Deviance: Violation Of Contextual, Cultural, And Social Norms

Deviance according to the textbook is a violation of contextual, cultural, and social norms I usually look don’t approve or partake in deviant acts, but this week I did do something that technically would count as a deviant act. Last Sunday was my friend's birthday, and we decided to have lunch at a buffet with other friends. All of my friends who came gave her a gift, but I did not. I usually bring gifts or offerings to people if they have a birthday party or some other special occasion, but for this one I just forgot. One of my best friends asked me if I got her a gift, I said no and he looked at me and nodded his head in disapproval. Presents were optional, but the fact that everyone else besides me gave a present made me feel bad. What made me more guilty was that her parents paid for my meal.
There were negative sanctions for my deviance, although they were informal sanctions. When my best friend gave me that look of disappointment and disapproval that would count as a negative sanction on the informal level. However, it didn’t really bother me since I made up my mind that I would just get her a cool gift during the holiday season.
Based on my deviant act, I do not think that Becker would consider me a true outsider.
An outsider is someone who cannot be trusted to follow the rules of society, this is based on society's reaction to the outsiders action. In Becker's article, Outsiders-Defining Deviance he states “We think of the person who commits a traffic violation or gets a little too drunk at a party as being, after all, not very different from the rest of us and treat his infraction tolerantly.” I believe that my deviant act would fall under this category. In order to become a true outsider, I would have to commit a crime such as theft or
murder. According to the textbook, labeling theory examines society and how it treats the people who are labeled as a deviant. Basically, deviance is determined based on society’s reaction to a certain individual's action. My action would fall under primary deviance, which does not affect a person's self-image or their interaction with other people. Secondary deviance is when your actions start to change your own personal identity and how society perceives you. Example if you are arrested multiple times for theft, society will perceive you as a criminal. Since you are labeled a criminal it would contribute to your master status. According to the textbook, your master status is a label that describes your primary characteristic, in this case, it would be a criminal. I do not think my deviant act should ever be promoted to secondary deviance since most of the time a gift is optional. My friends birthday lunch didn’t require a gift, but if it did I would have at least given money.