what is deviance theory

What are the four theories of deviance?

Theories of deviance/ criminology. There are four theories about deviance are following-Functionalist theory; Interactionist theory; Conflict theory; Control theory; Functionalist theory. Social integration is the attachment to groups and institutions, while social regulation is the adherence to the norms and values of the society.

What does 'deviance' mean?

Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word deviance. Actions or behaviors that violate formal and informal cultural norms such as law and the discouragement from public nose-picking. A person or thing that differs from the expected.

Why do you think deviance exist in a society?

It helps to clarify norms, it helps to unify groups, it helps to diffuse tension, and it helps to promote social change. Deviance helps to clarify norms in a society because it helps to emphasize to people what is and is not acceptable behavior. When people act in ways that are unacceptable and they are punished.

What are the functions of deviance?

What are the 5 functions of deviance?

• clarify moral boundaries and affirm norms. deviant acts challenge these boundaries.
• unifying the group.
• deviance promotes social change.
• diffusing tension.
• providing jobs.

What are the theories of deviance in sociology?

While there are many different sociological theories about crime, there are four primary perspectives about deviance: Structural Functionalism, Social Strain Typology, Conflict Theory, and Labeling Theory.

What is deviance with example?

Deviant behavior may violate formally-enacted rules or informal social norms. Formal deviance includes criminal violation of formally-enacted laws. Examples of formal deviance include robbery, theft, rape, murder, and assault.

What are the 3 theories of deviance?

Strain theory, social disorganization theory, and cultural deviance theory represent three functionalist perspectives on deviance in society.

What defines deviance?

The word deviance connotes odd or unacceptable behavior, but in the sociological sense of the word, deviance is simply any violation of society's norms. Deviance can range from something minor, such as a traffic violation, to something major, such as murder.

What causes deviant behavior?

Causes of Deviant Behavior In reality, there are likely many factors that play a role in deviant behavior. These include genetics, personality, upbringing, environment, and societal influences. It is also important to note that what is considered deviant can vary from one culture to the next.

How does deviance impact society?

Deviance helps people adjust to change. It provides examples of alternate lifestyles and eases the shock of social change because "deviants" introduce these changes gradually. Over time individuals get used to seening different styles of dress, behavior, etc.

What are the 4 types of deviant behavior?

According to Merton, there are five types of deviance based upon these criteria: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion.

What is the nature of deviance?

Deviance implies nonconformity, doing things differently from the everyday routines. This makes the study of deviance intrinsically interesting to most people. But deviance is also a highly useful field of study.

What is another word for deviance?

In this page you can discover 15 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for deviance, like: abnormality, deviancy, deviation, unnaturalness, aberrance, aberrancy, aberration, irregularity, preternaturalness, good and usual.

Which is an example of deviance but not an example of a crime?

An act can be deviant but not criminal i.e. breaking social, but not legal, rules. Examples, of this include acts that are seen as deviant when they occur in a certain context, such as a male manager wearing a dress to the office or someone talking loudly in the middle of a concert.

What are the 4 types of deviance?

Key PointsSocial strain typology, developed by Robert K. ... According to Merton, there are five types of deviance based upon these criteria: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion.More items...•

What are some examples of positive deviance?

Positive Deviance DefinedFeeding their children even when they had diarrhea.Giving them multiple smaller meals rather than two big ones.Adding 'leftover' sweet potato greens to meals. ... Collecting small shrimp and crabs found in the paddy fields – rich in protein and minerals – and including them in their family's diet.More items...•

What are the examples of deviant behavior in school?

Types of Deviant Behaviour in Schools. I buchin (2016) identified number of deviant behaviours that are prevalent in our schools. These are: examination malpractice, truancy, bullying, lateness to school, stealing, drug Abuse, cultism, sex offences and absenteeism.

What are the three theories of deviance?

The three theories of deviance include Emile Durkheim's deviance theory, Merton's strain theory of deviance and the functionalist theory of deviance.

What is an example of social deviance?

Social deviance can be as serious as crimes like murder, rape and robbery (fomral deviance) to actions such as belching loudly in public, peeping t...

What are the main causes of social deviance?

The causes of social deviance can be linked to societal issues. These issues can influence social behavior. The following are causes of social devi...

What is meant by social deviance?

Social deviance can be defined as any behavior that a society finds offensive. Such behavior can cause condemnation, disapproval, hostility and pun...

Social Deviance: Definition and Explanation

Social deviance refers to a behavior that is found offensive and unacceptable in a social group. Social deviance can be formal, where individuals break laws and guidelines of land or informal, where an individual is just deviant from unwritten norms.

Types of Deviance

As aforementioned, there are two types of deviance, formal and informal deviances.

