Deviance Essays (386 words) - Criminology, Social Constructionism

Deviance Deviance Not everyone behaves in the way society expects or approves. Since children they start to change the values of their own parents. As adults, they may choose entirely different ways of life. In all societies, there are people who dream of being what they aren't. Sometimes they decide to challenge the system, to push out beyond the limits established by law or tradition. Political radicals, school dropouts, women who refuse the role of homemaker or mother. They are willing be labeled troublemakers or simply, deviants because they believe that society's norms should change. Professional thieves, and bank robbers also violate norms, but their deviance is not usually based on a belief that society should change. More commonly on thieves, is that they always want a bigger reward for what they do for a living. Sociologists define deviance as behavior that violates an essential social norm. Deviants are people who go beyond the limits of socially acceptable behavior. Although the definition of deviance is simple, deviant acts in real life are hard to turn down. No single act, not even taking another person's life is forbidden at all times in any human society. Deviance is relative. What is deviant behavior in one place may be acceptable in another place. For an act to be deviant, it must be considered so by law or rules. A behavior may be seen as normal, even desirable, by some people and as deviant by others. For example, a student who spends a lot of time doing library research may win a teacher's respect and appreciation but be considered as a nerd by other students. What is normal or desirable to the teacher can be deviant to other students. Some of these students, those who refuse to study are deviant by the norms of the teacher and of most of society. In our society is easy to find varieties between acceptable and unacceptable behavior and the punishment for violation of the norm. Such variations are more characteristic of large, advanced societies like ours than of small societies bound by a set of strong, shared traditions. In the topic of Crime, discusses lawbreaking, an obvious form of deviance, and the methods used by society in attempting to control it. They are three important theories of deviance: anomie, deviant subcultures, and labeling. Sociology Essays