SOCIOLOGY ASSIGN DEVIANCE

The essence of this essay is to critically analyse the statement, “Discuss the role played by the social environment in the creation of deviance in society according to differential association and labelling theory”. It will begin by defining the key terminology being deviance and a discussion on the role that the social environment plays in creation of deviance according to Discuss the role played by the social environment in the creation of deviance in society according to differential association and labelling theory. Lastly a conclusion will be drawn.
Deviance is any behavior that violates social norms, and is usually of sufficient severity to warrant disapproval from the majority of society. Deviance can be criminal or non-criminal. The sociological discipline that deals with crime (behavior that violates laws) is criminology (also known as criminal justice). Today some societies consider activities such as alcoholism, excessive gambling, being nude in public places, lying to name only a few as deviant. Thus people who engage in deviant behavior are referred to as deviants.
Deviance is looked at in terms of group processes, definitions, and judgments and not just as unusual individual acts. Sociologists also recognize that not all behaviors are judged similarly by all groups. What is deviant to one group may not be considered deviant to another. Further, sociologists recognize that established rules and norms are socially created, not just morally decided or individually imposed. That is, deviance lies not just in the behavior itself, but in the social responses of groups to behavior by others
Differential association and labelling theory are the two theories that will be used to explain the role social environment plays in creation of deviance. The theory of differential association is a learning theory that focuses on the processes by which individuals come to commit deviant or criminal acts. According to the theory, created by Edwin H. Sutherland,