Unit 8- Deviance
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE DEVIANT?
• CAN ANYONE BE DEVIANT?
• IS OUR SOCIETY’S DEFINITION OF DEVIANCE
AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR ACCEPTABLE?
Unit Purpose
 Unit
Purpose: Societies and groups all have certain
social rules known as norms to set themselves apart
and bring unity. Not conforming to these norms make
you a deviant - and brings about social punishments
known as sanctions. Understanding deviance is
important to understanding what is important to a
society - and how it holds together
Important terms and concepts:

What is a social norm? What are the types/degrees?

What is deviance? What does it mean to be deviant?

What is a stigma? Who is or has been stigmatized in
American society?

What is the difference between a criminal and a deviant act?
(Be able to differentiate several examples)

What was the Milgram Experiment?What was the Zimbardo
Experiment?
 What
did we learn from each?
Norms and Deviance

Sexy Sax Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaoLU6zKaws

Why is this funny?

 because
it’s abnormal behavior - he is flaunting and violating social norms
 because
he's so enthusiastic (which is strange in itself)
Why don't people just jump onto tables and start dancing and playing music? (Why
aren't more people like the Sexy Sax Man? - besides the fact that we aren't all that
talented)
 Sanctions
- Socially outcast - weird - consequences for actions - could even get
in legal trouble
 Social
norms have a purpose
 Unsanitary
 Disruptive
 Because
- feet on the table
- can't use table/mall for its intended social purpose (keep order)
we don't do that here... (sometimes arbitrary)
What are cultural norms?

Norms - The established and approved way of
doing things, of dress, of speech, and of
appearance.
 the
rules that a group uses for appropriate and
inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and
behaviors. These rules may be explicit or
implicit. Failure to follow the rules can result in
severe punishments, including exclusion from
the group
What are some of the examples of
social rules we follow every day?
 Shaking
 Tipping
 Not
hands after a sports match is an example of a social norm.
a server after dinner.
calling someone a racial epithet.
 Wearing
the proper clothes for your gender
 Not
eating your neighbor or killing their dog because it looked at you
funny
 Not
beating up your classmate and taking their lunch money to buy
meth or an Xbox game
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwexBqfkeQ
Restroom Etiquette
We broke them down into three
types:
 folkways
- etiquette, politeness, small, often unstated rules of society
 how
to talk on the telephone (say "Hi" at beginning, don't sit
breathing heavily into the receiver)
 Dress
nice to church, wear a shirt in public, don't burp at dinner
 Not
of moral significance; by being followed through imitation and
mild social pressure but not strictly enforced or put into law.
 mores
- enforce a society's values
 stealing,
lying, child abuse, battery - all severe violations and will
be met with penalties
 taboos
- extreme violations of norms - that would cast you out of
society eating dead, child rape, murder
What are the benefits of having
social norms?
Protects
rights
Avoid
confusion
Brings
a society/group together
Eases
communication/reduces
uncertainty
What are the costs of social norms?
 Conformity
 People
will follow the lead of others in their society - from what
to wear, to how to greet someone, to what to do with your life

Social pressure to be the same and match the ideals of others.

Conformity is somewhat engrained in human nature. Humans are social creatures
- and will try to be like others.

Remember the elevator experiment?
 Intolerance

of others outside society

Ethnocentrism - belief that other societies and cultures are inferior

“Why do they wear those rings on their necks, that's stupid!"
Intolerance of others in society
But what if you DON'T follow social
norms?
 Then
you are a DEVIANT
Deviance describes actions or
behaviors that violate cultural
norms.
This is the main purpose of our
unit - exploring this deviance
Deviance is VIOLATING social
norms, like that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIqtbPKjf6Q The Cost of Social Norms
 Guys:
if you said to a girl: "I had a really good time, here's $20 dollars"
what would happen?
 Likewise
swimsuit
 Or
- what if you showed up for a business interview dressed in a
if you sharpened all your teeth.
 Or
if you just did something completely unexpected in a social
situation (like standing backwards in an elevator)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQMfiOnVeVo
Show

Japanese Prank
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8OUWjbh9BU ECU Professor
Deviance:
 This
includes such high violations of formallyenacted rules such as crimes, but also
informal and smaller violations of social norms
and folkways. Examples can be as serious as
rape or as minor as spitting in public or
tattooing your face.

What are some examples of deviant behaviors in American society?
 Or
what would be considered deviant if it were done?
 While
 In
driving?
the classroom?
 What
would be deviant amongst your group of
friends?
Deviance Survey (Most Deviant
Act)
 For
this informal survey tell me what deviant (against
normal social American behavior) behaviors you have
committed. This is completely anonymous, will not be
shared with anyone, and will be thrown out
immediately following this exercise.
 Can
be the most illegal, the most immoral, or just the
most against social norms.

Like MOST things in sociology - Deviance is SOCIALLY
CONSTRUCTED and is RELATIVE
 It
varies from society to society and group to group