Images of Deviance and Social Control: A Sociological History [Paperback]

Stephen J Pfohl (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070497656 | ISBN-13: 978-0070497658 | Publication Date: January 1, 1994 | Edition: 2nd

A very scholarly, upper-level text examining deviance and social control using nine major theoretical perspectives. For each perspective, Pfohl describes the basic theoretical images of deviance; discusses dominant research strategies and social control policies; locates the perspective within a general sociohistorical framework; discusses its status today; and assesses its strengths and weaknesses. While primarily sociological, it spans the concerns of a variety of disciplines (criminology/CJ, anthropology, religion, psychology, medicine, political science), integrating references to literature, film, music, and painting to show parallels between images of deviance produced by scientists and those produced by artists. A persuasive theme is that power relations, which are socially organized, shape a person's perception, definition, and reaction to deviance; thus, the study of deviance and social control is decidedly political. In the second edition, in addition to general updating, Pfohl enhances material on race and gender in the hierarchical/patriarchal power structure. He also expands and elaborates upon the critical perspective, devoting the two final chapters to it.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Goode, Deviance in Everyday Life: Personal Accounts of Unconventional Lives (ISBN 9781577662044) and Singer, The Face of Social Suffering: The Life History of a Street Drug Addict (ISBN 9781577664321). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

“This is a classic book that I have been using for years. Thank you for reissuing it. You have done a great service to the subfield of deviance.”  — A. Javier Trevino, Wheaton College

“It is the only work I have found that integrates religious, psychological, and law enforcement interests with those of sociology. It also makes major use of the critical (including the postmodernist) perspective in its analysis. Your pricing is an important improvement as well.”  — James Truitner, City College of San Francisco

“Awesome book. The frameworks as described by Pfohl are of great use to students in applying theories to contemporary contexts.”  — Leslie Elrod, University of Cincinnati

“I cannot say enough about this text and have been using it since it was first published. It is well-written, clear, scholarly, focussed, and well priced.”  — Arthur Ferrari, Connecticut College

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Inc.; 2nd edition (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070497656
• ISBN-13: 978-0070497658
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, but not suitable for all readers, December 17, 2007

By 

Pennsylvania Reader - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Images of Deviance and Social Control: A Sociological History (Paperback)

The book is excellent: comprehensive, thought-provoking, fair, and interesting. Reading it requires an investment in time and effort, not because it is difficult to read but because it focuses on ideas rather than the "nuts and sluts" mode of learning about deviance. It worked well when I used it to teach sociology of deviance and social control to typical-college-age Ivy League students. And it worked well with evenings-and-weekends urban adult students who did not have high SAT scores and did have full-time jobs, families, etc. the rest of the week. It has not worked well with typical-age college undergraduates at the minimally selective, medium-sized, small-town Midwestern university where I currently teach. When I've used this book here, about a third of the students don't read it or "skim" it, in their words, and so are lost. It is not a textbook and can not be read (or unread) successfully that way. (Testing them on the material did not encourage actual reading of the book.) Of those who try to read it, many are unwilling to read closely and slowly. They are frustrated by the focus on ideas and are intimidated or upset when Pfohl uses a word or idea they don't know. A few students read it and understand it--many of these are excited by the ideas in it--but I must choose course texts that the average, not the exceptional, student can use. I've accepted that the book is too challenging for most of my current students, not because they aren't smart enough to understand it but because, mostly, they aren't motivated to try. It's just not a good match. However, if you are a professor with ready-to-learn students who like to be intellectually challenged, or you want a deeper, more analytic perspective on the dominant theories of deviance for your own knowledge, I highly recommend it.