DEVIANCE
Historical Records
Deviance is the violation of social norms. Norms are codes of ethics that act as guidance to people on how to live their lives. According to William Somner, there are three types of norms; Folkways are what a society considers being right with regard to culture and tradition. Issues like dressing, mannerisms are in this category. Different cultures and people have their own guidelines on dressing and etiquette. Violations of these folkways will not lead to the arrest of an individual, but people will consider this person as weird. Mores are those beliefs that are held by the larger community. Most societies are against interracial marriages, substance abuse, pregnancies out of wedlock or abortion (Alder & Alder, 2010). Laws are those guidelines that incorporate mores and folkways. They vary from society to society. When an individual violates mores, laws and folkways they are considered to be deviant. Deviance and crime are two things that overlap yet they are different entities altogether (Jonathan, 2006). It has been argued that most of the deviant cases are not criminal, and some crimes are not deviant as they do not go against societal norms. For instance, an individual who is mentally ill is considered deviant but not a criminal as he has not gone against the laws of the land. A person in a cult is deviant but not a criminal Also; there are some criminal activities that are not deviant like in the case of over speeding.
Question #2
Merton's theory of deviance tends to analyze what might be the reasons behind the crime in a society. It tends to look into crime in the society and not individuals. According to Merton, the varied social "strain" leads to varied crime patterns. This strain is as a result of the pressure that is put on people to meet the societal goals and the inability to achieve these goals (Alder & Alder, 2012). The society has set goals that are considered legitimate to be achieved by people. In this case, individuals are not barred from achieving these goals since they are culturally acceptable. This "strain" is as a result of the goals people can meet and the procedures they are to use to meet these...
Deviance Among Canadian Youths Deviation refers to the violation of the acceptable norms and values that have maintained within the cultural framework of a society. Norms are very important in every society since they allow the people of a given society to coexist with one another, and create the best environment for human living. The Canadian society like other societies is guided by certain norms and values, which are useful for
Deviance Biography Susan Smith was born into a traditional, middle class family. One of five daughters, Susan displayed a higher willingness to shoulder responsibility than her siblings at a very early age, which led to her parents' turning to her, for support, very frequently. The support sought was initially in the form of household chores, and then financial, once Susan was able to work, and especially after her marriage to a
The issue remains widely debatable, with some insisting the behavior in the jails need to be reevaluated yet some insist on the societal emphasis in curbing recidivism. The prison systems have also failed in reduction of recidivism through a failure to insist and implementation of programs that equip the inmates with the relevant and appropriate skills in lie with their interest and the environment from where they are. The offenders
Concomitantly, gangs such as the Crips and the Bloods were created from the former members of movements meant to increase the reputation of black individuals in the U.S. because they had diverging opinions and wanted diversity. The Crips and the Bloods can be deemed as subcultures of the pro-black movements, given the fact that the people that were once part of the larger group did not agree on certain
For example, the young woman knows it is wrong because her friends have spoken to her in the past about how awful stealing is. They have seen her steal before and told her that she is wrong. Among her friends, she is known as a thief. Deviance here has less to do with self-determination than the judgment of others. It is this external judgment of the audience that acts
The definition of deviancy, its origin, as well as its negative connotations, seems to shifts from behavior to behavior. Deviance at times seems benign and morally neutral and simply to challenge normative categories of identity, in the case of homosexuals, atheists, and women who are single and/or working. All of these categories have existed as Foucaultian character 'types' in the form of modern media stereotypes, as portrayed as the media,
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