Deviance:
Commonly refers to violations of social norms (including
legal norms) but many sociologists reject this behavioral or normative definition of
deviance and see deviance instead as simply a label. Deviance in this view is that which
we react to, through social control responses, as deviance.
Deviant behavior usually evokes formal and informal punishment,
restrictions, or other controls of society. These formal and informal controls constrain
most people to conform to social norms. Despite the social
sanctioning and controlling, however, we sometimes observe deviant behavior around us.
Then, why do some people engage in such deviant behavior even if social punishments are
expected? Sociologists have attempted to explain it in various aspects.
Deviation, Primary:Where the individual commits
deviant acts but does not adopt a primary self-identity as a deviant.
Deviation, Secondary: Where the individual
commits deviant acts and although recognizing that these acts are socially defined as
deviant remains committed to continue them. This results in the adoption of a deviant self
identity that confirms and stabilizes the deviant life style.
The distinction between primary and secondary deviance is
important in the development of social policies that reduce the chances of primary
deviance inducing secondary deviance.
Primary Deviance is an initial deviant act. Deviant
behaviors that are short-term or cease with adult status.
Primary Deviance is correlated with social, cultural, structural
and psychological conditions.
Secondary deviance is deviance that results from being labeled
as deviant. It evolves out of the offender's self-concept. It evolves from other's
conception of a person.
Secondary Deviance is long-term and does not cease with adult
status. Secondary Deviance includes chronic deviant behavior by people who come to
identify themselves as deviant.
The concept of deviance:
A. Deviance or norms are created or defined by society through a
general consensus. Therefore, what is deviant is not a property inherent in the thing or
act.
B. Deviance does not conform to expectations and norms that
exist within a society.
C. Group interests play important role in defining deviance.
D. Large or powerful segments of society determine norms and
thus determine what is or is not deviant:
People at the bottom of the socio-economic scale are most
often labeled as deviant, because the powerful in society determine what is deviant
However "deviant" something may be, unless the
powerful disapprove, it is not deviant
Thus a behavior participated in by all or a majority of people
can still be considered deviant.
For conflict theorists, deviance is defined & enforced in
a way that perpetuates the dominance of elites over the less powerful or powerless.
Studies of the sociology of rule-making show that what is
defined as deviant is the outcome of a political process
Group interests play an important role in defining what
behaviors are considered deviant or normal
E. Observations of social interaction reveal that definitions of
deviance tend to vary according to who performs the act.
F. Few people are arrested and processed as criminals, whereas,
self-report surveys reveal most people violate rules.
G. Behavior must be context appropriate: what is normal in one
context may be deviant in another.
H. The nature of deviance changes from culture to culture.
The nature of deviance changes from culture to culture due to
the fact that behavior is socially labeled as deviant or normal and the individual
cultures and societies define deviance in their own ways.
Cross-Cultural Analysis indicates that notions of right and
wrong vary among cultures.
I. Deviance is noticeable historically because the nature of
deviance changes over time
J. Deviant behavior is not a violation of anything absolute
i.e., it is not inherent in any particular forms of behavior
K. In an analysis of deviance, the concept of relativism denotes
that no behavior is "naturally" or morally deviant or bad.
All behavior is socially labeled either as deviant or normal,
but this does not mean that any behavior is acceptable.
Relativism is the contention that what is deviant in any
society is the consequence of social or political processes.
Examples of Deviance as a violation of social norms
A. Folkways are the most informal of norms
Examples of a Folkway include manners, etiquette, customs, etc.
B. Mores are serious norms that may or may not be written into
law
Examples of a More include flag burning, questioning someone's
religion or politics, etc.
C. Laws are a type of norm with the support of the state or
government sanctioning either criminal or civil punishment
Criminal law is law which the state will prosecute. The body
of rules or principles prescribed by authority or established by custom, which a state,
community, society, or the like recognizes as binding.
Civil law is law which allows one citizen to prosecute
another.
Social control includes all social processes used to minimize
deviance from social norms; e.g., culture, norms, socialization, law, etc. There are two
types of Social Control
Direct Social Control is Regulation through the enforcement of
normative standards. It is often done by a person(s) with authority and responsibility.
Indirect Social Control is Regulation through ideological or
cultural manipulation. It is often done by surrogate human authority such as rules,
customs, laws, even machines.
Indirect social control is accomplished through socialization.
Indirect social control is the most powerful type of social
control.
Examples of direct & indirect control
Sanctions are rewards for conforming behavior and punishments
for nonconforming behavior.