Sociological Theories of Deviance

There are different theories of deviance that are present. These theories use social conditions, situations, and pressures to explain social deviance. Emile Durkheim and Robert Merton are major theorists known for their contribution to social deviance.

Activities for Social Deviance

In the lesson, you read that deviance is not a term that only applies to criminal behavior, but also a term that applies to behavior outside of the norm. Think of an instance in your own life where you might be considered to have engaged in deviant behavior. For example, a teenage boy may be in a ballet class full of girls.

What are the theories of deviance?

This dimension divides theories into two groups, those that explain the social origins of norm violations and those explaining societal reactions to deviance. Social origin theories focus on the causes of norm violations. Typically, these theories identify aspects of the social environment that trigger norm violations; social conditions in which the violations are most likely to occur. In contrast, social reaction theories argue that deviance is often a matter of social construction, a status imposed by one person or group on others and a status that ultimately may influence the subsequent behavior of the designated deviant. Social reaction theories argue that some individuals and groups may be designated or labeled as deviant and that the process of labeling may trap or engulf those individuals or groups in a deviant social role.

How does deviance occur?

Many explanations of deviance argue that its causes are rooted in the background or personal circumstances of the individual. Micro-level origin theories have developed over the past fifty years, identifying mechanisms by which ordinarily conforming individuals may become deviant. These theories assume the existence of a homogeneous, pervasive set of norms in society and proceed to explain why persons or entire groups of persons violate the norms. There exist two important traditions within this category of theories. The first tradition involves "social learning theories"—explanations that focus on the mechanisms through which people learn the techniques and attitudes favorable to committing deviant acts. The second tradition involves "social control theories"—explanations that emphasize factors in the social environment that regulate the behavior of individuals, thereby preventing the occurrence of deviant acts.

What is differential association theory?

At the heart of this theory is the assumption that deviant behavior, like all other behaviors, is learned. Further, this learning occurs within intimate personal groups—networks of family members and close friends. Thus, according to these theories individuals learn deviance from persons closest to them. Sutherland specified a process of differential association, reasoning that persons become deviant in association with deviant others. Persons learn from others the techniques of committing deviant acts and attitudes favorable to the commission of those acts. Further, Sutherland reasoned that persons vary in their degree of association with deviant others; persons regularly exposed to close friends and family members who held beliefs favoring deviance and who committed deviant acts would be much more likely than others to develop those same beliefs and commit deviant acts.

What is the second set of macro-level origin theories?

The second set of macro-level origin theories examine the role of culture in deviant behavior. Although not ignoring structural forces such as poverty in shaping deviance, this class of theories reasons that there may exist cultures within the larger culture that endorse or reinforce deviant values; deviant subcultures that produce higher rates of deviance among those segments of the population sharing subcultural values.

What is the third type of reaction theory?

A third type of theories may be termed micro-level reaction theories. These accord importance to those aspects of interpersonal reactions that may seriously stigmatize or label the deviant and thereby reinforce her or his deviant social status. According to these theories, reactions to deviance may have the unintended effect of increasing the likelihood of subsequent deviant behavior. Because labeling may increase levels of deviance, micro-level reaction theories argue that agencies of social control (e.g. police, courts, correctional systems) should adopt policies of "nonintervention."

How does differential association affect juveniles?

Thus, sufficient exposure to peers endorsing beliefs favoring deviance who also have knowledge about the commission of deviant acts will cause the otherwise conforming juvenile to commit deviant acts. Thus, if adolescent peer influences encourage smoking, drinking alcohol, and other forms of drug abuse—and exposure to these influences occurs frequently, over a long period of time, and involves relationships that are important to the conforming adolescent—then he or she is likely to develop beliefs and values favorable to committing these acts. Once those beliefs and values develop, he or she is likely to commit the acts.

Why are sociological theories important?

Sociological theories are important in understanding the roots of social problems such as crime, violence, and mental illness and in explaining how these problems may be remedied. By specifying the causes of deviance, the theories reveal how aspects of the social environment influence the behavior of individuals and groups. Further, the theories suggest how changes in these influences may yield changes in levels of deviant behaviors. If a theory specifies that a particular set of factors cause deviant behavior, then it also implies that eliminating or altering those factors in the environment will change levels of deviance. By developing policies or measures that are informed by sociological theories, government agencies or programs focused on problems like crime or violence are more likely to yield meaningful reductions in criminal or violent behavior.

What is social deviance?

Societal deviance refers to forms of deviance that most members of a society regard as deviant because they share similar ideas about approved and unapproved behaviour – murder, rape, child abuse and driving over the alcohol limit in the UK generally fall into this category.

What is the definition of deviation?

Deviance refers to rule-breaking behaviour of some kind which fails to conform to the norms and expectations of a particular society or social group.

What is context dependency?

The context dependency of deviance simply refers to the idea that deviance is socially constructed – whether or not an act is seen as deviant depends on the historical period, the place, and the group witnessing the act.

