Hell's Angel Analysis

The purpose of this analytical paper is to theoretically analysis the book Hell’s Angel, written by Ralph “Sonny” Barger, by utilizing three of the different perspectives studied throughout the term. The social disorganization perspective, the classical perspective, and the learning perspective can be seen in different aspects of human behavior and throughout Sonny’s life growing up and as a member of the Hell’s Angels. Each of these three perspectives “provide us with an image of what something is and how to best act towards it” (Pfohl, 2009, pg. 12). Sonny acted upon what he believed in, and he made decisions in his life that revolved around deviance and control, even if those acts and decisions meant tangling with the law and spending

They are tools with which we decide what we experience, why something is the way that it is, and how we might act or react” (Pfohl, 2009, pg. 11). Stephen Pfohl, author of Images of Deviance and Control, examines nine different theoretical perspectives on deviance and control. In the book, each perspective, its deviance, and how it can be studied and controlled is explained. The nine theoretical perspectives of deviance discussed are the demonic perspective (deviance rooted in realm of the supernatural); the classical perspective (deviance as rational hedonism); the pathological perspective (deviance as sickness); the social disorganization perspective (rapid change and normative breakdown); the functionalist perspective (deviance as beneficial or positive); the anomie perspective (normlessness and inequality); the learning perspective (acquiring deviance in association with others); the societal reaction perspective (social construction of deviance); and critical perspectives. These theoretical perspectives provide insight to understanding, explaining and dealing with acts of deviance (Pfohl, 2009). For this analytical paper, the book Hell’s Angel, written by Ralph “Sonny” Barger, will be analyzed by utilizing three of the different perspectives studied throughout the term in Images of Deviance and Social Control written by Stephen Pfohl. The social disorganization perspective, the classical perspective, and the learning perspective will all three be utilized in the analysis, including components and limitations of