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SOCIOLOGY 12
Social Deviance
WHAT IS SOCIAL DEVIANCE
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Brainstorm as many
examples of deviance you
can think of.
The Definition for
Deviance is…
WHAT IS DEVIANCE..
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The word deviance refers to any
violation of society’s norms.
Deviance can range from
something minor, such as
picking your nose in public, to
something major, such as
murder.
DEVIANCE IS RELATIVE
WHAT IS SOCIAL DEVIANCE CON’T
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
Each society defines what is
deviant and what is not
definitions of deviance differ
widely between societies
Deviance is relative
because it is socially defined

RELATIVISM & DEVIANT BEHAVIOUR
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What is considered deviant behaviour is based
on:
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Individual Societies

Location
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Age

Gender

Social Status
INDIVIDUAL SOCIETIES
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We have examined lots of examples of this as you
have completed your videos
In Canada, customers in department stores do
not try to negotiate prices or barter for goods.
In some other countries, people understand that
one should haggle over the price of an item; not
to do so is considered deviant.
LOCATION
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A person speaking loudly
during a church service
would probably be considered
deviant, whereas a person
speaking loudly at a party
would not.
Society generally regards
taking the life of another
person to be a deviant act,
but during wartime, killing
another person is not
considered deviant.
Other examples?
AGE
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A newborn baby or even
a four-year-old can cry
in a supermarket
without being
considered deviant,
but an older child,
adolescent or an adult
cannot.
More examples?
SOCIAL STATUS

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A famous actor can skip to the front of a long line of
people waiting to get into a popular club,
but a non-famous person would be considered deviant
for trying to do the same.
GENDER
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Given the definition of
deviance… Do you think that
there is a difference in deviant
perspectives between genders?
Examples?
In Canada, women who cry in
public in response to emotional
situations are not generally
considered deviant—even women
who cry frequently and easily.
GENDER & DEVIANCE CON’T
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Is this different from men?
Not so much anymore, men crying
in public in the 1950s would have
been considered a deviant
behaviour.
However, men now are shown in
public to cry in extreme situations
such as admitting defeat
(politicians, and athletes, as well
as accepting awards)
DEFINITION OF WHAT IS DEVIANT
CONTINUALLY CHANGES

What is “deviant” may change
over time
For example:
 Men crying in public

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Women being the “bread winners”
Several hundred “witches” were
executed in Europe during the
middle ages; now the crime
doesn’t exist

Racist comments used to be
socially accepted

Tattoos and piercing are now
common among students


Smoking in restaurants was
accepted
Even drinking and driving was
more socially acceptable – even
though it was always illegal
IN CONCLUSION
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Deviance is socially defined
therefore what is considered a deviant act is relative
Acceptable behaviour varies depending on the society
you are in
Acceptable behaviour is also relative to your location,
age, gender, and social status
What is considered acceptable and unacceptable
behaviour can change over a period time
Deviant behaviour also varies in its degree of
seriousness
 ranges from mild transgressions of folkways
(keeping a library book past its due date or
skipping class),
 to more serious infringement of folkways
(cheating on an exam),
 to quite serious violation of laws.

Later we will dig deeper into serious violation of
laws - CRIMES
DEVIANT TRAITS
A person does not need to
act in a deviant manner in
order to be considered
deviant. Sometimes people
are considered deviant
because of a trait or a
characteristic they possess
 Sociologist Erving Goffman
used the term stigma to
identify deviant
characteristics

DEVIANT TRAITS CON’T
What do you think some examples of deviant
traits would be, given the description on the
previous slide.
 Violations of the norms of physical ability or
appearance. For example, people who are
confined to wheelchairs or who have IQs over 140
are deviant because they do not represent the
usual behaviors or characteristics of most people
 Pop Quiz: How many of you were thinking only
negative context?
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SOCIAL CONTROL & SOCIAL DEVIANCE
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Punishing people for deviant behavior reminds
people what is expected of them and what will
happen if they do not conform to society’s norms.
Every society has methods of social control.

Positive & Negative Sanctions! (Remember?!)
POSITIVE SANCTIONS
Society uses positive sanctions to reward people
for following norms. Positive sanctions can be
formal, such as an award or a raise. They can
also be informal and include words, gestures, or
facial expressions.

