Theories of Deviance

Differentiation & Deviance differentiation refers to the myriad variations among people based on selected social characteristics e.g., age, sex, race, educational attainment, occupational status, etc. Early sociologists like Durkheim saw social differentiation as a master process of modernization modernization: the transformation from traditional to complex, modern society Conditions that promote differentiation also promote deviance They also likely boost the degree and range of social stratification by increasing the # of criteria for comparing people

Theoretical perspectives on deviance – two basic types Structural theories emphasize the relationship of deviance to certain structural conditions within a society focus on epidemiology, or the distribution of deviance in time and place are typically macro-level and are considered general theories e.g., functionalism and conflict theory Process/Interaction theories describe the processes by which individuals come to commit deviant acts focus on etiology, or the origins and development of deviance are typically micro-level theories e.g., labeling theory, control theory, and learning or socialization theories

The Normal and the Pathological Ch. 7, Emile Durkheim

Crime is normal Crime is present in all societies of all types Its form changes acts thus characterized are not the same everywhere but everywhere and always there have been people whose behavior draws punishment Crime is not only inevitable, it is necessary - an integral part of all healthy societies

What is crime? Crime consists of an act that offends certain very strong collective sentiments It is not the intrinsic quality of a given act that makes it a crime, but the definition which the “collective conscience” of society gives it

Crime plays a useful role in social evolution Where crime exists, collective sentiments are sufficiently flexible to take on a new form, and crime sometimes helps determine the form they will take Socrates’ crime, independence of thought, provided a service not only to humanity but to his country, preparing the ground for a new morality & faith in Athens, since traditions were no longer in harmony with current conditions his violation was a crime, but it was useful as a prelude to necessary reforms

Beyond good & evil Crime must no longer be conceived as an evil to be suppressed Instead, we should attempt to discern its “social function,” the purpose it serves for society

On the Sociology of Deviance Ch. 8, Kai T. Erikson

Deviant behavior in “communities” communities: collectivities of people who share a common sphere of experience, which gives members a sense of belonging to a special “kind” and living in a special “place” communities are “boundary-maintaining”: each community has a specific territory in the world, occupying a defined region of geographical and cultural space both dimensions of group space – geographical & cultural – set the community apart and provide a point of reference for members

Boundary drawing Q: How do people know about boundaries and how do they convey it to future generations? A: By participating in the confrontations which occur when persons venture out to the edges of the group are met by policing agents whose job it is to guard the cultural integrity of the community

Confrontations between deviant offenders & social control agents Confrontations - criminal trials, excommunication hearings, courts-martial, psychiatric case conferences - act as boundary-maintaining devices in that they demonstrate where the line is drawn b/w behavior that is acceptable in the community and behavior that is not Each time the community moves to censure some act of deviation and convenes a formal ceremony to deal with the responsible offender, it sharpens the authority of the violated norm and restates group boundaries Still, community boundaries are never fixed but are subject to change - as the nature & location of confrontations change

Deviance, in controlled quantities, may help preserve social stability Deviant behavior, by marking the outer edges of group life, provides a framework within which members develop a sense of their own cultural identity “…the agencies built by society for preventing deviance are often so poorly equipped for the task that we might well ask why this is regarded as their ‘real’ function in the first place” (98)

Commitment ceremonies: self-fulfilling prophecies? The community’s decision to bring deviant sanctions against a member is a “rite of transition,” moving the person out of an ordinary place in society into a special deviant position commitment ceremonies: highly public & dramatic events set up to judge whether or not someone is deviant, mark this change of status the criminal trial is the most obvious example importantly, in our culture, they are almost irreversible, and might be called “self-fulfilling prophecies”

Conclusion Two separate yet often competing currents are found in any society: forces which promote a high degree of conformity among people of community so they know what to expect from one another forces which encourage a certain degree of diversity so that people can be deployed across the range of group space to survey its potential, measure its capacity, and patrol its boundaries for deviants Deviance is a natural product of group differentiation and contributes to the survival of the culture as a whole