Deviant Conduct
An individual's behavior is labeled as "deviant" when the behavior goes against the prevailing norms that govern social life. These norms are generally unspoken rules designed to promote patterns in the social interactions between people. This gives rise to expectations about how people must act and behave. Those who do not conform to these expectations are therefore considered "deviant."
Generally, there are three main areas covered by unspoken social norms. The first area concerns appearance - one's clothing, hairstyle, personal grooming. This also extends to material possessions. In Western society, in particular, people reveal much about themselves by their choice of cars, houses and jewelry.
The second area of social norms concern manners. These include how we relate to others on an interpersonal as well as a group level. Personal manner norms concern areas like proxemics, the typical distances people maintain during face-to-face interactions. Group style norms are generally dictated by membership in a social group, as determined by factors like one's gender, socioeconomic status and race.
The final area concerns norms relating to conduct. These include rules regarding authority, individual obligation and account-giving. These rules vary according to time, across different cultures and even within the same cultures.
While these norms change over time, one constant is that these norms change. Concomitant to this, the definitions of what constituted "deviant" behavior is also constantly changing. Furthermore, studies have shown that what constitutes "deviant" behavior is often influenced by time, socio-economic status and other social and even biological factors.
For example, most cultures today have strict norms against cannibalism. However, James Henslin (1991) recounts the unusual case of the Uruguayan soccer team whose plane crashed into the Andes. Because of the lack of food, the survivors had to eat the human flesh of the dead passengers. As proof of the deep-rooted...
Deviant Behavior in the Workplace Counterproductive and Deviant Behavior in the Workplace Deviant behavior in the workplace may seem like somewhat of a rarity, but it is actually relatively common. Part of the reason behind that is that there is a broad definition of what is deviant or counterproductive, and part of the reason is that many organizations either ignore the behavior or take care of it internally, so it doesn't make
deviant behavior? Explain the role of norms and societal reactions. *According to Stark, what is wrong with defining crime as "actions that violate the law?" Deviant behavior is any sort of conduct that goes against the norms of a specific community / culture. Norms serve to create and regulate a certain order in society; societal reactions keep these norms in check and modify them when appropriate (when the powerful functionaries
Divergent Responses to Deviant Behavior The objective of this study is to examine two theories of deviant behavior that represent today's changing trends. This work will additionally examine three theories that may be considered outdated including: (1) Sheldon's Theory of Body Types; (2) Lombroso's Theory; and (3) Y Chromosome Theory, and will explain why they have been discredited. Positivist Perspective The positivist perspective views deviance as "absolutely or intrinsically real, in that is
Criminology Explanation of Deviant Behaviors Comment by Sabina: Delinquent behavior can considered normal in adolescent years. There are many different types of behaviors that are exhibited during teenage years, and as a society we have learned that this period could invoke delinquent behavior. Each individual must go through this rite of passage we refer to as adolescent year, a time where the individual is no longer a child but still not an
In this example, it becomes evident that Anderson's underlying theory in conducting his analysis is the labeling theory. A product of the symbolic interactionist paradigm, labeling theory posits that "a response to an act and not the behavior that determines deviance...(it) is the recognition that some people or groups have the power to define labels and apply them to others" (Schaefer, 1998:165). From this definition, Anderson's categorization of street people
Psychology Discussion: Psychopathology Read the introduction to Reading 1: Beaver, Rowland, Schwartz & Nedelec (2011). The genetic origins of psychopathic personality traits in adult males and females: Results from an adoption-based study. Journal of Criminal Justice, 39, 426-432. Characterise psychopathy: What are the defining features? Psychopathy is a disorder of the personality that based on three prongs of traits: affective, behavioral, and interpersonal. Perhaps because they are so striking, are observed early in
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