deviance - Sociological perspectives - Encyclopedia Britannica

Instead, deviance is defined by the formal or informal rules imposed by other people in the social context in which the behaviour occurs. Social control is also ... deviance TableofContents deviance IntroductionSociologicalperspectivesAnomieLabelingSociallydefineddeviancePsychologicalperspectivesIndividualpropensitytodeviateNormsandconformitypressureMinoritiesasdeviantsReactionstodeviantgroupmembersDevianceinintergroupsituationsDeviantgroups FastFacts RelatedContent More MoreArticlesOnThisTopic Contributors ArticleHistory Sociologicalperspectives Anomie FrenchsociologistÉmileDurkheimvieweddevianceasaninevitablepartofhowsocietyfunctions.Hearguedthatdevianceisabasisforchangeandinnovation,anditisalsoawayofdefiningorclarifyingimportantsocialnorms.Reasonsfordeviancevary,anddifferentexplanationshavebeenproposed.Onereasonpeopleengageindeviantbehaviour,forexample,maybeastateofanomie,whichissocialinstabilityarisingfromanabsenceofclearsocialnormsandvalues.Tounderstandwhatthesenormsare,therulesneedtobetestedoccasionally.Inappropriatebehaviourislikelytoberegulatedbyinformalsocialprocessessuchasdisapprovalfromfriendsorfamily. AmericansociologistRobertMerton’stheoryofanomieholdsthatdevianceisoftenaresponsetosituationsinwhichgoalscannotbeachievedthroughconventionalbehaviour.Indemocraticsocieties,peoplefromwealthy,highlyconnected,andprivilegedcircumstanceshaverelativelyeasyroutestopersonalsuccessandprosperity.Whenothersrealizethatroutestoachievementareblocked,theyexperiencestrainandfrustrationandarelikelytoturntotacticsthatwillhelpthemmovepasttheblockages.Mertonproposedfivetypesofreactiontosuchcircumstances:conformity,innovation,ritualism,retreatism,andrebellion.Bothinnovationandrebellionareformsofdeviance.Whereasinnovationislikelytoinvolvebreakingrulestoachievenormativeobjectives(e.g.,stealingtobecomerich),rebellioninvolveschallengingtherulesorobjectivesthemselves(e.g.,protestsorcampaignstochangelaws). Varioustypesofsocialcontrolinhibitdeviance.Primarygroups,suchasfamilies,workgroups,orteams,andclosesocialgroupsmaycontroldeviancethroughdirectorimmediatesanctionsovertheirmembers.Ifachildisdisobedient,aparentcanrespondimmediately,justasasportsrefereecanimmediatelyexcludeacheatingplayer.Inclose-knitcommunities,thereisahighlevelofprimarycontrol,soifamemberbreaksanimportantrule,thatmemberisinsignificantdangerofexclusionfromthegroup. Insomecultures,thereputationsoffamilymembersmaybeputatriskifamemberengagesinacriminalorshamingactivity.Extremereactions,suchastheso-calledhonourkillingofwomenforcommittingadulteryorevenforhavingbeenraped,highlightthefactthatdevianceisnoteasilydefinedintermsofaspecificbehaviour.Instead,devianceisdefinedbytheformalorinformalrulesimposedbyotherpeopleinthesocialcontextinwhichthebehaviouroccurs.Socialcontrolisalsoexertedthroughsecondarygroupsthataremoreabstract,suchasorganizationsthatuseformalpowerandregulations,aswellasthroughmembershipinlargersocialcategoriessuchasgender,whichareassociatedwithwidersocialnorms. Labeling Primarydevianceinvolvesrelativelytrivial,butgenerallytolerated,departuresfromrules.Forexample,manypeopleoccasionallytakeitemsofofficestationery(pens,tape,etc.)forpersonaluse.Whencommittingsuchacts,mostpeoplefeelabletosustaintheideathattheyarestillhonestandlaw-abiding.Linkedtothoseformsofprimarydeviance,sociologistsalsoobservethatsocietiesallowcertainnormsofevasion.Forexample,driversonfreewaysoftentravelalittlefasterthantheofficialspeedlimit.Itiswidelyacceptedthatbreakingthelimitwillbetoleratedbutonlyuptoapoint.Suchnormsprovideflexibleboundaries.Individualswhoshowthattheyconformtomostrulesareusuallygivenasmallamountoffreedomtobendsomerules;ifauthoritiessochoose,however,theycanimposetherulesstrictly.Secondarydeviancedescribesasituationinwhichapersonhasbeenpubliclyidentifiedasdeviant,suchasbybeingclassifiedasmentallyunstableorcriminal. Labelingtheoryemphasizesthatbeinglabeledcangenerateaself-fulfillingprophecywherebyothersbehavetowardthelabeledpersoninwaysthatconfirmorreinforcethelabel.Criticsoflabelingtheoryhavearguedthatitunderplaysthepersonalresponsibilityofdeviantsfortheirownbehaviour. Sociallydefineddeviance Sociologistsdistinguishbetweendevianceatdifferentlevelsofanalysis.Somedeviancedepartsfromculturalnormsandvalues,suchastheuseofbirthcontrolbysomewomeninRomanCatholiccountries.Otherdevianceisdefinedintermsofindividualpathology(e.g.,psychosis,extremeneurosis).Somedevianceisexpressedbyindividualswithinagroup(forexample,astudentwhowearsunusualclothes),andotherdeviancecanbeexpressedbyagroupwithinsociety(forexample,agangoracult).Theideaofdeviantsubculturesisimportantbecauseithighlightsthatgroupscangeneratetheirownsetsofnorms,andpeoplewithinthosegroupsfeelthattheyarenotdevianteventhoughthegroupasawholemaybeviewedasdeviantbyothers.