1. What is deviance and how is it explained?

2. What is Deviance?
Deviance- behavior that violates significant social norms
Acts of Deviance may be judged differently based on…
The situation
The society
Time period
People may be considered deviant based on…
Continuously breaking a norm
Example: Continuously getting speeding tickets
Committing an act that has serious negative consequences for society

3. Labeling Someone as Deviant
Two parts to labeling someone as deviant:
Must be caught committing a deviant act
Must be stigmatized by society
Stigma- mark of social disgrace that sets the deviant apart from the rest of society
Can be outward
signs, but usually
are negative social
reactions that result
from being labeled
deviant.

4. Social Functions of Deviance
Émile Durkheim found that deviance fulfills some social functions:
Clarify norms- When rules are broken and the guilty are caught, members of society are reminded of the norms
Unify the group- Drawing the line between conforming members and “outsiders” creates a sense of community and belief in shared values
Diffuse tension- committing minor acts of deviance to relieve tension without disrupting society in a major way
Promote social change- When large numbers of people defy a particular norm it points out that that particular norm may need to be changed
Another social function deviance fulfills:
Providing jobs: Provides jobs to help maintain norms
Examples:
Judges, police, crime reporters
Criminologists- social scientists who study criminal behavior

5. Deviance Perspectives: Where Does It Come From?
Functionalist: natural part of society
Conflict: power and inequality
Interactionist: influence of individuals’ interaction

6. Functionalist Perspective
Developed by sociologist Robert K. Merton
Strain Theory- deviance is the natural result of social structures within society (based on values, norms, and structure)
Anomie-situation that arises when the norms of society are unclear or are no longer applicable.
Occurs when people cannot meet society’s approved goals because they do not have the means.
Leaves individual without sufficient guidelines for behavior causing confusion for individuals and for society.

7. Functionalist Perspective Cont’d
Ways in which individuals respond to culturally approved goals and legitimate means of achieving these goals:
Conformity- accepting goals and means for achieving goals
Most common
Only way which does not include deviant behavior
Innovation- accept the goals, but do not accept approved means for achieving goals
Come up with new plans for achieving goals
Example: Drug dealers want to be economically successful (acceptable goal), but reach that goal illegally
Ritualism- reject the goals, but accept approved means for achieving goals
Have a ritual of upholding norms
Example: A worker who does not care about money, but still continues to work hard and be promoted

8. Functionalist Perspective Cont’d
Ways in which individuals respond to culturally approved goals and legitimate means of achieving these goals:
Retreatism- rejection of goals and rejection of acceptable means to obtain them
Examples: beggars, drug addicts
Rebellion- rejection of goals and means to obtain them and replace them with new goals and ways to obtain them
Examples: revolutionary movements
Strain Theory Video

10. Conflict Perspective
Conflict Perspective- competition and social inequality lead to deviance
Social life is a struggle between the upper class and the lower class
People with power commit deviant acts to maintain their power
People from lower classes commit deviant acts for one of two reasons:
To obtain economic rewards
Have low self-esteem and feelings of
powerlessness

11. Conflict Perspective Cont’d
Conflict theorist, Richard Quinney, believes that the ruling class defines what behavior is deviant. The ruling class also develops ideologies that explain deviance as a problem found primarily among lower classes.
The law system enforces the type of laws lower class individuals commit vs. the type of laws ruling class individuals commit
Example: Lower class selling drugs vs. upper class embezzling money
Example: Celebrity caught with drugs vs. lower class caught with drugs

12. Interactionist Perspective
Interactionists have three different theories:
Control Theory
Cultural Transmission Theory
Labeling Theory

13. Interactionist Perspective: Control Theory
Control Theory- believes deviance is a natural occurrence but focuses on why people conform rather than the causes of deviance
Social ties determine conformity
Strong ties=conformity
Weak ties=deviant acts
Control Theorist, Travis Hirschi, found that people develop strong social bonds by…
Form attachments with others who accept the norms of society
Have strong belief in moral codes of society
Show commitment to traditional societal values and goals
Fully involved in nondeviant activities
Travis Hirschi and Michael Fottfredson found that conformity is the result of self-control
Self-control determined by socialization especially during childhood
Rewards and punishments

14. Interactionist Perspective: Cultural Transmission Theory
Cultural Transmission Theory- deviance is a learned behavior learned through interaction with others
Differential Association- frequency and closeness of associations a person has with deviant and nondeviant individuals
The more a person interacts with those committing deviant acts, the more likely he/she is to be a deviant

16. Interactionist Perspective: Cultural Transmission Theory Cont’d
Techniques of Neutralization- suspending moral beliefs to commit deviant acts
Gresham Sykes and David Matza identified these techniques:
Denying responsibility
Ex: “It was an accident”
Denying injury
Ex: “No one was hurt”
Denying the victim
Ex: “He had it coming”
Condemning the authorities
Ex: “The courts are corrupt”
Appealing to higher loyalties
Ex: “I was protecting my family”

17. Interactionist Perspective: Labeling Theory
Labeling Theory- how individuals come to be labeled as deviant
All people commit deviant acts that range in seriousness. Not everyone is labeled as deviant though.

18. Interactionist Perspective: Labeling Theory
Two types of Deviance:
Primary Deviance- nonconformity that goes undetected by authority
May be well-concealed, may not be well-concealed
Not considered deviants
Secondary Deviance- individual is labeled as deviant and accts the label as true
Degradation Ceremony- in a public setting the individual is denounced, found guilty, and given new identity of deviant
Labeling someone as a deviant may cause that person to continue coming deviant acts

19. Cultural Transmission
Perspective
Theory
Questions
Functionalist
How do individuals respond to culturally approved goals and the legitimate means of achieving them? (conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion)
Strain
Conflict
What is the result of competition and social inequality? (deviance) Who decides what is deviant? (ruling classes)
Interactionist
Why do people conform to norms? (strength of social ties determines conformity)
Control
How do people learn conformity or deviance? (through socialization, or interaction with others) Where does this learning mainly occur? (primary groups)
Cultural Transmission
How do people become identified as deviant? (through secondary deviance, or being detected as deviant)
Labeling