Is deviant behavior a crime?

Criminal behaviour is usually deviant, but not all deviant behaviour is criminal. The concept of deviance is more difficult to define than crime. Deviance includes both criminal and non-criminal acts, but it is quite difficult to pin down what members of any society or groups actually regard as deviant behaviour.

What is the second function of deviance?

A second function of deviance is that it strengthens social bonds among the people reacting to the deviant. An example comes from the classic story The Ox-Bow Incident (Clark, 1940), in which three innocent men are accused of cattle rustling and are eventually lynched. The mob that does the lynching is very united in its frenzy against the men, and, at least at that moment, the bonds among the individuals in the mob are extremely strong.

How does deviance affect social change?

Deviance has several functions: (a) it clarifies norms and increases conformity, (b) it strengthens social bonds among the people reacting to the deviant, and (c) it can help lead to positive social change. Social ecology. Certain social and physical characteristics of urban neighborhoods contribute to high crime rates.

Why does deviance increase conformity?

This happens because the discovery and punishment of deviance reminds people of the norms and reinforces the consequences of violating them. If your class were taking an exam and a student was caught cheating, the rest of the class would be instantly reminded of the rules about cheating and the punishment for it, and as a result they would be less likely to cheat.

Why can't poor people achieve the American dream?

Adapting this concept, Merton wanted to explain why poor people have higher deviance rates than the nonpoor. He reasoned that the United States values economic success above all else and also has norms that specify the approved means, working, for achieving economic success. Because the poor often cannot achieve the American dream of success through the conventional means of working , they experience a gap between the goal of economic success and the means of working. This gap, which Merton likened to Durkheim’s anomie because of the resulting lack of clarity over norms, leads to strain or frustration. To reduce their frustration, some poor people resort to several adaptations, including deviance, depending on whether they accept or reject the goal of economic success and the means of working. Table 7.2 “Merton’s Anomie Theory” presents the logical adaptations of the poor to the strain they experience. Let’s review these briefly.

What is deviance among the poor?

According to Robert Merton, deviance among the poor results from a gap between the cultural emphasis on economic success and the inability to achieve such success through the legitimate means of working. According to Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin, differential access to illegitimate means affects the type of deviance in which individuals experiencing strain engage.

What is the sociological approach to crime?

An important sociological approach, begun in the late 1800s and early 1900s by sociologists at the University of Chicago, stresses that certain social and physical characteristics of urban neighborhoods raise the odds that people growing up and living in these neighborhoods will commit deviance and crime. This line of thought is now called the social ecology approach (Mears, Wang, Hay, & Bales, 2008). Many criminogenic (crime-causing) neighborhood characteristics have been identified, including high rates of poverty, population density, dilapidated housing, residential mobility, and single-parent households. All of these problems are thought to contribute to social disorganization, or weakened social bonds and social institutions, that make it difficult to socialize children properly and to monitor suspicious behavior (Mears, Wang, Hay, & Bales, 2008; Sampson, 2006).

Who wrote that delinquency stems from focal concerns, a taste for trouble, toughness, clever?

Walter Miller wrote that delinquency stems from focal concerns, a taste for trouble, toughness, cleverness, and excitement. Marvin Wolfgang and Franco Ferracuti argued that a subculture of violence in inner-city areas promotes a violent response to insults and other problems. Social control theory.

What is deviance in sociology?

Deviance is defined as the act of doing something that does comply with the norms and the rules of the society, this behavior goes against the general ways of behaving and is often subject to some kind of punishment or penalty that the one engaging in deviant behavior has to pay.

What are the five types of reactions to deviance?

Further, he had recognized five types of reaction to deviance, conformity, rebellion, ritualism, retreatism and innovation in his strain theory, which entails that the structures of the society put strain on the person as they do not equally divide the resources and thus force the individuals to take part in behavior that is deviant.

Is stealing a deviant behavior?

E.g. in a society where one is expected to earn money by working hard, the act of stealing becomes a deviant behavior, this behavior is punished by the law. In every kind of society, even in primitive societies, there is always a body of heads which will determine what deviant behavior is and what consequence will the indulgence in such behavior ...

Is deviance an inevitable part of society?

Deviance is thus an inevitable part of the society but at the same time, there are always measures present in the society to correct the deviant behavior. References. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deviance_ (sociology) https://www.britannica.com/topic/deviance.

What is it called when you fail to obey social norms and values?

Definitions of Deviance . “When individuals fail to obey social norms and values of a particular society is called deviance ”. “Deviance can be explicated as, behaviors which are in conflict with the principles of a particular society”.

Why do social norms vary from society to society?

Social norms vary from society to society because individuals within different societies value distinct conducts or things. However, People are supposed to act or interact in accordance to the norms of their society. State Laws or formal norms are imperative for the survival and smooth functioning of every society.

