Theories of Deviance

Deviance is behavior that some people in a society find offensive and incites disapproval, punishment, condemnation, or hostility (Long). Deviance is more than just behavior: it involves a moral judgment as well. It is impossible to isolate certain behaviors and call them deviant because deviance is a relative term, defined by the society, the time, and the place. There is nothing that is absolutely condemned by all societies. Biological theories of deviance are of no use because no consistent evidence that supports the belief that social temperament is related to body types.

Functionalist theories focus on the preservation of social order; deviance helps maintain social cohesion and the collective conscious (Long; McClelland). Durkheim emphasized the importance of deviance in society as a tool to maintain cohesion because he said when the media reports on deviance and the accompanying punishment, it serves to educate the public by restating the rules of society, and punishing the violators reaffirms the rightness of society and its rules. Deviant behavior can also be a tool for social change. For instance, deviant behavior calls attention to civil rights issues, and inadequacies in the system. What is considered illegal today, may become common place tomorrow. Functionalists like to concern themselves with deviance which promotes the maintenance of social order, and dysfunctional deviance is the type that threatens the social order. Most people do not engage i

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onsequences for the man as for the woman, and is not interpreted by society in the same way. For instance, a sexually active teenage girl is condemned more strongly than a sexually active teenage boy. This means the very foundations of deviance is dependent on who is being stigmatized or condemned, which is based on the sex or gender of the person. The problems of teenage sex, pregnancy, and subsequent out-of-wedlock births are widely regarded as a problem almost exclusively due to the behavior of girls, when, in fact, the problem takes a male and a female. The vast majority of work in the sex trade is enacted by women for men, who are regarded as deviant women, yet their partners are regarded as normal men. This means gendering always enters a view of sexual deviance. Sexual behavior, sexual custom, and sexual deviance are dictated by the society and culture in which the people participating live (Keel). There are both cultural and historical variations in judgments concerning what constitutes sexual deviance. What is condemned is specific to a situation, culture, and the participants. When discussing sexual behavior, deviance refers specifically to socially disapproved behavior and characteristics. It does not inclu

Category: Psychology - T