Labelling groups or individuals is something that happens all over the world. Whether conscious or unconscious, everyone has believed or even used a label whether it is or was about an individual or a group in positive or negative terms. However, does this mean that its ok to label each other, to label a community/group. The question is why do we label, what is the need to place labels on individuals or communities/groups. There are many different types of labels, are they all deviant and the people who are tagged as such are they deviant or just the acts themselves deviant.
Theories:
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 as a sociological term does not mean perversion or depravity, deviance is exhibiting behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society. When on the topic of deviance, we are discussing the violation of social norms. Social norms are the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit, meaning they are either expressed clearly or simply implied indirectly. There are many different causes of deviance, willingly or unwillingly. When talking about deviance, a person can get a deviant identity in many ways. You can look at it in terms of physical or behavioral characteristics. When people acquire a deviant role, it is common to be viewed in a negative way by many people.
“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.
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.
Deviance is defined as the fact or state of departing from usual or accepted standards, especially in social or sexual behavior. There are many different forms of deviance in today 's society. Something that is viewed as being deviant in one culture might be seen as normal in another. There are many different types and theories in which define deviance, however their are 3 broad categories, these 3 categories are positivist, relativist, and critical conceptions of deviance. These 3 categories are important in defining deviance because they break down deviance as a whole and better help understand the different acts in which we label as being deviant. Deviance as a whole is important to study especially in today 's society with their
Sociologists define deviance as a behavior, trait, or belief that departs from a norm and generates a negative reaction in a particular group (153). Deviance can be anything. A certain sociably acceptable act in one culture can be seen as deviant in another culture it does not matter how large or small the act. Sociologist developed three theories to help explain deviance. Sociologists explored the functionalism, conflict, and symbolic interactionism approaches to deviance.
When thinking of deviance the first thought that comes to mind is someone who would be considered abusive, incapable of following directions or rules, or completely aggressive in nature and is unable to live among society for fear of what he/she may do to themselves or others. Fortunately there are other views and ideas of what deviance means, and it is different in every society. The word deviance even means different things if it is defined under a different perspective such as sociological, biological, or psychological.
Deviance-the fact or state of diverging from usual or accepted standards, especially in social or sexual behavior.
Labeling will more likely cause an individual to become deviant when social groups label them as such.
Deviance is defined as anything that goes against the accepted norm, so a deviant act could be anything from an act of vandalism to living in a nudist colony. Living in a nudist colony, while not considered “normal” in our society, is not necessarily a bad thing. However, any act that breaks a law is considered deviant, and a criminal act is typically considered bad. The study of deviance plays an important part in understanding how people act in society.
Deviant behavior is anything that falls out of what the general populous views as normal. When analyzing deviance it is important to understand that there are many forms of deviance, some deviant acts are viewed more extreme than others, therefore the punishment or sanctions that
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
Great post! You did a nice job defining deviance as a whole. A theory closely associated with this term is labeling theory. Labeling theory is one of the most important approaches to understanding deviant and criminal behavior within sociology. Labeling theory begins with the assumption that no act is intrinsically criminal. Definitions of criminality are established by those in power through the formulation of laws and the interpretation of those laws by police, courts, and correctional institutions. Deviance is therefore not a set of characteristics of individuals or groups, but rather it is a process of interaction between deviants and non-deviants and the context in which criminality is being interpreted. Again great post!