Why are people labeled as criminals?

Individuals are labeled on the basis of their choice of social conduct , those who conform to social norms they are considered respectable members of society however, those who violate social norms they are labeled as criminals. Each society has its own formal norms or written rules. These formal rules are established to protect and reinforce ...

Is time of war considered deviant behavior?

Whereas, in time of war it is not considered deviant behavior. Therefore, to analyze individuals behavior whether, it’s deviant or, not. One should evaluate it on the basis of following factors, time, situation, social norms and conditions. Punishment for deviant behavior depend upon the structure of society.

Is time of war normative or deviant?

Whereas, in time of war it is not considered deviant behavior.

Is polygyny a normative behavior?

The customary norms of each society differ from one another, normative conducts of one society might be considered deviant social behavior in other society. Polygyny is legal and considered normative behavior in many countries. However, it is considered deviant behavior in other countries and is punishable by law.

What is cultural deviance theory?

The theory states that the individual is not responsible for their deviance as much as the community within which they reside.

Is criminality a part of cultural deviance?

In this sense, criminality is a way of being a part of this class. As with any theory, not all issues have been taken into consideration in the cultural deviance theory. Some issues other sociologists have found with this theory include: Some believe that a focus on the area does the people a disservice.

Did Shaw and McKay find universal phenomena?

The phenomena that Shaw and McKay discovered isn't universal. Due to the ethnic transition happening in Chicago at the time, it did work, but it cannot necessarily be applied to other areas.

What is cultural deviance theory?

What Is the Definition of Cultural Deviance Theory? The cultural deviance theory states that social disorganization and delinquency are linked, resulting in crime as a normal response to the social, structural and cultural characteristics of a community.

Who first proposed the cultural deviance theory?

Sociologists Clifford R. Shaw and Henry D. McKay first penned the cultural deviance theory when studying inner city Chicago between 1900 and 1933. Shaw and McKay discovered that crime rates remained the same in specific neighborhoods, even when the ethnic population changed.

What are the zones of cultural deviance?

The zones, listed from center to outward circle, are the business district, the transitional zone, the working class zone, the residential zone and the commuter zone. The cultural deviance theory influenced future sociological and criminological analysis of delinquency and crime.

What is the psychological approach to deviance?

First, the individual is the primary unit of analysis. This means that psychologists believe that individual human beings are solely responsible for their criminal or deviant acts . Second, an individual’s personality is the major motivational element that drives behavior within individuals. Third, criminals and deviants are seen as suffering from personality deficiencies, which means that crimes result from abnormal, dysfunctional, or inappropriate mental processes within the personality of the individual. Finally, these defective or abnormal mental processes could be caused by a variety of things, including a diseased mind, inappropriate learning, improper conditioning, and the absence of appropriate role models or the strong presence and influence of inappropriate role models.

How does cognitive development theory explain deviance?

According to the cognitive development theory, criminal and deviant behavior results from the way in which individuals organize their thoughts around morality and the law. Lawrence Kohlberg, a developmental psychologist, theorized that there are three levels of moral reasoning.

What are the sociological explanations of deviant behavior?

While sociological explanations for deviant behavior focus on how social structures, forces, and relationships foster deviance, and biological explanations focus on physical and biological differences and how these might connect to deviance, psychological explanations take a different approach.

What is deviant behavior?

By. Ashley Crossman. Updated May 27, 2019. Deviant behavior is any behavior that is contrary to the dominant norms of society. There are many different theories on what causes a person to perform deviant behavior, including biological explanations, sociological explanations, as well as psychological explanations.

What is learning theory?

Learning theory is based on the principles of behavioral psychology, which hypothesizes that a person’s behavior is learned and maintained by its consequences or rewards. Individuals thus learn deviant and criminal behavior by observing other people and witnessing the rewards or consequences that their behavior receives.

How does psychoanalytic theory explain deviance?

Psychoanalytic theory, which was developed by Sigmund Freud, states that all humans have natural drives and urges that are repressed in the unconscious. Additionally, all humans have criminal tendencies. These tendencies are curbed, however, through the process of socialization.

What is the third level of moral reasoning?

The third level of moral reasoning, the post-conventional level, is reached during early adulthood at which point individuals are able to go beyond social conventions.

Macro-Level Origins of Deviance

• Theories of the macro-level origins of deviance look to the broad, structural characteristics of society, and groups within society, to explain deviant behavior. Typically, these theories examine one of three aspects of social structure. The firstis the pervasiveness and consequences of poverty in modern American society. Robert Merton's (1938) wri...

See more on encyclopedia.com

Micro-Level Origins of Deviance

Micro-Level Reactions to Deviance

Macro-Level Reactions to Deviance

New Theoretical Directions

References