How Conformity Plays A Big Part Essay

As a student, I am often troubled by the rigid routines of the school day, despite the fact that I am actually a very habitual person. The constant ringing of bells, lectures, bellwork, classwork, homework, each a daily practice throughout the school year. Although all of these components promote conformity, which will ultimately support the balance of school and societal norms, they also tend to threaten each student’s own unique characteristics. This then poses the question; to what degree should schools encourage conformity versus individuality? Certainly, a level of conformity is required to achieve a balanced society however, the overall structure of the school day and class, including the methods used to teach and mandatory classes,

Beginning from a child we begin to experience different situations and interactions with others. We start getting taught the difference between right and wrong, what may be considered good and what is considered bad, and also taught the things we should and should not do. As we grow older we try to refrain from behavior of which society may disapprove of. Society see’s certain types of behavior as being deviant. First let’s begin by explaining what is a deviant behavior? Deviant behavior can be any behavior that does not conform to what people may consider normal, a behavior that does not meet with many expectations in society. Societies are both social structure and culture. Robert K Merton developed structural

While observing deviance, one will realize deviance comes in many forms of behaviors and characteristics. Most think of deviance a bad behavior, which is true, but deviance is much more boarder than that. Deviance can be defined in many different ways, however according to (Adler 2012), deviance is the violation of social norms. (p.11) To get a better understanding, Norms is considered as a way of life for many people, basically what is acceptable in society’s eyes. There are three types’ of norms, folkways, mores, and laws. Folkways are norms that which is strongly constructed more so of traditions, etiquette, and customs. Next you have, Mores, it is constructed

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

Norms are means of guiding the behavior of one social group (Macionis, Jansson & Benoit, 2013, p. 161). Deviance is the recognized violation of cultural norms (Macionis et al., 2013, p. 161). Crime is one category of deviance. It is defined as the violation of a society's formally enacted criminal law (Macionis et al., 2013, p. 161).

Deviance is a functional element of society because it adjusts people to social change. It is as if though deviance is automatically transmitted to others. For example when violating rules such as not using a car seat, forgetting to put on the seat belt, or driving above speed limit. We get used to these violations because we see them in our daily basis. Deviant acts start to become more acceptable to society and that’s how these things don’t seem unusual anymore to the public. It is deviant behavior that shows us what is right from wrong and determines who we choose to be. Something that is still considered to be unacceptable or criminal is human trafficking. Human trafficking in many cases involves violence, exploitation, and sexual assault.

Deviance can be described as a violation of social norms, this violation can vary in extremity but nevertheless is still a violation (Henslin 158). Deviant actions are described based on the reaction of society towards the action, this means that deviant acts can differ from person to person based on opinions. Deviant acts in themselves don't always have to be negative but are given a negative connotation due to society's opinion on the actions. Socialization creates these norms that keep order, deviance is the destruction of this order.

Social deviance is considered a broad term, it tends to describe actions or behaviors that violate society’s “norms.” Norms, in a simple context, are rules by, which members of society are expected to conform to. When it comes to discussing the term deviance, it tends to mean a person’s failure to conform to unspoken rules established by society. Social deviance can have many forms and interpretations. Deviant acts are primarily relative to the setting because deviance in one place could be considered non-deviance in another place. Theft, violence, murder, or any kind of criminal behavior, can be considered either deviant or non-deviant, depending on the context. It's coming up to countries, establishments, and governing bodies to determine, which acts are and aren’t acceptable. An example, could be murdering someone for drugs is not acceptable, but murdering someone in an act of self-defense is. It can be concluded, all acts of deviance are subjected to review and accepted on the condition that it fits what society holds acceptable. Acts of deviance can result in some very positive outcomes.(Why is this here?)

Remember those times in class when the teacher has asked a question and the answer in mind is surely correct, yet when you look around the majority have chosen an option completely opposite? What about the time your friends pressured you into stealing that shirt or CD or involving in mocking little Johnny because he was a ‘geek’? At the time there was no problems. As a part of the group you felt confident, secure and “like so cool”.

