What is Deviance? (Essay Sample)

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What is Deviance?
Introduction
Sociologists have discussed topics that affect our society for a long time. It follows that scholars in the field can gain knowledge by reviewing previous publications on different subjects. One topic that interests sociologists is deviance. This owes to the reality that scholars such as Stuber et al., (2008) and Andersen et al., (2008) made publications on the topic in question. What is deviance? The term deviance identifies an unacceptable or odd behavior within a society. The term is also used in sociology to connote any violation of societal norms. It is notable that every society has identified standards for deviance. For instance, Hindus believe that a cow is a holy animal and cannot be killed. On the contrary, Christians kill cattle for food. It follows that deviant behavior varies depending on different societies. This paper explains the meaning of deviance by focusing on the definition of deviance to help sociologists appreciate its nature, causes, and effects.
The Nature of Deviance
According to Stuart (106), deviance behavior always attracts attention from members of the society. In fact, the media always exaggerates the attention especially when it involves celebrities. It is also notable that deviance may be categorized as positive or negative deviances, which are exact opposites of each other. For further elucidation, negative deviance occurs when a deviant member of the society fails to meet the norms. It is critical that people exhibiting negative deviance are oblivious of societal norms, reject societal norms, or misinterpret societal norms. In contrast, positive deviance occurs when an individual over conforms to societal norms, which results extreme perfectionism. It follows that people who exhibit positive deviance are unlikely to conform to societal expectations because they rarely lower their standards. In contrast, people who portray negative deviance always improve especially when they are ignorant about societal expectations of them.
It is critical that sociologists use different theories to help them understand deviance. Some of the theories used explain deviance include the strain theory, the labeling theory, the control theory, and the differential association theory. It is critical that Merton used Emil Durkheim concept to invent and explain the strain theory. According to Emil Durkheim, cited in Stuart (109), anomie is a social condition where societal norms are conflicting, weak, or absent. This is because lack of shared norms results in disorganized societies. The theory argues that deviance results from a gap in culturally desirable goals like money, prestige, and the means of obtaining such goals. As a result, different societies have different acceptable means for pursuing individual goals. Therefore, the theory argues that deviant behavior results from the choices made by different people in pursuit of their life goals. If the individuals choose to contrary to societal expectations then they exhibit deviant behavior.
The control theory was proposed and developed by Travis Hirschi based on Durkheim’s foundation on deviance. According to the theory, people conform to societal norms because of the existing bonds in the society. Simply put, relationships between people determine the extent of deviant behavior in that society because social bonds control societal mannerisms (Stuart, p: 112). It is notable that personal relationships are characterized by elements such as attachment, commitment, belief, and involvement. The aforementioned elements could either promote or discourage deviant behavior. For example, a child who was raised in a family with strict moral expectations is likely to restrain from deviant behavior. On the contrary, a child raised by a street gang is likely to engage in deviant social behavior. A child who was raised in in a moral family, the contrary to a child who was raised in a street gang, is attached, committed, and beliefs in the family standards. Thus, the child will restrict to actions accepted by the family to maintain the family bond.
Another theory that explains the origin of deviant behavior is the differential association theory. According to this theory, deviant behavior arises from different social groups within a society. A typical society will have both people who perform their actions in accordance to societal expectations and people who behave contrary to societal norms. Therefore, an individual will portray deviant behavior because his/her social group. Andersen et al., (172) argues that the ratio of non-deviant and deviant behavior affects the ability of a society to include individuals with deviant behavior. This is because someone who associates with people of non-deviant behavior will portray non-deviant behavior. On the contrary, someone who associates with people of deviant behavior will also exhibit deviant behavior. It follows that a society is likely to experience different levels of deviant behavior depending on the types of social groups within that society.
The labeling theory is also important to sociologists because it helps them understand deviance. Unlike the strain theory, the control theory, and the differential association theory, the labeling theory explains why deviance is comparative (Kornblum and Carolyn, p: 125 ). Simply put, the labeling theory explains why two people may break the social norm yet only one of them will be identified as a deviant member of the society. According to this theory, deviant behavior exists in a society because members of the society choose to identify others with deviant behavior. For instance, the society’s expectation of human sexual responsibility is a good example that explains the labeling theory. It is because the society always labels females who become pregnant out of wedlock as deviant members of the society. On the contrary, males who engage in sexual activity outside marriage portray deviant behavior. It follows that the society could identify some of its members with deviant behavior and some of s members with non-deviant behavior for performing the same action.
Causes of Deviance
It is clear that portraying behavior that is contrary to societal norms always results in deviance. In simple terms, cultural norms can help sociologists identify deviant and non-deviant behavior. It is notable that Bogdan and Taylor (34) argue that cultural and societal norms are the leading cause of deviance in society. Consider the following example. The Japanese business culture expects certain responses when exchanging business cards. According to the Japanese business culture, a giver of a business card should present the card to a recipient with the giver’s details facing the recipient. The recipient is in turn expected to ask something about the details written on the card even when it is unnecessary. Such a response implies the recipient appreciates the giver of the business card and will contact the giver if need arises. Failure to respond effectively demonstrates that either the giver or the recipient is deviant.
Another cause for deviance to the society is personal traits. According to Bodgan and Taylor (p: 34) an individual may be labeled deviant based on physical traits. This owes to the reality that the authors conducted a study on a Twenty-five-year-old Molly who could not talk or walk. Molly also had large ears, a large nose, a tiny head, and a sloping brow. The results indicated that most members of Molly’s society identified Molly as deviant. It follows that deviance is not only based on mannerisms, but is also based on physical traits. As further evidence, Erving Goffman, who is a renowned sociologist, argued that physical appearance and ability could also result in deviance. For example, fat people could be categorized as deviant based on their physical appearance. Therefore, mannerisms and personal traits are the main causes of deviance in society.
The Impact of Deviance
It is crucial to highlight that deviance affects our society. For instance, deviance is known to cause stigma. A study completed by Stuber et al., (2008) highlights that smoking is an unacceptable behavior in most s...