In the “Deviant 101” article, Schoeplfin talks about how certain types of behaviors can be seen as deviant. He questions whether an act should be considered deviant if it does not get a response. Schoeplfin uses real and hypothetical examples throughout the article to show how deviance is measured by the reactions it receives. Also, he concludes by looking at whether the feedback from behavior has to be negative to constitute it as deviant or if the feedback can be positive as well. In the article “Deviant While Driving,” Schoeplfin writes about the notion of driving a hearse and whether or not it would be seen as deviant. He recalls a time when he contacted an old friend, Bill, who used a hearse for personal transportation. Schoeplfin found that his friend did not buy the hearse with devious intent, but that his …show more content…
reasons for doing so were practical.
Also, Bill told Schoeplfin about the reactions that people gave him and that many were negative, but some were positive. These responses caused Schoeplfin to question if driving a hearse should be considered deviant. He points out that some deviant behavior can get positive reactions from those who would not commit such behavior but admire the boldness that deviance requires. I agree with Shoeplifin that deviance should be measured by the types of responses that it receives. Looking at other people’s reactions to behavior helps to determine whether that behavior is in fact deviant and to also gauge how deviant the behavior is. In response to Shoeplifin’s question “if you violate a norm but there’s no reaction to that violation, is it really deviant behavior,” I do not think it is. If something is deviant, it will provoke a response of some sort. This is because deviant behavior is something that most individuals would choose not to do themselves. Therefore, in seeing someone behave in a way that he
or she does not empathies with, a person will have a reaction to it. However, Shoeplifin’s examples demonstrated that the feedback from deviant behavior does not always have to be negative. In the extreme types of deviance, such as, criminal acts, the overall response will be negative, but most other types of deviance will receive positive reactions as well. This is attributed to those that are not deviant but see such behavior as admirable because they recognize that it requires a sense of courage that they do not have. The issue with defining deviance by people’s reactions is that what is considered deviant will be inconsistent. More specifically, certain actions may be negatively responded to in one area but could be met with indifference in another, due to differences in culture or beliefs. Also, what is categorized as deviant can change over time. For instance, a type of behavior could be considered deviant in the past but over the years, things like media and technology may have desensitized society to that behavior until it was perceived as normal. Furthermore, the same situation can happen in reverse. Behaviors that were seen as customary years ago could become outdated and, therefore, be regarded as socially deviant. In response to Shoeplifin’s question “can the car you drive make you deviant,” I think it can. The example of the hearse proves that what a person drives could make them deviant. One can understand the choice to drive something unconventional like a hearse by considering the practical reasons of doing so. However, most people would have a significant initial reaction to such a choice. Using a vehicle for personal transportation that is traditionally known for having a different purpose is seen as socially odd. Therefore, if an individual drives an unconventional vehicle, he or she will get a variety of reactions. As shown in Shoeplifin’s example, not all of those reactions will be negative. Some may see the choice in transportation as unique or creative and have an appreciation for it, even if the owner of the vehicle had completely different or practical intentions for their purchase.
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.
Social deviancy is the violation of social norms. A deviant is someone who rejects folkways and mores. Any action that violates the values or rules of a social group is deviant behavior. In order to actually be characterized as a deviant, the individual must be detected committing a deviant act and be stigmatized by society. A stigma is a mark of social disgrace, setting the deviant apart from the group. Criminality is healthy for society. Deviance affirms our cultural values and norms. Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries and brings people together. There will always be people who break society’s rules and that’s important.
Emile Durkheim (1901) argued that although definitions of what constitutes deviance vary by place, it is present in all societies. He defined deviance as acts that offend collective norms and expectations. Durkheim believed that what makes an act or appearance deviant is not so much its character or consequences, but that a group has defined it as dangerous or threatening to its well-being (Ferrante, 134).
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).
Goode, E. (2011). Constructionist Perspectives of Deviance. Deviant Behavior (Ninth Edition ed., ). Upper Saddle River, NJ : Prentice Hall, Inc..
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.
Deviant behavior usually consists of a society expectation or norm which is being violated, and it is often met with some sort of reaction to correct the behavior, which is known as a sanction (Newman 109). Deviance does not always have to be criminal, it can also consist of breaking societal norms such as saying unacceptable things at the wrong times. This is often the type of deviance which is met by folkway sanctions, which are less severe sanctions such as eye rolling or sighing (Newman 110). In the context of this episode, I know that a certain behavior is deviant based on whether or not it is taken to court or by how certain individuals react to it such as tone of voice, and
There exists conflicting theories among sociologists in the area of determining why a person is considered to be a deviant, and the reasons behind why he or she has committed a deviant act. From a positivistic perspective, deviance is based on biological or social determinism. Alternatively, from a constructionist perspective, deviance is created and assigned by society. Both perspectives seek to give a theory for why a person may become known as deviant. Although they both view similar acts as deviant, the basic differences between positivists and constructionists theories are clear.
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
Sociologists understand the concept of deviance in a variety of ways. It is the result of unsuccessful socialization, the solutions are usually intended to change the mind of the individual, and that order needs to remain maintained. Norms determine whether something is deviant or normal. So deviance depends on the social status and power of 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.
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.
I chose to break a social norm by sitting/ laying on the floor of an aisle in a grocery store, engaging in deviant behavior, instead of shopping for groceries. Sitting on the floor of a grocery store is a case of deviant behavior because it goes against society by breaking the norm. Because the standard behavior of people in a grocery store is to walk and look around, with usually a basket or cart, shopping for desired items, the expected response of others would be feeling uncomfortable, awkward, and confused. Upon performing my act of social deviance, numerous people demonstrated the anticipated reaction. As people turned down the aisle, I occupied, conversations died down to whispers or stopped altogether. Of the people who questioned me on my
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.
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.
"Deviance, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. There is nothing inherently deviant in any human act, something is deviant only because some people have been successful in labeling it so." – J.L. Simmons