Merton's Typology Of Deviance

Among any community there is a set of boundaries that must be respected under penalty of being labeled as deviant. Consequently, a community will create agencies of control in order to punish and fight against all the forms of behavior considered as deviant. In his Study in the Sociology of Deviance, Kai T. Erikson defends the point that deviant forms of behavior are a natural and beneficial part of social life. One of his main arguments is that, in our modern society, “the agencies of control often seem to define their job as that of keeping deviance within bounds rather than obliterating it altogether” (Wayward Puritans 24:2). Now, what if society gave to its agencies of control the role of annihilating deviance? What if the set of

“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

According to Merton, deviance is the result or an outcome of an imbalance between legitimate cultural goal and the legitimate means. Hence, he introduced 5 adaptations of typologies of deviance.

In this essay, the comparison between and contrast between strain theory and labelling theory. The essay will start with the key features of each theory and then it will go into the main comparison of the two theories. It will go into to detail on the similarities and differences between the two theories. Strain theory is the theory developed in 1938 by Robert K Merton. It’s the theory that society puts pressure on people to achieve socially accepted goals. Labelling theory is the theory that the public act in the way that society has labelled them, which gives negative connotations towards that person. Both the theories, judge crime on the type of people and how they have been deemed, both theories try to explain crime from social perspectives.

According to Craig J. Forsyth and Rhonda D. Evans, the term dogmen can be used to define an individual who “fights their pit-bulls in matches against other pit-bulls” (Forsyth and Evans 1998). Forsyth and Evans conducted research on those who were considered to be dogmen and those who actively opposed dog fighting. This research was conducted through formal and informal interviews along with additional data from other sources. The location of the observation of this research took place in what is considered the center of dogfighting in the United States, Louisiana( ). The purpose of the research was to “examine the neautrializeation techniques dogmen use as they attempt to counter stigma, criminal, identity and criticism”(205). This paper will analyze the article Dogmen: The Rationalization of Deviance by Forsyth and Evans on it’s connection to law and social control.

Deviance can be defined as an absence of conformity to the social norm. Not all deviant behavior is necessarily illegal or harmful to individuals, these behaviors can range from standing in another’s personal space to murdering another individual. In some cases, it can be looked upon as a positive change or a unique and favorable act. Although, considered deviant because it is not the social norm, it still can have a very positive social aspect or lead to social change. Culture and the societies within these cultures have a significant impact on what is considered deviant and what is acceptable or even lawful behavior. The degree of deviance is measured by society’s reaction towards the action and the lawful sanctions that may take

Within any culture lies an array of definitive demeanors and actions that are deemed socially adequate and inadequate. Depending on the distinguishing behavior of a given individual and the society that they live in, there are invisible “laws” that prevent people from acting a certain way. If the individual’s behavior is adverse to the superior, predominant norms of their society, the actions of that individual are considered to be deviant. Social deviance in shown in a variety of dissimilar faces: within physical appearance, actions done to oneself and others, and religious groups.

Firstly, conformity is when an individual adheres to both the goals and the means despite the limited chances of success. This can result in a functional society as all of the socially approved concepts are accepted and adopted within the person's life, thus, excluding crime. Secondly, innovation refers to when goals are accepted but individuals find different ways to achieve them. These methods are often criminal. For instance, if an individual wants the socially approved goal of owning those aspects which make him/her of a higher reputation, they can turn to organised theft and in some cases, white collar crime. Ritualism refers to when an individual uses the means but loses sight of the goals whereas retreatism refers to when the individuals rejects both the goals and the means. Individuals who are dependent

In the 1998 film American History X, Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for brutally murdering two black men who were breaking into his truck. Through his Brother Danny’s narration of a paper he is writing, it is learned that Derek was the leader of a large Neo-Nazi group known as D.O.C., or Disciples of Christ, that committed many acts of racial crime throughout Los Angeles. During his time in prison Derek decides that hate is a waste of time after being violently raped by fellow white supremacists, and his only friend being a black man, who was only in prison for a misunderstanding. After getting out on parole, Derek learns that Danny is headed down the same racist path as him, and decided that he must put a stop to it. Throughout this film there are many examples of the five theories of deviance; Functional, Conflict, Labeling, Broken Windows, and Differential Association. From Derek’s initial exposure to racism, all the way to him deciding to change, all five theories are exemplified through Derek, Danny, their Father, Cameron, or the D.O.C. as a whole.

Deviance and Sanctions Deviance might be necessary for a society to function, but in today’s society it’s set up in a way that encourages deviance or rejects deviance. Merton’s strain theory argues that society acts upon deviance, specifically the extent and type of deviance people engage in. These actions depend on whether society provides the means to achieve a cultural goal. For example, the means can stand for opportunities in a person life or their schooling, but how will this person achieve this goal ? Will the person achieve the goal through a deviance act, following the rules but not achieving their goal, or maybe rejecting both culturally approved goals and means.

Merton, (1938) model of social deviance desires to refute Freudians and similar theorists that hypothesize biological abnormalities as a valid explanation for deviance. Their theory further posits that institutions only exist to channel deviance through some form of "utilitarian calculus or unreasoned conditioning" (p. 680). That is, using punishment to deter deviance rather using it as a form of retribution. Merton, instead, wants to articulate how institutions can itself prompt deviance, and sustain a significant degree of control over it. He proposes a "2-phase model" (673) on how society structures individual behavior: the first phase is the ‘cultural goal', the putative end for which we ought to struggle. The second aspect is ‘institutional

The Webster definition for deviance states, “Different from what is considered to be normal or morally correct.” To most people deviance is a word framing that’s used towards those we deem weird, a delinquent, or criminals in modern society standards. Anything related to criminal acts or the breaking of law applies to the word deviance. Going on the bases of the criminal stigma I looked through chapter 6 and its explanation towards the core bases of deviance, and I have concluded it’s a sequence of several theories combined to best explain the sociology behind it. However, the core cause that’s start the initial spark or deviance to occur is through the differential association theory. Sociologist Edwin Sutherland’s theory stated, “Asserted that we learn to be deviant through our interaction with other who break the rules”.

Deviance is a term which I was unfamiliar with prior to doing research and learning more about it in sociology. Whenever I would hear the word in society, it would usually be in pop culture and for me, it was most notably in those stereotypical “student misbehaving in classroom” scenarios. In these scenarios, the child would misbehave in some way, whether it be by throwing materials at other classmates, or bad mouthing the teacher in a disrespectful way. As a result, the student would be called a “deviant” by the teacher and would receive suspension for deviance in the classroom. The word deviance is generally defined as follows, behaviors or actions that may violate social norms as well as informal social norms. The definition of the word

In the United States of America, societal deviance changes nearly on a daily basis. Depending on the current culture, deviance is modified to make societal heroes like celebrities, political figures, and sport players look less deviant and more like role models for the public. The change in what is considered “normal” is customarily a result of society in general. By using a reference group of people, individuals tend to identify with those who are in the lime light. Then when that role model does something appalling, the public becomes desensitized to this behavior and its abnormality and becomes less distinct thus adding to the change in social deviances.