Example: The smile that a mother gives her
child when he says “thank you” is a positive
sanction.
 Unintended Positive Sanctions.

NEGATIVE SANCTIONS


Like positive sanctions,
negative sanctions can range
from formal to informal.
Example: A speeding ticket
or a prison sentence is a formal
negative sanction. A raised
eyebrow or a stare is an
informal negative sanction.
PERSPECTIVES ON CRIME AND
DEVIANCE
Page 201
INTRODUCTION
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Each perspective focuses on the role social groups
play in creating deviance
Each theory is quite different and no one theory
provides a comprehensive explanation of
deviance
However, each contributes in its own way to our
understanding of deviance
The theories can be seen as complemntary
FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE

Previously we have learned that according to this
perspective, society is composed of interrelated
parts, each serving a function.
STRAIN TEHORY
STRAIN THEORY - ROBERT MERTON
In a smoothly functioning society – people share
common goals and agree upon the means to reach
those goals = limited deviance
 Societies that do not provide sufficient avenues to
reach goals result in deviance because people will
use whatever means to reach their goals
 Strain Theory – people feel strain when they
are exposed to cultural goals that they are unable
to obtain because they don’t have culturally
approved means to attain them.

STRAIN THEORY CON’T…
For example:
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The goal may be to obtain possession and money
The approved way to achieve this goal is through
education and a good job.
When denied access to these goals they may seek
access through deviant means.
Summary - http://study.com/academy/lesson/mertonsstrain-theory-definition-examples-quiz.html
Read about smuggling illegal cigarettes in Canada on
page 201 to 202
OPPORTUNITY THEORY
OPPORTUNITY THEORY
Expanding on Merton’s theory, Richard Cloward
and Lloyd Ohlin suggest:
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For deviance to occur, people must have access to
illegitimate opportunity structures –
circumstances that provide an opportunity for
people to acquire through illegal activities what
they cannot get through legal channels.
For example – Akwesasne and an East Coast
youth group (read page 203)
OPPORTUNITY THEORY CON’T

There are 3 different forms of delinquent
subculture based on the type of illegitimate
opportunities available within an area:

Criminal

Conflict
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Retreatist
CRIMINAL SUBCULTURE
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Focus is on economic gain through acts such as
theft, extortion and drug dealing
Example:
 for young people who grow up in the gang
subculture, running a drug house and selling
drugs becomes a source of illegitimate
opportunity
 Using money from this “job”, they can support
themselves and their family
CONFLICT SUBCULTURE
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When illigitimate
RETREATIST SUBCULTURE
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Those who lack the opportunity or ability to join
one of these groups/ gangs may turn to retreatist
forms of deviance such as drinking and drug
abuse
CONTROL THEORY
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONIST
We have previously learned…
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Symbolic interactionist focus on how people
develop a self-concept and learn conformity
through socialization
It is also their view that deviance is learned
DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY
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Edwin Sutherland focused on
how deviance is learned and
developed his theory of
differential association
According to this theory, people
are more likely to be deviant
when they have intense and
long-lasting interactation with
deviant people
For an example, see page 205
and 206
LABELLING THEORY
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Howard Becker developed
the labeling theory deviance is that which is so
labeled.
No status or behavior is
inherently deviant until other
people have judged it and
labeled it deviant.
See William Chambliss
example on page 206
LABELLING THEORY - PRIMARY &
SECONDARY DEVIANCE
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Sociologist Edwin Lemert
differentiated between primary
deviance and secondary
deviance.
The difference between primary
deviance and secondary deviance
is in the reactions other people
have to the original act of
deviance.
SYMBOLIC: PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
CON’T
Primary deviance is a deviant
act that provokes little
reaction and has limited effect
on a person’s self-esteem.
 The deviant does not change
his or her behavior as a result
of this act.

