Social Deviance
Social Deviance Compiled by Parul Parihar
As Young and Mack have pointed out, “No norm is always obeyed; no individual always conforms to every set of expectations”. Hence, deviance, that is, the act of going against the rules or norms is there everywhere. Deviant Behaviour such as knavery, cheating, adultery, unfairness, crime, malingering, immorality, dishonesty, betrayal, burglary, corruption, cunningness, sneakiness, wickedness, gambling, drunkenness etc., go along with conformity.
Definitions of Deviance 1) Horton and Hunt “The term Deviation is given to any failure to conform to customary norms”. 2) Louise Weston “Deviance can be defined as behavior that is contrary to the standards of conduct or expectations of a given group or society”. 3) M.B.Clinard suggests that the term deviance should be reserved for “those situations in which behavior is in a disapproved direction and of sufficient degree to exceed the tolerating limits of society”.
Theories Explaining Deviance * Deviance may be defined as non-conformity to a given norm, or set of norms, which are accepted by a significant number of people in a community or society. * Deviance doesn’t just refer to individual behavior, but concerns the activities of groups as well. * The Italian Criminologist Cesare Lombroso working in the 1870’s, claimed that certain people were born with criminal tendencies, throw backs to a more primitive type of human being. Criminal types, he believed could be identified by the shape of the skull. He accepted that social learning could influence the development of criminal behavior, but regarded most criminals as biologically degenerate or defective. * The idea of connection between biological make up and criminality was revived in the work of William A Sheldon in the 1940’s. Sheldon distinguished between three main types of human phyques. Claiming one to be directly associated with
As Young and Mack have pointed out, “No norm is always obeyed; no individual always conforms to every set of expectations”. Hence, deviance, that is, the act of going against the rules or norms is there everywhere. Deviant Behaviour such as knavery, cheating, adultery, unfairness, crime, malingering, immorality, dishonesty, betrayal, burglary, corruption, cunningness, sneakiness, wickedness, gambling, drunkenness etc., go along with conformity.
Definitions of Deviance 1) Horton and Hunt “The term Deviation is given to any failure to conform to customary norms”. 2) Louise Weston “Deviance can be defined as behavior that is contrary to the standards of conduct or expectations of a given group or society”. 3) M.B.Clinard suggests that the term deviance should be reserved for “those situations in which behavior is in a disapproved direction and of sufficient degree to exceed the tolerating limits of society”.
Theories Explaining Deviance * Deviance may be defined as non-conformity to a given norm, or set of norms, which are accepted by a significant number of people in a community or society. * Deviance doesn’t just refer to individual behavior, but concerns the activities of groups as well. * The Italian Criminologist Cesare Lombroso working in the 1870’s, claimed that certain people were born with criminal tendencies, throw backs to a more primitive type of human being. Criminal types, he believed could be identified by the shape of the skull. He accepted that social learning could influence the development of criminal behavior, but regarded most criminals as biologically degenerate or defective. * The idea of connection between biological make up and criminality was revived in the work of William A Sheldon in the 1940’s. Sheldon distinguished between three main types of human phyques. Claiming one to be directly associated with