Deviance and Society

Determining Deviance

The dictionary defines deviance as the breakdown or diversion from the

accepted norm or expected standards of behaviour of a society. The

concept of deviance however has no standard definition, it is deemed

to be culturally relative. That is to say that your culture (norms,

values and morals) determine what you as an individual or your society

deems deviant behaviour.

Functionalist Findings on Deviance

The functionalist sociologist would see deviance as a necessary evil

for society to function. This may seem contradictory to their belief

that any form of conflict (deviance being a form of conflict) in

society would be considered abnormal and should be removed or cured

but deviance does help keep a form of structure in our society. The

functionalist believe that this evil is necessary because deviance

helps keeps balance, because it provides jobs for judges, law

enforcement offices ,social workers and other people who act as

control mechanism for deviance in our society. From reading The

Consensus Theory the functionalist believes in consensus change, so

therefore in the functionalist society consensus change acquired

through deviant behaviour should be acceptable to them. The 1937 riots

in Barbados would be an example of this deviance which where

positively rewarded. These acts of deviance served to acts as a

catalyst for social and economic change in Barbados and other

Caribbean countries.

The Interactionist's Introspective

The Labelling Theory as put forward by interactionist Howard S. Becker

attempts to show that deviance occurs when one group creates a label

for deviance and subsequently...

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...edia undeniable has impacted on the Caribbean society, even

though the media it self is not responsible for deviant behaviour, it

influences the individuals whose minds are subject to negative

material. It has been said that some criminals have admitted to carry

out deviant activities that they had witnessed at some point in time

on the television. The media forms a sort of false ideology by

portraying an unrealistic view of real life events giving people a

distorted and glamorised view of violence. This glamorised violence is

thought to be cool and is exacted out by the people who witnessed it

and where influenced by it in a negative way.

In conclusion deviance can be said to be detrimental on our society

but when deviance is used to the betterment of the masses then the

ends can have been said to justify the means.