Four Theories Of Deviance

Deviance has been primarily studied as a disorder of the individual from a medical and psychological standpoint. In assessing deviance as a fundamental component of the human condition, it becomes clear how external social forces and circumstances can increase the likelihood of behavior that does not conform to established social norms. There are four theories that seek to explain the causation of deviance through social forces: strain theory, control theory, social learning theory, and labeling theory. According to strain theory, deviance thrives in the gap between emphasized goals and prescribed methods. People have been socialized to accept key values; However, they do not have access to the approved means of realizing those values,

In 1950, 1 in 20 American women with children were unmarried, that number has risen to 1 in 3. The demographic studied is aware of social norms that would encourage young adults to have a stable income, get married and then have children and they agree that the economic positions they are in are not ideal to raise a child. Their behavior is deviant as they do not accept this traditional route and, instead, hastily jump into relationships and have children, seeing it as a “badge of honor” when their partner wants to have children with them. These women have limited economic opportunities and therefore see having children as a situation in which they “have nothing to lose” and when asked, said they do not feel that they had missed out on any opportunities. These young mothers also stated that they felt, for them, there would never be an ideal time to have children and that the timing in which they did have their children actually “saved”

Between 1950 and 1980, teen suicide nearly tripled. Involvement in conventional activity is one of the bonds stated in the control theory between the individual and society; This chapter argues that there were no conventional activities for non-conforming youth. This lack of productive activities leads adolescents to boredom and drug use, which is becoming increasingly related to suicides. As time goes on, expectations for children continue to grow unreasonably; The loss of 1.7 million manufacturing jobs from 1979 to 1985 illustrates this as it is becoming increasingly more difficult for young adults to be able to fulfill their prescribed roles in society. Their inability to live up to unreasonably high expectations is leading them to feel inadequate and unloved which fosters this barrier between the individual and society as they no longer feel they have a place in the