In sociology, deviance is a term that is used to describe actions or behaviors that break rules as well as the rejection of society’s traditions and values. The term is not as black and white as many believe. Deviance can range from committing a felony to simply not conforming to a certain style of dress or way of life. Even overachieving is considered deviance because it is out of the norm. Norms dictate what falls into the categories of ‘good’ and ‘bad’. One category of deviance is crime. Criminal deviance violates formal laws; however, it spans a large spectrum of behaviors. From speeding five miles over the limit to stealing or murder, all are forms of deviance. Despite that, laws only encompass a piece of the wide spectrum of numerous rules and regulations in which society expects one to conform to and any form of nonconformity is considered deviant. Nonconformity is not solely negative and associated with rule breaking. Other deviant behaviors can be ‘overachievement’. Deviant actions, whether negative or positive, are different from the norm. The goal is to prevent …show more content…
He had two groups of cis, white, male high school students that were both heavily involved in acts of theft, drinking, and vandalism. The police never arrested the members of one group dubbed the ‘Saints’. They did, however, have far to frequent run-ins with the members of the other group, the ‘Roughnecks’. The boys in the Saints all came from well off families, had good reputations and grades. They were also careful not to get caught while breaking laws or rules. In contrast, the Roughnecks came from families of lower status, had poor reputations, and bad grades in school. The Roughnecks were not careful when faced with the police and were thus labeled by others, as well as themselves, as “deviants”. The labeling theory suggests that there is more of an emphasis on the attitudes and reactions of others and not the deviant