Theory Of Deviance

Functionalism was founded by Emile Durkheim, who continuously question norms and how society works. Functionalism is based on how society conformed to the daily functions of everyday activity. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, there are boundaries that are strict between morals and social. Functionalism focus on the natural way society works, it doesn’t try to see how society will work if changed. Functionalism in a society is just one big circle, everyone contributes to one another to keep it going.

This situation of 'normlessness' is known as anomie. Individuals may respond in different ways: · Conformity The most common response is conformity. Conformists strive for success through the accepted channels. · Innovation People from lower classes may have few qualifications and turn to crime to achieve material success.

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

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.

At the same time as people continue to disobey social norms and deviate from societal expectations, sociologist draw to five sociological perspectives to explain deviance. From the functionalist perspective, Robert Merton adapted Durkheim’s idea of anomie to explain why people act in certain ways. The anomie theory of deviance states “that people adapt in certain ways either by conforming to or by deviating from cultural expectations” (Schaefer, 2009). According to this theory it can include

Emile Durkheim, the ‘father’ of functionalism believed that crime played an important role in society. He described the organic analogy of society which describes that

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

Introduction Deviance is defined as any behavior that seems to violate cultural norms. Examples of such behavior are the picking of noses in public or even belching out loudly. The social-strain typology by Robert K. Merton outlines what deviant behavior is and elaborates on criteria behind it. The criteria revolve around people’s adherence to cultural goals and their beliefs as to the ways of achieving such goals. The typology classifies deviances into five models, which are conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion.

Robert K. Merton developed the structural strain theory which focuses on the traces of deviance that are caused by the gap between cultural goals and how available those goals are to be achieved, in other worlds the ‘American dream’. Merton uses this theory to explain the changes, when an individual feels disconnected with normal norms. He believes that in all cases from conventional crime to WCC the crime is motivated and it is not natural. For that reason he says that there are five adaptations that conventional crime and WCC criminals adapt in result of committing a crime. They are: conformist, innovator, ritualism,

Chapter 4: Structural Perspectives on Deviance Theories 1. Jim and Sarah are members of the lower class and are unable to achieve the American Dream because of structural barriers placed on their situation. As a result, they suffer from Anomie. Write five scenarios where Jim and Sarah adapt to anomie via conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion.

Throughout the decades many theorists have tried to define as to why an individual may engage in a ‘criminal’ manner. But we have to ask ourselves whether or not that is the right question. Travis Hirschi goes beyond and asks why do most of us conform to societal views, allowing him to understand what differentiates offenders from non-offenders rather than uncovering why someone commits a deviant act. Despite disagreeing with the others starting point, Hirschi did indeed attempted to mix the theories in with each other in order to explain social control. In this sense, control theory is not so much a theory of deviance as a theory of conformity (95). This essay will argue that Hirschi’s Social Control (Bond) theory is easily comparable and contrastable with Classical Criminology, Durkheim’s Theory of crime, and Merton’s Theory of crime

Deviance is a violation of a social norm in a society. In the sociological perspective, it is not one’s individual characteristics that lead to deviant behavior but rather the social interactions, structures, and processes that lead to one’s deviant behavior. In turn, deviance is socially constructed by a society or group itself. A group dictates what is the norm in their community and what is abnormal, or deviant, in their eyes. Deviance is functional in a society.

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.

According to sociologist Merton, deviance was based on person’s motivations or devotion cultural goals and, person’s belief in how to attain their goals. Merton suggest that people can turn to deviance in the pursuit of widely accepted social values and goals. For instance, people in United States who sell illegal drugs have rejected the culturally acceptable means of making money, but they still share widely accepted cultural value of making money (Hickey, 2013). Hence, deviance could be a result of accepting one norm, but breaking another in order to pursue the first. In social theory, it is either approving by generally framing criminal behavior in a positive light or, neutralizing definition act as a means of justifying by

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.