The Consequences Of Deviance In Society: What Is Deviance?

1549 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Strengths and weaknesses of deviance

What is Deviance? Deviance is a diversion of an accepted societal behaviour; these can be seen in both positive and negative ways. Without deviance we would not have social change, thus leading to an overall block within the culture we live upon today. Deviance is able to range from a variety of aspects, this can include something simple such as going faster than the speed limit or something more complex such as murder or vandalism. The definition of deviance is determined by the individual’s society they live upon. Theorist Lemert (1972), believes we have two sections of deviance, thus being primary and secondary. Primary deviance is the common acts within a society. An example of primary deviance is where a small child steals from a store, this would be recalled as ‘childish behaviour’ by the store assistant, the child is now aware of it being a deviance towards the society he lives within, as no action was taken. Because of its common occurrence Lemert believes it is futile research. Lemert sees the main focus should be within primary deviance, this being a crime caused by the societal reaction. If a member of society was to be labelled negatively they would see themselves as that label, this brings around the cycle of the self-fulfilling prophecy. The individual involved will revert to a series of criminal events to live up …show more content…

In Belgium two doctors must be present before committing to Euthanasia, this is to make sure the procedure is the correct and best decision for its patient. The first country to legalise euthanasia were The Neverlands, their law states that this form of death is only legal if the Dutch Termination of Life on Request and Addicted Suicide acts are fully understood before starting the procedure. (Not

Show More
Related

  • Theme Of Deviance In Benny And Joon

    1275 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deviance is described as “the recognized violation of cultural norms”(Macionis 238). While deviance can include crime, it is not always such. Deviance can mean trying to sneak into a hospital room, desperately searching for someone like the character of Benny in the movie Benny and Joon. Or it could be preforming on the streets for people to watch. Deviance isn’t always a criminal act. The movie Benny and Joon gave several examples of deviant behavior portrayed by the three main characters, Benny, Joon, and Sam.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Deviance

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is deviance? What does it mean? What determines a behavior as deviant? Deviance is anything that violates a social norm. For example, when a child burps at the supper table but doesn’t excuse himself. Who we socialize and spend time with will determine what we deem as deviant behavior. There are many types of deviant behaviors, some of these behaviors may not be considered deviant to one culture but to another they are.

    Read More

  • What Is The Mystification Of Social Deviance?

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before the 1950’s theorists focused on what the difference was between deviants and criminals from “normal” citizens. In the 1950’s researchers were more involved exploring meaning and reasons behind deviant acts. This led to the most dominant question in the field of deviance, “what is the structural and culture factors that lead to deviant behavior?” This question is important when studying deviance because there is no clear answer, everyone sees deviance in different ways, and how deviance is created. Short and Meier states that in the 1960’s there was another shift in focus on the subject of deviance. The focus was what causes deviance, the study of reactions to deviance, and the study of rule breaking and rule making. In the 1960’s society was starting to speak out on what they believed should be a rule and what should not; this movement create chaos in the streets. However, it gave us a glimpse into what makes people become deviant, in the case it was the Vietnam War and the government. Short and Meier also write about the three levels that might help us understand were deviance comes from and how people interact to deviance. The first is the micro level, which emphasizes individual characteristics by biological, psychological, and social sciences. The second level is macrosociological that explains culture and

    Read More

  • Problems That Led to the Wrongful Conviction of David Milgaard

    1971 Words  | 4 Pages

    Much of society mistakenly interchanges the two concepts of crime and deviance, assuming that they are one in the same. "A crime is what the law proclaims it to be, and is an act punishable by law" (Winterdyk 9). Deviance, on the other hand, is a contested concept; it can be defined as differing from a norm or accepted standard of society (dictionary.com). Deviance involves acts that fluctuate from social norms; although such actions can be, they are not necessarily against the law (Winterdyk 9).

    Read More

  • The Conflict Theory Of Deviance In American History X

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deviance is the term that s used for the type of behavior that does not comply or rather, goes against the norms of the society. Crime is an evident example of deviance and this has been used in a great way in this film. The film revolves around Derek who chooses to leave the path of deviance

    Read More

  • Social Deviance And The Strain Theory

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sociologists understand the concept deviance in a variety of ways. It is the result of unsuccessful socialization, the solutions is usually intended to change the mind of the individual, and that order need to remain maintained. Norms determine whether something is deviant or normal. So deviance depends on the social status and power on the person, the social context in which the behavior occurs, and the historical place it takes place in. Deviance is all about violating the day to day norms and is usually considered to be wrong bad, or immoral. It is a process because it just doesn’t happen one day it’s usually happens overtime. For example, its two type of deviants the primary deviance and the secondary deviance. Primary deviance would be

