Sociology of Deviance

“I took this photo on the outskirts of Hyderabad, India. Is this man deviant? If this were a U.S. street, he would be. But here? No houses have running water in his neighborhood, and the men, women, and children bathe at the neighborhood water pump. This man, then, would not be deviant in this culture. And yet, he is actually mugging for my camera, making the three bystanders laugh. Does this additional factor make this a scene of deviance?” (Source: Henslin, 2015)

Relativity of Deviance “It is not the act itself but the reactions to the act that makes something deviant” (Becker). Criminal and deviant behaviors are defined by culture, change over time and effected by social environment Under the right circumstances, almost any behavior can qualify as deviant. “1937 photo from Sneedville, Tennessee, shows Eunice Johns, age 9, and her husband, Charlie Johns, age 22. The groom gave his wife a doll as a wedding gift. The new husband and wife planned to build a cabin, and, as Charlie Johns phrased it, ‘go to housekeepin’. The marriage lasted. The couple had 7 children, 5 boys and 2 girls. Charlie died in 1997 at age 83, and Eunice in 2006 at age 78. The two were buried in the Johns Family Cemetery” (Source: Henslin).