Pros And Cons Of Ethnography

1. The meaning of deviance is the result of a process in that it is socially constructed and is constantly changing depending on the context. From this perspective, an individual’s behavior or characteristics’ is not enough to make an act or behavior deviant, instead, it depends on the response that people have towards these acts that outlines what is moral and immoral behavior within a given community. According to Erikson, deviance helps communities maintain some type of social order by clearly outlining what’s considered moral and immoral behavior and changes as people explore their domains and test the limits of their community. Thereby, people that engage in immoral behavior are considered as “deviants,” as they challenge what’s been set as correct behavior by those in positions of influence within a certain community (e.g., policymakers, school board). Also, Erikson explains that many of

Ethnography is the study of everyday interactions in which researchers engage in long-term participant observation studies of a certain group. Among the many pros for ethnographic studies is that they allow researchers the opportunity to understanding certain aspects of their subjects unique worlds, and even help researchers address important issues from the perspective of their sample. Adler explains that ethnography allows for direct personal observation, interaction, and experience. Hence, this type of research is very useful for the study of groups that face social exclusion, such as drug dealers and smugglers because of the illegal nature of their positions that forces them to be very secretive, deceitful, mistrustful, and fearful of getting caught in the act of deviancy. These individuals labeled as deviants employ many different strategies to protect themselves from mainstream society, which sometimes makes it difficult to study them. Thereby, taking the ethnographic approach in field research allows research to gather a wealth of knowledge about deviant