Understanding Deviance: Causes, Consequences, and Perspectives
Deviance: Behavior that Violates Social Norms
Examples of Deviance
Deviance refers to behaviors that violate significant social norms. Examples include:
* Adult content consumption * Drug use * Excessive drinking * Illegal hunting * Eating disorders * Self-harming or addictive practices
The definition of deviance varies across societies. For instance, divorce is illegal in the Philippines.
The Nature of Deviance
Every society has numerous norms that govern behavior. Some norms are minor, while others are crucial for society’s smooth operation and safety.
Deviant: Person Committing Serious Negative Acts
A deviant is an individual who commits acts with severe negative consequences for society, such as:
* Murder * Sexual assault * Robbery
Process of Labeling a Deviant
* Detected committing a deviant act * Behavior becomes known to others * Deviant is stigmatized by society
Stigma: Mark of Social Disgrace
Stigmas are marks of social disgrace that separate deviants from society. They have been used as a form of social control throughout history.
Social Functions of Deviants
Emile Durkheim observed that deviants have some uses in social life:
* Clarifying norms * Unifying the group * Defusing tension * Promoting social change * Creating jobs (e.g., law enforcement)
Clarifying Norms
Deviance helps define acceptable behavior. When norms are broken, society is reminded of its guiding principles. Punishment serves as a warning against unacceptable behavior.
Diffusing Tension
Minor acts of deviance can serve as a safety valve for individuals who are unhappy with their lives.
Promoting Social Change
Deviance can help promote social change by identifying problem areas. When large members of people violate a particular norm, it is often an indication that something in society needs to be changed. Deviance promotes legitimate jobs such as security jobs, lawyers, criminalistics, judges, and janitors.
Functionalist Perspective-The major functionalist explanation is according to proper Robert K. Merton Strain Theory. The theory uses deviance as a natural out brought of the values, norms, and structure of society. According to Merton, American society places a high value on certain goals such as economic success. Under the strain theory of incompatible goals and means, individuals false victims to anomie.
Anomie-Situation arising when the norms of society are unclear or no longer applicable. This concept was originally proposed by Emile Durkheim to explain the high rates of suicide. Merton suggested explaining the high rate of suicide that individuals respond to the culturally approved goals and the legitimate means of achieving them.
Conflict Perspective-Believed competition and social inequality follow deviance. They see social life as a struggle between those who possessed power, the ruling class, and those who do not possess power, the lower class. People with power commit deviant acts to maintain their position. People without it, commit deviant acts for one of two reasons, to obtain economic rewards or low self-esteem.
Power Lessness-Richard Quinney said the ruling class level any behavior threatening their power as deviants. To protect their power the ruling class established ideologies, and belief systems, that explain deviants as a problem found primarily among the lower class.
Interactionist Perspective-Offer three major explanations of deviance:
Control theory: Explains deviance as a natural occurrence, social ties among individuals among social theorists determining conformity. According to Travis Hirchi control theory develops thrown social bonds in four ways:
Forming attachments with other teachers, and friends that accept the norms of society.
They have a strong belief in the moral codes of society.
Showing commitment to traditional societal values and goals (good education or job).
Fully involved in non-deviant activities.
Cultural Transmission Theory-Explain deviance as a learned behavior. Deviant behavior is learned in much the same ways that non-deviant behavior is learned. The concept of differential association refers to the frequency and closeness persons have with deviant and non-deviant individuals. Edwin Sutherland, a criminologist, proposed the concept of differential association suggesting that the learning of deviant behavior occurs in primary groups. This theory views all individuals as conformists.
Labeling Theory-Focusses on how individuals come to be deviant. Labeling theorists suggest two types of deviance.
Primary Deviance-Occasional deviant acts that are well concealed.
Secondary Deviance-As trial the individual denounced as deviant accept if it´s true or false, with the degradation ceremony it is set up a trial in which the individual is denounced and found guilty.