Download PHILIPPINE SOCIAL REALITIES AND SOCIAL WELFARE and more Lecture notes Social Work in PDF only on Docsity!
SOCIAL DEVIANCE BEHAVIOR
🠀 What is Deviance?
Deviance is any behavior, belief, or condition that violates the social norms or expectations of a group or society. This doesn't always mean it's wrong or illegal—just that it's seen as "different" or "abnormal" in a specific social context.
☑ ️ Deviance is relative:
What’s considered deviant in one culture or time period might be completely normal in another. Example: Tattoos used to be considered deviant or rebellious in many societies. Today, they’re widely accepted.
🠀 Typologies of Deviance
Sociologists have categorized deviant behaviors into three broad types :
1. Good/Admired Deviance
These are acts that violate social norms but are seen positively or heroically. Examples: o A firefighter rushing into a burning building to save someone. o Whistleblowers who expose corruption, even if they break company rules. o Civil disobedience (e.g., Martin Luther King Jr. defying unjust laws during the Civil Rights Movement).
2. Odd/Unusual Deviance
These are non-harmful but strange or eccentric behaviors that differ from societal norms. Examples: o A person who wears medieval armor in public every day. o Extreme cosmetic surgery or body modification. o Believing in or practicing uncommon spiritual rituals.
3. Bad/Negative Deviance
These are behaviors that violate laws or moral standards and are generally viewed as harmful. Examples: o Theft, murder, fraud. o Substance abuse or domestic violence. o Vandalism or cybercrime.
🔍 Major Perspectives on Deviance
Now, let’s go deeper into the two major sociological perspectives :
🠀 1. Positivist Perspective:
“Deviance is real, measurable, and caused by something outside the person’s control.”
This perspective treats deviance like a disease or a scientific problem to be studied and solved.
🔹 a. Absolutism
Assumes deviance has inherent characteristics that make it bad or wrong. Deviance is not just a label; it’s a real condition. Example : A drug addict is deviant because their addiction harms themselves and others—it’s an absolute reality, not just a label society gives them.
🔹 b. Objectivism
Deviance can be studied scientifically and objectively , like diseases or chemical reactions. Researchers can observe , measure , and analyze deviant behavior without bias. Example : Sociologists studying patterns of gang activity or addiction rates to draw conclusions about causes and solutions.
🔹 c. Determinism
Deviance is the result of external causes , not free will. These causes can be biological (genes) , psychological (mental illness) , or social (poverty, peer pressure).
🠀 Summary Table
Feature Positivist Constructionist
Focus The nature, cause, and impact of deviance
How society defines deviance
Assumption Deviance is^ real^ and^ caused by external factors
Deviance is socially constructed
Methods Scientific, objective analysis
Interpretive, focuses on meaning and reaction
Example Studying crime stats to find causes
Studying how media portrays “deviants”
🔍 Constructionist Approaches to Deviance
Constructionism focuses on how behaviors or individuals become labeled as deviant, and how meanings and social reactions shape our understanding of deviance.
It highlights three main ideas :
- Relativism
- Subjectivism
- Voluntarism 1. 🌀 Relativism – “Deviance is defined by society.”
Meaning : There is no universal standard of deviance. What is seen as deviant in one time, place, or culture might be completely normal in another. It depends on societal norms , culture , laws , religion , and historical context. Quote : Howard Becker (1963) – “Deviant behavior is behavior that people so label.”
✅ Example:
Polygamy :
o Considered criminal or immoral in many Christian societies. o Considered acceptable and religiously sanctioned in many Islamic communities. Cannabis use : o Illegal and deviant in many countries. o Legal and socially accepted in others like Canada or parts of the U.S.
📌 Key Insight:
Deviance isn’t about the act itself—it’s about how society reacts to the act.
2. 🠀 Subjectivism – “Deviance is a personal and emotional experience.”