    Read More

  • Deviance and Criminality: Understanding Villainy in Comics

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deviance can be describes as a departure from social norms, it could be beliefs rather than actual behavior, and what is considered deviant can vary throughout societies. Furthermore, evil acts are considered deviant, but deviant acts are not always considered evil. With these facts, my mindset of what deviant behavior was changed, from an association of deviant equaling bad to deviant equaling something abnormal and not necessarily a bad thing. Also, like the paragraph above, my hypothesis about people being born good or evil was further debunked with the slide describing how deviance can vary and things that may cause and effect deviant behavior. Some of these things include circumstances, time, age, and mental health of a person. This statement shows that besides the actual person’s choices, outside forces can help deter or enhance one’s deviant behavior. Also, who the person surrounds themselves with is a catalyst for positive or negative deviance. Ultimately, the notes for this chapter was a great help in me understanding the basic knowledge of deviance and it gave me clearer grasp of what external or internal factors can or cannot affect one’s deviant

    Read More

  • Deviant Behavior: Deviance: Positive, And Consequences

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deviant behavior is sociologically defined as, when someone departs from the “norms”. Most of the time when someone says deviance they think against the law or acting out in a negative behavior. To sociologists it can be both positive and negative. While most crimes are deviant, they are not always. Norms can be classified into two categories, mores and folkways. Mores are informal rules that are not written; when mores are broken, they can have serious punishments and sanctions. Folkways are informal rules that are just expected to be followed, but have no real repercussions.

    Read More

  • Sloppy Eating As A Social Deviance

    2505 Words  | 6 Pages

    Societies are founded on various social norms. Norms can best be defined as a set of acceptable attitudes and practices by a given society. These norms however are found to vary from one society or cultural setting o the other. Deviance on the other hand is simply when one does something that goes against the set societal norms. Deviance is gauged on a scale of attitudes and behavior contradicting to acceptable social standards (Samuels, 2012).

    Read More

  • The Sociology of Deviance Disputing it is Dead

    1614 Words  | 4 Pages

    Goode, E 2006, 'IS THE DEVIANCE CONCEPT STILL RELEVANT TO SOCIOLOGY?', Sociological Spectrum, 26, 6, pp. 547-558, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 June 2014.

    Read More

  • Deviance in the Film Sleepers

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deviance is the behavior and the standards of expectations of a group or society. It is also behavior that is considered dangerous, threatening or offensive. The people that are deviant are often labeled to be weirdos, oddballs, or creeps. In the United States, people with tattoos, drug addicts, alcoholics, and compulsive gamblers are all considered deviant. Sociologists believe that everybody is deviant from time to time. They believe each person will violate a social norm in certain situations. People are considered deviant if they don't stand for the national anthem at a sports event, dress casually to a fancy restaurant, or skip classes. One category of deviance is Crime. Crime is a violation of norms that have been formally enacted into a law. Another category of deviance is humorous. Deviance is relative, what is deviant in one group or society may not be deviant in another group or society.

    Read More

  • Prostitution as a Form of Deviance

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    In sociology, the term deviance refers to all violations of social rules, regardless of their seriousness (Essentials of Sociology 136). Deviance is an individual or organizational behavior that violates societal norms and is usually accompanied by negative reactions from others. According to a sociologist S. Becker, he stated that it is not the act itself that makes an action deviant, but rather how society reacts to it.

    Read More

  • Social Deviance Application: Charles Manson

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Sociological Theories To Explain Deviance." Sociological Theories To Explain Deviance. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. .

    Read More

  • What is Deviance?

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    Deviance is defined as actions or behaviors that violate socials norms. In turn the concept of deviance is dependent on the social observation and perception. “By it’s very nature, the constructionism through which people define and interpret actions or appearances is always “social.” ”(Henry, 2009 , p. 6) One’s perception of a situation may be completely different from another depending on cultural and social factors. The way someone talks, walks, dresses, and holds themselves are all factors that attribute to how someone perceives another. In some cases what is socially or normally acceptable to one person is deviant in another’s eyes. For this reason there is a lot of gray area involving the topic of deviance because actions and behaviors are so diversely interpreted.

    Read More

  • Deviance and Social Control

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    As we all have observed, throughout history each culture or society has unique norms that are acceptable to that group of people. Therefore, to establish and come to the acceptance of these basic norms, each society must develop its’ own strategies and techniques to encourage the fundamentals of behavior, which is clear in our modern society. Most do assume that everyone in a society will follow and respect such norms. However, some tend to deviate from the adequate norms and demonstrate deviant behavior. Nevertheless, we are inclined to ask ourselves, why do people decide to violate such important standards of living?

    Read More

More about The Consequences Of Deviance In Society: What Is Deviance?

Open Document