• Arizona State University

• ENG 102

The Dark Knight & Deviance Analysis

When the menace known as the Joker emerges from his mysterious past, he wreaks havoc and chaos on the

people of Gotham, the Dark Knight must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his

ability to fight injustice.1

Your Task: Apply the different sociological theories/concepts relating to crime and punishment to the film. Use

the chart below to write notes. Then type your answers and upload to Canvas by 4/17. Be sure to have at least

one example per box.

Cheat Sheet

Strain Theory: When people cannot reach their goals in society, they turn to deviant means to accomplish

them.

Labeling Theory: If someone is labeled as deviant, they are more likely to become more deviant.

Control Theory: the view that people refrain from deviant behavior because diverse factors control their

impulses to break social norms