Meaning : Deviance is not just a label—it's a deeply subjective experience. Constructionists look into how the person involved in deviant behavior feels , thinks , and interprets their own actions. It sees the individual as an active meaning-maker , not just someone being studied like an object.
✅ Example:
Public Nudity : o A religious person might feel it’s immoral and deviant. o A nudist might see it as natural , empowering, and even healthy. Getting a tattoo : o Some see it as a rebellious act. o Others see it as self-expression , a form of art or even spiritual ritual.
📌 Key Insight:
We must understand the deviant’s own perspective , emotions, and intentions—not just society’s labels.
3. 🔓 Voluntarism – “Deviance is a conscious choice.”
Meaning : Individuals are not just victims of external forces (like poverty or biology). They have agency and free will , and sometimes choose to act against norms for personal or political reasons.
🔎 1. Anomie-Strain Theory (Robert K. Merton)
This theory suggests that deviance occurs when there’s a mismatch between cultural goals and institutionalized means to achieve them.
✨ People want success, but not everyone has equal access to legitimate ways of achieving it.
🠀 Merton’s Five Adaptations to Strain:
Adaptation
Cultural Goals
Institutional Means Example
Conformity ✨ Accept ✨ Accept Studying hard to get a degree and a job
Innovation ✨ Accept ✨ Reject
Cheating, faking documents, or stealing to succeed
Ritualism ✨ Reject ✨ Accept Following rules strictly even if success is not the goal
Retreatism ✨ Reject ✨ Reject Drug addicts, dropouts, or the unemployed with no goals
Rebellion 🚫 Replace 🚫 Replace
Rebels and revolutionaries who reject and want to change the system
Anomie
Definition : Anomie is a state of normlessness or breakdown in social norms and values within a society. Origin : The term was introduced by sociologist Émile Durkheim in the late 19th century. He argued that anomie occurs when society undergoes rapid changes or disintegration, which weakens societal norms and values, leading individuals to feel disconnected and unsure of how to behave. Characteristics : o Anomie happens when society's norms and values are unclear or conflicting. o It can arise in times of social change, such as economic upheaval, war, or political instability. o People may experience confusion or frustration due to the lack of clear guidelines for behavior.
Example : During times of economic collapse, people might struggle to understand what is socially acceptable because there is a lack of clear guidance on how to achieve success.
Strain
Definition : Strain refers to the pressure individuals experience when they are unable to achieve culturally prescribed goals through legitimate means, leading them to resort to deviant behavior. Origin : The concept of strain was popularized by sociologist Robert K. Merton in his Strain Theory in the 1930s. Characteristics : o Strain arises from the discrepancy between societal goals (e.g., wealth, success) and the available means (e.g., education, employment) to achieve those goals. o When individuals can't achieve success through socially accepted means, they may turn to alternative or deviant behaviors. o Merton outlined several adaptations to strain, such as conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Example : A person from a low-income background might experience strain if they cannot afford the education needed for a high-paying job. This might lead them to engage in criminal activity, like theft, as an alternative means of achieving success.
Key Differences:
Anomie focuses on a broader breakdown of social norms and values, while strain focuses on individual pressures resulting from the inability to achieve socially approved goals. Anomie is more about societal disintegration and confusion, whereas strain is about the gap between societal expectations and an individual's ability to meet those expectations.
In essence, anomie explains the feeling of disorientation in a changing society, while strain explains how individuals respond to societal pressures when they are unable to achieve success through legitimate means.
✨ Too little or too much power over life circumstances may push people to deviate.
🠀 Example:
A student with a heavy workload cheats to gain control over time and academic pressure.
🚫 5. Reintegrative Shaming (John Braithwaite)
Shaming is a way society tries to correct deviance through emotional or moral appeal.
Two Types of Shaming:
Disintegrative Shaming – Stigmatizes the person permanently (e.g., public humiliation, labels like "criminal"). Reintegrative Shaming – Condemns the act, not the person ; offers forgiveness and reintegration.
