Deviance Sociologists general defines deviance as “an action that is perceived as violating a society’s or groups cultural norm”. Deviance can be perceived in many different ways. Vegetarians and Muslims are both groups that do not consume meat. Although these groups are not breaking the law. Their behavior is different than what is accepted to be normal.
The Story “The Man Who Knew Belle Starr” written by Richard Bausch has two main themes which are deviance and transgression. Deviance, according to Debra Marshall, is behavior that violates standards or expectations. She also mentions Robert K. Merton’s deviance typology. The chart displays five categories which are conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion. According to Jenks’ “Whither Transgression?”, To transgress is to go beyond the bounds or limits set by a commandment or law or convention, it is to violate or infringe.
Deviance is categorized as a violation of cultural norms. In order for one to express deviance, they must act out against societal norms which are known as expectations and rules that "lead the way" for how an individual should act. Therefore, its much easier to depict from there that mostly one's society is what ultimately differentiates what the rules and expectations are as well as what it needed to break those rules that they have somewhat instilled and ingrained into our daily lives. To add, due to society and different eras of socialization deviant behavior evolves over time.
According to Pennsylvania German the term Rumspringa means “running around.” This meaning is essentially what goes on during Rumspringa—teens are allowed to “run around” and partake in English activities like driving, drinking, partying etc. In the Amish community Rumspringa is the period when it is permissible for adolescence to participate freely in the outside world without penalty. This period starts at the age of sixteen when Amish youth are allowed to indulge in deviant behavior with hopes that they will decide, on their own, to come back to the church. The community expects its youth to make the conscious decision, without being pressured, to become baptized.
In the article, The Saints and The Roughnecks, by William J. Chambliss, we are told in great detail about two groups of high school delinquents that are view in different manners from each other in the eyes of the community. The Saints, one of the groups, were, despite their frequent bouts of delinquency, viewed as respectable boys where they lived and were expected to live long successful lives. The Roughnecks, on the other hand, were seen as hooligans and were not even expected to graduate from high school by most in their community. The differentiating circumstances between the two groups being mostly money since the Saints were upper to middle class while the Roughnecks were lower class. With that in mind, this reading honestly just emphasised
They are being deviant because they are committing crimes and turning against “Big
The general strain theory, by Robert K. Merton, explains this strange occurrence. This theory “explains deviant behavior as an inevitable outcome of the strain individuals experience when society does not provide adequate and approved means to achieve culturally valued goals.” According to strain theory, here are five ways people deal with societal pressures: usually people conform to a society’s customs and laws and achieve their goals legally; other times, one will put on the guise of conforming while participating in deviant activity behind closed doors. There are those who abide by social norms and laws, but are indifferent to whether or not they achieve the ideal life praised by their society. Some people find they cannot accept the rules of a society at all; they either give up on the idea that life has any value, living recklessly and participating in dangerous illegal activity like drug and alcohol abuse; or they break off from the society altogether and create a new one of their own, with a different structure.
I totally agree with your statement Mikayla. According to research, deviance a violation of social norms that define appropriate behavior under a particular set of circumstances, but not all deviance is a criminal act. I believe that many individuals; especially females’ behavior is their conformity to social norms. There are some individuals who view offending as a type of behavior that is similar in many respects to other types of antisocial behavior. It is possible that all these acts can slowly change and help people understand, that there is more to life, other the ways they have been taught or all that they may
So, there is this idea of cultural norms. Primary deviance leads to a label and that leads to secondary deviance. We will use the example of a doctor. If the doctor commits a crime, then the doctor is no longer a doctor; he is a criminal and there tends to be a stigma. It is this stigma that has a lasting effect in which it sticks around.
For cultures that consider behaviors like murder and rape to be honorable, this will draw that attention back to how different cultures or times defined deviant. For instance, Japanese's kamikaze was not a deviant in Japan because it was considered as an act of honor to the country. People that came from that culture will think that 'kamikaze' is an act of honor and it is not a deviant but for people that came from the different culture will think differently. The act of committing suicide is known to be deviant but the standard of judging may vary for that situation in that culture. They knew suicide is going against the norm but because they thought of it as an act of honor, they disregard the action as an act of deviant.
Deviance is defined as “a behavior, trait or belief that departs from a norm and generates a negative reaction in a particular group (Real World: An Introduction to Sociology, pg. 153). I believe one of the most important things to know about deviance is that it’s not always a negative thing; it’s just different than the norm. Although the behavior may not be negative, deviances often get negative reactions from members of society, an idea that is seen throughout this movie. Deviances are defined differently across cultures as well. In some cultures, tattoos are seen as deviant and in other’s
Howard Becker’s Labeling Theory explains social deviance based on societal reaction and subsequent labeling of an individual for infractions of the social rules established in a particular time or place which may or may not be applied fairly, justly, or with any consistency. The deviant—rule breaker—and the conformist—obedient—are easier to determine according to the theory; however, “falsely accused” and “secret deviance” lie on opposite ends of the spectrum and define the exceptions to the theory (Lynxwiler, 2016).” Falsely accused” is a concept Becker describes as a person who is labeled incorrectly based on the perception of deviance (Lynxwiler, 2016). Becker defines “secret deviance” as an act or behavior that does not elicit a response
Deviants are formed by society as Durkheim showcases with his example of the “society of saints” which he states that even in a society of exemplary individuals or ‘saints’ where crime as our society defines it may not be present, “faults which appear tolerable to the layman will create there the same scandal that the ordinary offense does in ordinary consciousness.” So assuming that one would be considered by a ‘deviant’ by society then one will also be labeled as a deviant as a negative result of whatever the ‘deviant’ did to reward
According to Hunt and Colandar (2011), a word deviant refers to when an individual’s actions contradict with society’s norms. For instance, majority peoples followed norms because society expect individual to behave in morally tolerate with each other. Those failing to conform the norms noted as deviant. In a social context, the task of the society is to blind the action of the social community together. Once failing to act them to the society’s reaction that seem as deviant.
Many groups or cultures have different views on what is considered deviant.
