Sociology of deviance, Jeffrey Dahmer, stigmatization, labeling, marginalization, social control, deviance construction, Erving Goffman, stigma, serial killer
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Abstract
Explore the sociology of deviance through Jeffrey Dahmer's extreme case, illustrating stigmatization, labeling, marginalization, and social construction of deviance.
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[...] The fascination with his case is still very strong today, with series like 'Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story' on Netflix. This overexposure reinforces the idea that deviance is an exception rather than a social process. The media participates in amplifying criminal figures, reinforcing the idea of irredeemable deviance. Conclusion Ultimately, the study of Jeffrey Dahmer from the perspective of the sociology of deviance shows that deviance is not a simple transgression of norms, but a socially constructed phenomenon influenced by context, collective perceptions, and social control. [...]
[...] The objective of this presentation is to show how these concepts apply to an extreme case like that of Jeffrey Dahmer. The 4 parts will correspond to the 4 notions explored 1. La déviance and its social construction La déviance is defined as a behavior that deviates from the norms of a society. Jeffrey Dahmer represents an extreme form of criminal deviance: he killed 17 men, drugged, tortured, and sometimes consumed their flesh. His crimes are both illegal and morally unacceptable. [...]
[...] After his arrest, Dahmer was nicknamed "the Milwaukee monster". He was strongly stigmatized and rejected, even in prison, where he was murdered." Before his arrest, he escaped suspicion due to his appearance (white man, polite, middle-class). Erving Goffman distinguishes visible and invisible stigmas. Dahmer had a hidden stigma that corresponds to the stigma of character flaws until his arrest. It is neither a bodily stigma nor a tribal stigma. Then, he became the very example of absolute stigmatization. 3. Marginalisation and Social Control Marginalisation refers to the social exclusion of an individual or group, while social control refers to the mechanisms that regulate behaviour. [...]