🠀 Example:
A juvenile offender entering a rehabilitation program that allows them to re-enter society with support and respect.
️ 6. Deterrence Doctrine (Classical/Legal Theory)
This approach is based on the idea that people make rational decisions , weighing the risks and benefits before acting. So, deviance can be controlled through the threat of punishment.
✨ “People avoid crime when the cost is too high.”
Key Elements:
Certainty – Likelihood of being caught. Severity – Harshness of the punishment. Swiftness – Speed of the justice process.
🠀 Example:
Harsh drug laws discourage drug use; CCTV cameras discourage theft.
🌀 1. Interactionist / Labeling Theory (Howard Becker, Erving Goffman)
This theory emphasizes that deviance is not inherent in any act , but rather, it's the result of social labeling. When someone is labeled as deviant, that label becomes part of their identity, possibly leading them to continue or adopt more deviant behaviors.
✨ “Deviance is not the act itself, but the reaction to the act.” — Becker
🔑 Key Concepts:
Primary deviance – Initial act (e.g., stealing once). Secondary deviance – Reaction from society causes a person to internalize the deviant identity (e.g., being called a "thief" leads to more theft). Stigma – A powerful negative label that changes self-perception and others’ responses.
🠀 Example:
A boy being repeatedly called "gay" by peers may internalize the label, isolate himself, or conform to deviant expectations.
🠀 2. Phenomenological Theory / Ethnomethodology (Alfred Schutz, Harold Garfinkel)
Goes deeper than labeling by focusing on the lived experiences and interpretations of deviance by individuals. It explores how people construct meaning and perceive their own deviant acts.
✨ “What does deviance mean to the deviant?”
🔑 Key Concepts:
Subjectivity of experience Social construction of meaning Micro-level analysis (conversations, feelings, perspectives)
🠀 Example:
Studying a pickpocket’s own view of their actions —maybe they see themselves as survivors, not criminals.
️ Conflict vs. Critical Theory (Comparison Table)
Feature Conflict Theory Critical Theory
Focus Economic conflict, class struggle
All forms of power and oppression
Scope Legal and economic systems Media, medicine, culture, institutions
Main Argument
Laws protect the powerful The idea of deviance itself is used to control
Example Rich vs. poor laws Medicalizing deviance, racial profiling
🏙 ️ 5. Chicago School / Social Disorganization Theory
This theory says deviance is shaped by environmental and community factors. Neighborhoods that lack strong institutions (e.g., schools, families) are more likely to experience deviance.
✨ “Place, not people, breeds deviance.”
🔑 Key Concepts:
Urban vs. Rural Differences Low social cohesion = high crime Influence of physical and social surroundings
🠀 Example:
Gang violence thrives in inner cities with poverty, lack of jobs, and unstable families.
🚻 6. Gender Perspective on Deviance
This approach highlights how gender norms affect the way deviance is defined, labeled, and punished.
✨ “Men and women are judged differently for the same acts.”
🠀 Example:
Men committing violence might be normalized or excused as “masculine,” while women may be more harshly judged for similar behaviors.
♀️ 7. Feminist Theory of Deviance
Closely related to the gender perspective, but with a focus on systemic patriarchy. Feminist theory views deviance as both shaped by and reinforcing gender inequality.
🔑 Key Concepts:
Patriarchal control Double standards
Deviance as resistance
🠀 Example:
Violence against women as a form of control; women fighting back often labeled deviant.
🠀 Gender vs. Feminist Theory (Comparison)
Indicator Feminist Theory Gender Theory
Focus Women’s oppression All gender identities
Cause of Deviance Resistance to patriarchy^ Deviation from gender norms
View of Gender Binary and unequal Socially constructed and fluid
Example
Sexual violence, workplace inequality
A man being criticized for wearing makeup
🠀 8. Psychological Perspective
This approach examines individual traits (not social structure) that may predispose someone to deviant behavior.
