Cognitive Deviance

(these ideas drawn from Goode, 2001-2008 chapter 11. See the disclaimer)

Cognition

Cognitive Deviance

Two Ways a Belief Becomes Deviant:

Social rules "not only apply to how one behaves, but in how and what one thinks!"

Deviant Beliefs v. Deviant Behavior: "Pure" cognitive deviance involves beliefs that are unlikely to translate into deviant behavior.

The Social Functions of Belief Systems

Beliefs:

"Human consciousness is determined by social existence." (Berger and Luckmann, in Goode). The task of sociology is understand the social context out of which beliefs emerge.

The Sociology of Knowledge

Karl Marx

Most sociologists  see a more complex and less deterministic relationship between economy and beliefs. They see other institutions as "co-determiners," or equally capable of influencing one another.

Max Weber

Religious and Deviance

The Crusaders

The Old Believer's v. Mainstream Russian Orthodox Church (17th Century)

The Persecution of Witches in Renaissance Europe

        Why Women?

Creationism, Intelligent Design, and Evolution

Satanic Ritual Abuse

Heavens Gate (and cults in general)

Paranormal Beliefs as Deviant

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Parapsychology

    INCLUDES: Professional Parapsychologist     Parapsychologist as Scientists Parapsychologists provide no conventional explanation for why their findings turn out the way they do. They do not rely on commonly understood material forces. However, "normal" science has its unconventionalities, too. This assertion is not sufficient for most scientists Paranomalists are demonstrating  statistically significant results. For example, in aggregates of many experiments, psi effects appear vastly more often than by chance.

Remote Viewing -1978-87-PEAR experiment- The "percipient ", or remote viewer was asked to describe the physical or geographical state or setting in which an "agent" an individual known to the viewer was located.

So: Taken cumulatively, something is undoubtedly happening. Just what and how awaits a later generation of researchers.

Parapsychology as Deviant Science

But: Instead of accepting their deviant definition and becoming more deviant, Parapsychologist have stuck to a rigorous scientific methodology and rational thought criteria: Professionals with PhD degrees.

UFOs Are Real: The Roswell Incident

Scientist v. Lay - "Ways of Knowing"

Function of Urban Legends in the African American Community

Urban Legends Reference Pages

Thus: Cognitive deviance refers to holding beliefs that relevant audiences consider unacceptable, unconventional, and discrediting.
 

Conflict Theory

Mental Disorder as Deviance

URL: http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/200/cognitivedev.html
Owner: Robert O. Keel rok@umsl.edu
References and Credits for this Page of Notes
Last Updated: Monday, April 21, 2008 2:30 PM