Functionalism and Deviance Sociology: Chapter 7, Section 2

Costs and Benefits of Deviance While functionalism emphasizes social stability, that perspective does see some value in deviance Deviance has both negative and positive consequences, but can contribute to the smooth operation of society

Negative Effects of Deviance Deviance erodes trust If people don’t do what they say they are going to do, then society does not run as smoothly With bus drivers who drive wherever and whenever they want to will lead to less people patiently waiting at the bus stop If not corrected, deviance can cause deviant behavior in others If people waiting for a bus are passed by for no reason, they may soon start to throw rocks at that bus when it drives by Deviant behavior is expensive, as it costs time and resources for police to deal with wayward bus drivers and angry riders when they could otherwise be chasing other criminals

If bus drivers refuse to stop for passengers, that may encourage further deviant behavior

Positive Effects of Deviance Society can sometimes benefit from deviance despite its negative effects Probably the most important benefit is that deviance can bring about social change Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King did things that were deviant and against the norms of the time, but while the Civil Rights Movement upset these norms, it was needed to change things and ensure everyone would be treated equally under the law

What do you think of this statement from historian Howard Zinn?

Positive Effects of Deviance Another benefit of deviance is that it can be a safety valve Deviance in dress or in choice of music may allow teens to express something about themselves without resorting to more extreme behavior

Positive Effects of Deviance Emile Durkheim noted that deviance clarifies norms and defends values When someone sees a consequence someone else pays for a deviant act, it may discourage that person from doing that same deviant act This Canadian ad was used to discourage potential smokers

Positive Effects of Deviance Deviance can increase unity within a group After the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, there was much more of a sense of patriotism, as cars waved flags and there was a sense of political unity behind the president

Strain Theory Emile Durkheim described a condition he called anomie, that when norms are weak or absent, people are unsure how to act, and society becomes disorganized Robert Merton took this idea of anomie and developed it to what he called the strain theory to explain deviance Under this strain theory, deviance is most likely to occur when there is a gap between things we want and legitimate ways to get those things

Strain Theory In the United States, an important goal is success and the material possessions that come with success An approved way to obtain this success is through education and hard work When people accept the goal (success) and the means to achieve it (hard work), then that is called conformity When people go about it another way, then that is deviant behavior

Strain Theory People may accept or reject the cultural goal, and they may accept or reject the acceptable means to achieve the goal This leads to four possibilities of deviance, in addition to conformity to the goal and means Merton termed these possibilities: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion

Conformity The only category that is not considered deviant, according to Robert Merton Accepts the goal and the means to achieve that goal For example, accepts the American goal of success, and accepts that you need to work hard to achieve success An example might be a successful business executive who built his or her company with hard work and ingenious innovation

Conformity: Accept the Goal, Accept the Means to that Goal

Innovation The other four categories are all considered deviant In innovation, the individual accepts the goal but uses illegal means to achieve it People here use lucrative criminal behavior to achieve success, rather than work hard Innovation is the most widespread and obvious type of a devious response

Innovation: Accept the Goal, Reject the Means Burglary and Robbery are two common ways to achieve the goal of getting money while going about it in an illegal way

Ritualism In ritualism, the individual rejects the goal but uses the legitimate means People go through the motions without really believing in the process, just going through the rituals without caring about why A student may just complete homework assignments to check off the assignments, but not really care about the long term meaning of education Or a teacher may just go through the daily routines of work without any real concern for the students or the quality of his or her teaching

Ritualism: Reject the Goal, Accept the Means An unmotivated teacher may not care about his or her own professional development or the success of his or her students, but is willing to go through the motions and put students through the motions of busywork

Retreatism Retreatism is a deviant response where both the goal and the means are rejected Essentially this is where people completely retreat from society and its goals and means An example that Merton used was a skid-row alcoholic, who is not a successful person, nor does he or she even care to even try

Retreatism: Reject the Goal, Reject the Means A homeless drug addict may have given up on any notion of success in life, and thus retreated from society

Rebellion In rebellion, people reject both the goal and the means, and then replace them with new goals and means of their own. An example might be a militia member, who lives in isolation in the United States and refuses to pay taxes or obey certain laws, and tries to set up their own laws through deviant means Rather than writing their congressional representative to enact change, they create their own money, deliberately violate gun laws, and threaten violent behavior against the police

Rebellion: Reject it all, and create new goals and means, and maybe a new society with it People may form their own militias when they feel threatened or unprotected by their government

Control Theory Travis Hirschi described what he called the control theory Control theory believes that compliance with social norms requires strong bonds between individuals and society If these bonds are weak, and anomie (lack of norms or regulations) is present, then deviance occurs Social bonds control the behavior of people, thus preventing deviant acts People conform because they don’t want to “lose face,” or become embarrassed, in front of their family and friends

According to the control theory, friends help prevent deviance, and loners are more likely to express deviant behaviors

Basic Elements of Social Bonds The social bond has four basic components: attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief Attachment: The stronger your attachment to groups or individuals, the more likely you are to conform People who are close to their parents, or have close friends, or who care about their church or school, will be more likely to conform to their views Commitment: The greater the commitment to social goals, the more likely that that person will conform People who believe that their hard work will be rewarded will have a greater commitment than people who believe that their efforts will not make a difference

Basic Elements of Social Bonds Involvement: Participation in approved social activities increases the probability of conformity Activities focus a person’s time and energy, as well as put that person in more direct contact with others in the group Belief: Belief in the norms and values of the society promotes conformity When people believe that the rules and norms are appropriate, they are less likely to deviate from them When social bonds are weak, the chances for deviance increase Individuals who lack attachment, commitment, involvement and belief have little incentive to follow the rules of society

Assessment Complete #1-5 on page 212