A Formal Positive Sanction is a formal reward, etc. is applied
by a socially recognized actor (person, organization, institution, etc.) empowered to give
that reward. Formal Positive Sanction are well defined and can only be applied by people
with proper institutional credentials
An Informal Positive Sanction is an informal reward, etc. by
almost any actor (person, organization, etc.)
The Functions of Positive Social Control Methods are social
control, inducement, and reward.
A Formal Negative Sanction is a formal punishment, etc. by a
socially recognized actor (person, organization, institution, etc.) empowered to give that
punishment.
Formal sanctions are well defined and can only be applied by
people with proper institutional credentials
An Informal Negative Sanction is an informal punishment, etc.
by almost any actor (person, organization, etc.)
The Functions of Negative Social Control Methods are social
control, deterrence, and punishment.
A Moral Crusade is an interest group's attempt to define a
behavior as deviant. Joseph Gusfield's study of alcohol prohibition concluded that the
American Temperance Movement was an example of a Moral Crusade.
An examination of deviance and social control is an examination
of the appropriateness or correctness and necessity of government and other social actors
to utilize all types of social control, labels of deviance, sanctions, etc. to advance a
moral crusade, or any behavior or ideology.
The functionalist perspective in deviance and social control is
best represented by Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons. According to Durkheim, the
positive consequences of deviance and social control include increased solidarity.
Durkheim on Social Order
Durkheim believed that a major sociological question was the
question of Social Order, which considers how society might establish and maintain social
stability and cohesiveness
Durkheim developed the concepts of Mechanical and Organic
Solidarity to denote the "social glue" which held the respective traditional and
modern social fabrics together.
The Problem of Social Order occurs primarily when, during the
process of modernization, Mechanical Solidarity breaks down, and is not yet replaced with
Organic Solidarity.
The Problem of Social Order may also occur when a given
Traditional or Modern Society becomes so stressed that Solidarity is weakened or
destroyed.
Anomie, Deviance and Crime exist in all Societies as they
change at the margins and for boundary maintenance, etc., but they become Social Problems
when Solidarity breaks down.
Deviance is so crucial to social order that societies lacking
a given amount of it would redefine acceptable behavior to create deviance.
Regarding deviance and dysfunctions, Durkheim believed that
deviance, beyond a certain level, threatens the social order and can be dysfunctional.
High levels of immigration may be a major social problem, but
not because of economic or job issues.
Immigration is a major problem in our modern society because
immigrants do not know the norms and laws of this country and therefore are a source of
social instability
The instability fostered by immigration can be functional if
it is limited & the society can absorb & integrate the new culture
The instability inherent in immigration can undermine the old
order creating conflict, instability, anomie, crime, deviance, etc.
Durkheim on Crime
Durkheim viewed a limited amount of crime as functional for
society, however if crime became too pervasive, this was a symptom of anomie & the
breakdown of the Social Order
Durkheim believed that an affinity for crime was the result of
social forces
Durkheim, as he often did, developed his own position in
direct opposition to other prevailing ideas of his time (late 1800s)
Durkheim directly refuted the positions that an affinity for
crime was the result of something that is in individuals' psychologicalor physiological
makeup
Durkheim's anomic explanation of crime holds that the
breakdown of norms causes crime. Durkheim developed the concept of Anomie, which is a
condition of normlessness in society. In a society, within the normal range of anomie we
find that there are always some people who are outside the system. In a society, outside
of the normal range of anomie we find that people engage in more deviant behavior, crime,
riot, revolution, etc. Anomie occurs at some normal level in society, but becomes socially
pathological when the Social Order breaks down & anomie becomes widespread creating
waves of deviance, crime, chaos, etc.
Durkheim's solidarity explanation of crime is that Deviance
exists because society must have a set of behavioral expectations that help to define the
character of that society.
According to Durkheim & the Functionalists there are
Positive Consequences of deviance and social control:
Deviance or crime promotes solidarity in mainstream society.
Deviance or crime sets boundaries.
Deviance is so crucial to social order that societies lacking
it would redefine acceptable behavior to create deviance.
Conflict Theorists would note that Deviance has many other
positive consequences, i.e., it is a source of innovation.
There are also Dysfunctions of Deviance in that Deviance beyond
a certain level threatens the social order.
Durkheim on Punishment
Public punishment is good for society.
Public punishment is good for society not for the thrill, but
because it allows us to see us as good and others as bad and the experience of a communal
punishment against an offender builds solidarity.
Durkheim's view of the purpose of punishment is not to deter
or correct the offender, rather it is to maintain the fundamental values of the community.
Functionalists, including Durkheim, argue that the use of
coercive social control is legitimate because laws are enacted by representatives of the
people in the interest of the people. |