Compare and Contrast Primary and Secondary Deviance: What is the Relationship? (Coursework Sample)

Primary and Secondary Deviance
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Primary and Secondary Deviance
Deviance entails violations of social norms. However, not all violations attract long-term repercussions. Researchers argue that it is possible for acts that violate the criminal law to go undetected by the law enforcement agencies (Schmalleger, 2012). As such, detected violations receive a punishment that deters the person from further deviant behavior. Violations of such norms fall under Lemert’s classification that is named as ‘primary deviance’ (Schmalleger, 2012). Primary deviance is quickly forgotten (Skeem, Johansson, Andershed, Kerr, & Louden, 2007). In fact, primary deviants tend to proceed with normal law-abiding behavior soon after prosecution.
Examples of primary deviant behavior include a student making noise in class and a child battling another in a family. Skeem et al. (2007) maintain that commission of certain crimes can receive societal punishment, which compels the offenders to abide by the law. It is worth noting that primary deviance receives mild societal reaction that can range from chastisement and stereotyping to severe punishment such as imprisonment. In other occasions, it is unnoticed or socially corrected (Schmalleger, 2012). Some authors hold that primary deviants are still innocent beings and are unfairly labeled by others.
On the other hand, secondary deviance occurs when unusual behavior persists. It receives strong societal reaction and can receive severe punitive action (Skeem et al., 2007). Repetitive violations of social norms attract societal penalties that result in stigmatization of the individual. According to Lemert, it is the societal reaction to deviant behavior that amplifies primary deviance to the secondary level (Skeem et al., 2007). The penalties and societal rejections isolate deviant individuals as wrongdoers. Individuals abhor themselves and start looking for partners who see such behavior as normal. Deviant individuals hate societal norms and the structures that stipulate them (Schmalleger, 2012). They accept such labels and live as actual deviants. Skeem et al. (2007) assert that this internalization of the la...