What is Deviance? - ReviseSociology

Deviance refers to rule-breaking behaviour of some kind which fails to conform to the norms and expectations of a particular society or ... Skiptocontent WhatisDeviance? Deviancereferstorule-breakingbehaviourofsomekindwhichfailstoconformtothenormsandexpectationsofaparticularsocietyorsocialgroup.    Devianceiscloselyrelatedtotheconceptofcrime,whichislawbreakingbehaviour.Criminalbehaviourisusuallydeviant,butnotalldeviantbehaviouriscriminal. Theconceptofdevianceismoredifficulttodefinethancrime.Devianceincludesbothcriminalandnon-criminalacts,butitisquitedifficulttopindownwhatmembersofanysocietyorgroupsactuallyregardasdeviantbehaviour.DownesandRock(2007)suggestthatambiguityisakeyfeatureofrule-breaking,aspeoplearefrequentlyunsurewhetheraparticularepisodeistrulydeviantorwhatdevianceis.Theirjudgementwilldependonthecontextinwhichitoccurs,whothepersonis,whattheyknowaboutthemandwhattheirmotivesmightbe. SocietalandSituationalDeviance Plummer(1979)discussestwoaspectsofdefiningdeviance,usingtheconceptsofsocietaldevianceandsituationaldeviance. Societaldeviancereferstoformsofdeviancethatmostmembersofasocietyregardasdeviantbecausetheysharesimilarideasaboutapprovedandunapprovedbehaviour–murder,rape,childabuseanddrivingoverthealcohollimitintheUKgenerallyfallintothiscategory. Situationaldeviancereferstothewayinwhichanactbeingseenasdeviantornotdependsonthecontextorlocationinwhichittakesplace.Thesetwoconceptionsofdeviancesuggestthat,whiletheremaybesomeactsthatmanypeopleagreearedeviantinonesociety,thoseactsdefinedasdeviantwillvarybetweengroupswithinasociety.Whetherornotanactisseenasdeviantoftendependson: Thehistoricalperiod–definitionsofdeviancechangeovertimeinthesamesocietyasstandardsofnormalbehaviourchange.Forexample,cigarettesmokingusedtobeverypopular,nowitisillegaltosmokeinrestaurantsorbuses. Theplaceorcontext–nudityisoftenseenasdeviantinpublic(thoughinitselfitisnevercriminal),butrarelyinprivate;playingloudmusicisdeviantonpublictransport,butnotatmusicfestivals,anddrinkingtoexcessisdeviantalmostanywhere,butnotnecessarilyinpubsorclubs. Thesocialgroup–Whatmayberegardedasunacceptableatasocietallevelmayberegardedasacceptableinsmallgroupsorevenwholeagecohorts–bingedrinkingandsexualpromiscuityaretwosuchexamples.  Thecontextdependencyofdeviance Thecontextdependencyofdeviancesimplyreferstotheideathatdevianceissociallyconstructed–whetherornotanactisseenasdeviantdependsonthehistoricalperiod,theplace,andthegroupwitnessingtheact. Thecontextdependencyofdeviancecanbeillustratedbyasimpleexample: WearingaminiskirtisDeviantinSaudiArabia: ButitsclearlynotonTikTokinWesternCulture… Task:TrytocomeupwithyourownexampleswhichillustratetheContextDependencyofDeviance. DiscussionQuestion:Isthereanyactwhichisinherentlydeviant(deviantineverycontext)? 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