Marx concerning criminology are known as Marxist criminologist. An example of this from a criminal standpoint can be found in the sentencing mandates for crack and cocaine. Legal. Organizational conflict theory is the subtype of the social conflict theory, which is related to the conflicts that arise in the workplace. Yet another theory that conflicts with the conflict theory is the social control theory that explains why people may not engage in deviant behaviors. Secondary victimization occurs when the womens own sexual history and her willingness to consent are questioned in the process of laying charges and reaching a conviction, which as feminists pointed out, increased victims reluctance to press charges. It is the purview of sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and criminologists to study how these norms are created, how they change over time and how they are enforced. They view deviance as a key component of a functioning society. In the #metoo era, women from many different groups (i.e. It is these people who decide what is criminal and what is not, and the effects are often felt most by those who have little power. He believed that societal relationships built on power, status and money. Introduction to Sociology Lumen/OpenStax by Lumen Learning & OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Finally, deviance is actually seen as one means for society to change over time. In a capitalist society, everyone has the chance to change their socioeconomic class. Unlike functionalists, conflict theorists don't see these factors as positive functions of society. In his book The Power Elite (1956), sociologist C. Wright Mills described the existence of what he dubbed the power elite, a small group of wealthy and influential people at the top of society who disproportionately control power and resources. Real-Life Examples of the Conflict Theory. Moreover, conflict theory suggest that, legislature, judiciary and executive branch of state are made and work for the people who are at the top of social ladder (upper class). This conflict isnt a war between nations. Examples of social conflict theory can be found in a variety of situations. 1.3.01 Theories of Deviance Activity.docx - Name: Bailey 2.03-01_task.doc - Name: makayla thomas Date: School: Facilitator; 3.Sociology 3.01 Defining And Explaining Deviance. They have been labeled because of their race. A significant proportion, however, did not want anyone to find out (44 percent), did not want their spouse to be arrested (40 percent), or were too afraid of their spouse (19 percent) (Sinha 2013). Heres an example: in 2009, the total losses reported to the FBI through criminal acts, including burglary, robbery, and theft, was just over $15 billion for the entire year. They see them as evidence of inequality in the system. Thus, Marx viewed the laws as instruments of oppression for the proletariat that are written and enforced to maintain the economic status quo and to protect the interests of the ruling class. By being in a more influential class, it becomes possible to manipulate the law in your favor. The U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade (1973) decided in a 7-2 decision that states cannot unduly restrict abortions. The main aspect of variation between the conflict theory and functionalism is that functionalism focuses on the development of structures that are important in bringing about stability in the society, while functionalism focuses on aspects of differences in the institutions that are set up in the society and how conflict is generated. Through the 1970s, women worked to change the criminal justice system and establish rape crisiscenters and battered womens shelters, bringing attention to domestic violence. founder of conflict theory. Conflict theory 1. Power and Control: Deviance as a Political Process; Freedom in an unequal society becomes: The ability to profit over others; to define deviance. Conflict theory suggests that deviant behaviors result from social, political, or material inequalities of a social group. The fact that good middle- and upper-class women, who were at that time coincidentally beginning to experience the benefits of independence from men, would turn to stealing in department stores to obtain the new feminine consumer items on display there, could not be explained without resorting to diagnosing the activity as an illness of the weaker sex (Kramar 2011). 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