Cultural Norms

“Deviance in sociological context describes actions or behaviors that violate cultural norms including formally-enacted rules (e.g., crime) as well as informal violations of social norms.”

Deviance is an act that goes against the social norms such as rules or expectations. It can be something small such as running through the stop signs or it can be something big such as hijacking an airplane. Deciding if the act is deviant or not depends on the context (society, environment, etc.). According to Howard S. Becker, it is not the act itself, but the reactions to the act that, makes something deviant. Deviance is not a word that is used for judging people, but it is used to refer to an act to which people respond negatively. Norms vary among different cultural groups, therefore, one deviant act in one group might not be deviant to another. For example, it will be considered deviant or going against the norm if someone decided to

Deviance is an action or behavior that violates social norms, including a formally enacted rule, as well as informal violations of social norms. Deviant behavior is any behavior that is contrary to the dominant norms of society. Norms are rules and expectation by which members of society are conventionally guided. Social norms differ from culture to culture. Deviance can be criminal or non-criminal.

Deviance as a word refers to any behavior regarded as odd or unacceptable. However, from a sociological point of view, deviance refers to any action or behavior that runs contrary to social norms (Macionis and Gerber 200). This includes crimes, which are violations of formally enacted rules, as well as violation of the socially accepted norms. Norms refer to the rules as well as the expectations that guide the conventional behavior of human beings (Macionis and Gerber 204). Thus, deviant acts arise from non-conformance with these norms. Deviance is relative, to both the time and the place. This is because an act that may appear deviant in a particular context may not be deviant in another. For example, fighting at school is a deviant behavior,

In sociology, the term deviance refers to all violations of social rules, regardless of their seriousness (Essentials of Sociology 136). Deviance is an individual or organizational behavior that violates societal norms and is usually accompanied by negative reactions from others. According to a sociologist S. Becker, he stated that it is not the act itself that makes an action deviant, but rather how society reacts to it.

Crime can be described as an act that harmful to an individual as well as the society; such acts are against and punishable by the law. While deviance can be described as acting against social norms, for example a boy wearing a skirt would be out of place in the society

The violation of the social norm can be meant to be utilized as a way of sustaining power, position, and influence of a specific group of people or organizations. In most cultures, the idea of deviance is based on the values, deeds, and beliefs that are achieved through interaction among people that have influence in the society and from the understanding that culture is passed on from member to member. Societies are also comprised of the subculture and the culture itself. The huge cultural forces depict what deeds are appreciated and which are unaccepted or discouraged. On the other hand, the subculture in a certain setting creates a resistance to the dominating culture and in doing so, they give a hand in the behavior that violates the large culture social norms. Therefore, the deviation from the cultural norms can be attributed to the social classes and financial classes. For example, prostitution in regions of the developing world is deviant in most cultures, however poverty pressure pushes young girls toward it for survival.

Everyday, American individuals conform to social norms by observing or interacting with one another. These unspoken rules guide how individuals are expected to behave in society. A culture is a set of values, beliefs, and behavior that outlines a person’s way of life, and by conforming to societal norms, humans are creating their own culture. However, when norms are violated, one may respond with any sort of emotions including anger, confusion, or being afraid. Without norms, the world would be chaotic. People would break laws making this world unsafe. For this assignment, I was told to observe people's reaction by breaking a folkway, a type of social norm that results in small consequences.

The training exercises were fabulous activities that provided experiences in assessing cultural norms, identifying the role culture plays on our perceptions, and techniques for observing behavior. Each event provided the participants with a critical component required in field observations. The cultural norms activity helped to acquaint participants with interacting with strangers, recognizing that culture provides comfort and security. The cultural description activity was perfect for building and understanding the role culture plays when trying to understand human behavior. In field observations, "weird" can simply be behavior outside my cultural understanding.

From the weekly reading, I was able to adapt a strong feeling of self-awareness of my own culture. We as people respond to societal issues based off our cultural and religious practices. The reading discusses the importance of cultural awareness, which is a key part of social work practice. The text defines cultural not only as a way to distinguish groups, but as a, “… source of strength and inspiration that helps people cope with daily stressors they face” (Marsiglia & Kulis, 2015). The reading went on to further discuss, how understanding one’s cultural norms help social workers to better assist clients. How can social workers be successful at the job if he or she lack the proper tools to guide them in their daily roles? For example, if

Crime is a word that most of the people can relate to, according to Collins dictionary it means; violation of the law. (Collins 2005) Deviance is a more difficult word to identify , Collins dictionary definition is; people who have diverged from usual or accepted standards of society, especially in social or sexual behaviour. Su Epstein (2005) who has a PhD , describes deviance in cultural societies as; there are no laws about norms, no norm police, but there is social expectation that we'll follow norms and if we do not we are deemed deviant, a rule breaker or a norm violator.(Epstein 2005) Sociologists have many theories on crime and deviance, the two

Imagine someone rich or powerful committing crimes without the fear of serving consequences. The crime may include murder, robbery, or stealing. Deviance is a label for an action or behavior that violates social norms. Social norms are rules or expectations which usually guide members of society. Deviance is nonconformity to these norms. Social norms can vary from culture to culture and is defined in numerous ways. Many researchers believe that deviance is a violation of social norms. Some believe deviant behavior is breaking the law or acting in a negative manner. Sociologists use specific words to classify deviant actions from a sociological perspective. There are crimes that are deviant actions and not deviant acts. For example; this

Deviance is the behavior and the standards of expectations of a group or society. It is also behavior that is considered dangerous, threatening or offensive. The people that are deviant are often labeled to be weirdos, oddballs, or creeps. In the United States, people with tattoos, drug addicts, alcoholics, and compulsive gamblers are all considered deviant. Sociologists believe that everybody is deviant from time to time. They believe each person will violate a social norm in certain situations. People are considered deviant if they don't stand for the national anthem at a sports event, dress casually to a fancy restaurant, or skip classes. One category of deviance is Crime. Crime is a violation of norms

Deviance is defined as the recognised violation of norms and expectations of a particular social group. Deviance can be positively accepted (rewarded), negatively accepted (punished), or simply accepted without reward or punishment.

Deviance is a certain behavior or action that leads to violating rules and cultural norms expected by society. Crime is an act and a violation of formal written laws, which can considered deviant. It’s society that views certain actions or crimes to be considered deviant. Culture can be related to deviance and crime, because if a certain behavior is deviant to society it can be made into laws which disciplines that certain behavior. In one culture someone might believe in a certain religion, but if you don’t believe in that religion you are looked down upon and that could be just considered deviant. On the other hand, if someone murders or rapes someone it’s considered to be more of a crime than it is just a deviant behavior.