When defining deviance, it’s a behavior that is recognized as violating expected rules and norms and behavior that departs significantly from social expectations. In the sociological perspective on deviance, there is subtlety that distinguishes it from our commonsense understanding of the same behavior. Sociologists stress social context, not just individual behavior. That is, deviance is looked at in terms of group processes, definitions, and judgments, and not just as unusual individual acts. Sociologists who study deviance and crime look into cultural norms, how they change over time, how they are enforced, and what happens to individuals and societies when norms are broken.

Deviance is a community/group or an individual that differs from a norm or from the accepted standard of society, basically it means an odd or unacceptable behaviour. “Societies may be seen as layered by norms which guide virtually all human activities, and deviance is the violation of these norms along with the recognition and labelling of such violations. Deviance then involves the recognised violation of cultural norms” (Macionis, 2012). Some sociologists have tried to explain the topic and to move away from a simple resounding of public concerns, was to develop the theory of deviance and crime. The previous concept is a lot broader as it means a behaviour that deviates from or breaks any social rule, whether of politeness; of self-presentation; of property; or of sexual orientation. Every society defines what is deviant and what isn’t, the descriptions of deviance can differ between each

Deviance can also be explained by context; if an individual member of a gang does not join in on an activity along with the rest of the gang members, the individual can be seen as deviant. Macionis and Gerber explain that “the social welfare and criminal justice system blame individuals, not the system, for social problems.”(p.219). Deviance is constructed by institutions to be a problem stemming from the individual rather than society. Basically, because society makes up a majority, what most of a society's members do is considered normal. Doing something unlike what a society does is considered abnormal and people are usually uncomfortable with this sort of disparity. Macionis and Gerber go on to clarify that “people become deviant as others define them that way.”(p.219). Without defining the boundaries between normal and abnormal, deviance would not exist. Essentially, deviant acts are constructed through stigmatizing actions that are deemed dissimilar or immoral in a society. Fundamentally, deviance is a violation of the social norm. It is constructed by certain institutions and individuals; and it can be condemned by society, the law or both.

Deviance, as it pertains to this theory involves behaviors that violate the socially accepted norms of law enforcement, civil rights, and social norms. Conformity is considered the social construction many of us consider normal. Without a basis of conformity, our behaviors would direct our deviant behaviors. Many organizations develop policies practices, and laws based from on codified acts of deviance. Further, criminal justice agencies develop codes of ethics or standards of what is acceptable practices.

What is deviance? Deviance maintains the idea of nonconforming to societal norms with very outlandish ideas, thoughts, and action. They are many different types of deviances, ranging from subtle deviant behavior to extreme deviant behavior. The idea of a government creating certain sanctions, rules, and ideas to enforce a level of societal control and avoid chaos is social control. With social control is four different elements or variables to why deviants or criminals commit a crime; which is, attachment, commitment, involvement, and beliefs. The first variable of social control is attachment; attachment is when a person forms a certain type of emotional or mental identification and ties with certain things, people or ideas. For example, our attachment to our family, friends, personal items or pets show our level of sensitivity whereas those who lack that are considered more selfish. The second social control variable is commitment; which is an indirect type of rational element to the theory; which highlights the conventional lines in one's actions showing that there was motivation to invest in a type of social engagement or career. The action taking place is much more conventional, an example would be a commitment to pursuing a degree in a university even though the course curriculum is very challenging. The third social control variable is involvement, the lines of whichever activity that is felt comfortable along with the time spent on it. Such as a student preparing to

Deviance can be defined as the transgression of social norms. Deviant behavior may not always be criminal behavior. It can be as minor as farting or picking your nose in public to as serious as vandalizing someone's property or murder. Societal expectations provide orderliness that when society finds an act unacceptable or offensive, you would be considered a deviant. Power plays a big role in the construction of a deviant behavior. Power can manipulate the individual and society and how they view deviance. When a deviant person is caught in a deviant act, depending on the seriousness of the offence, they are subject to punishment.