SYMBOLIC: PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
CON’T
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Secondary deviance includes repeated
deviant behavior that is brought on
by other people’s negative reactions to
the original act of primary deviance.
CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE
SOCIAL DEVIANCE: SYMBOLIC: GANG
EXAMPLE
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Example: In a gang environment, current gang
members resocialize new members to norms that
oppose those of the dominant culture. From the
gang, these new members learn that stealing,
carrying a gun, and using drugs are acceptable
behaviors, whereas they were not before. In the
meantime, the norms they learned at home are
no longer acceptable within the gang
environment, and they must reject those norms
and values to accept the new ones. Current gang
members also teach new members how to commit
specific deviant acts, such as hotwiring a car or
breaking into a home.
SOCIAL DEVIANCE: SYMBOLIC: SOCIAL
CONTROL
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Sociologist Walter Reckless
developed the control theory to
explain how some people resist
the pressure to become
deviants. According to control
theory, people have two
control systems that work
against their desire to deviate.
Each person has a set of inner
controls and outer controls.
SOCIAL DEVIANCE: SOCIAL CONTROL
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Inner controls are internalized
thought processes such as a sense of
morality, conscience, or religious
beliefs. People may also refrain from
doing acts of deviance because they
fear punishment or guilt. Inner
controls represent a sort of
internalized morality.
SOCIAL DEVIANCE: SOCIAL CONTROL
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Outer controls consist of the
people in our lives who encourage
us not to stray. They could be
family members, police officers,
clergy, or teachers. Whoever they
are, they influence us to conform
to society’s expectations. A
person who is tempted to engage
in a deviant act can resist the
temptation by imagining how
others would react to his or her
behavior.
SOCIAL CONTROL (PS- AWESOME SHORT
ANSWER QUESTION)
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With a partner, or small group discuss Reckless’
theory of social controls, which do you feel is
more important? Inner control or outer controls?
SOCIAL DEVIANCE: EXTENDED CONTROL
THEORY
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Sociologist Travis Hirschi
elaborated on the control
theory. He identified four
elements that would render
an individual more or less
likely to commit deviance:
attachment, commitment,
involvement, and belief.
SOCIAL DEVIANCE: HIRSCHI
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Attachment: People who feel
a strong attachment to other
people, such as family or close
friends, are less likely to be
deviant. If people have weak
relationships, they feel less
need to conform to the other
person’s or group’s norms.
They are more likely to
commit a deviant act.
SOCIAL DEVIANCE: HIRSCHI
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Commitment:
Individuals who have a
sincere commitment to
legitimate goals are more
likely to conform to
society’s norms. Those
goals could be a
legitimate job, higher
education, financial
stability, or a long-term
relationship. When
people have little
confidence in the future,
they are more likely to
engage in deviance.
SOCIAL DEVIANCE: HIRSCHI
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Involvement: The more involved
people are with legitimate
activities, the less likely they are
to deviate from appropriate
behavior. A person with a job, a
family, and membership in
several clubs or organizations is
less likely to commit deviance.
Not only does he not have time to
waste in potentially harmful
activities, but he has a lot to lose
if he does.
SOCIAL DEVIANCE: HIRSCHI
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Belief: An individual who
shares the same values as the
dominant society, such as
respect for authority, the
importance of hard work, or
the primacy of the family, is
less likely to commit deviance.
Individuals whose personal
belief systems differ from
those of the dominant society
are more likely to commit
deviance.
SOCIAL DEVIANCE: HIRSCHI
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With your partner from before, discuss the
change from Reckless’ theory to Hirachi’s
expansion. What do you feel is the most
important of Hirachi’s elements of control theory?
Do you think Hirachi’s theory is better than that
of Reckless’?
DEVIANT BEHAVIOR: SERIAL KILLERS..

http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/Seri
al%20Killers.pdf
CRIMES
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Crime is a form of deviance that we will focus
upon.
Crime – is an act that violates criminal law and
is punishable with fines, jail terms and other
sanctions.
Range from minor offenses (running an illegal
bingo game or disorderly conduct)
to
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Major offense (sexual assault or murder)
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Sociologists adopt a unique approach to crime,
focusing in particular on factors that contribute
to its occurrence in an effort to reduce its harmful
impact on society.
Sociologist analysis of street crimes and
criminals is particularly relevant in achieving
this goal.
Sociologists are also interested in assessing
society’s response (past and present) to crime and
criminals.
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The following are questions sociologists explore in an
effort to improve our response to the challenges that
deviance poses to our society:
How have formal structures such as the police and
justice system responded to the problem of crime in
the past?

How effective have these responses been?
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What recent alternatives have been adopted in an
effort to improve our response to crime?
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Do these new approaches hold more promise than the
traditional responses?