CHAPTER 6
Deviance
Defining Deviance
 Deviance is a behavior, trait, or belief that
departs from a norm and generates a negative
reaction in a particular group.
 Defining something as deviant requires us to
examine the group norms and how the group
reacts to the behavior.
Deviance across Cultures
 What is deviant in one culture may not be deviant in
another culture!
 Body Modifications
 Food
Theories of Deviance
 Functionalism
 Structural Strain Theory
 Conflict Theory
 Symbolic Interactionism
 Differential Association Theory
 Labeling Theory
Functionalism
 Deviance serves a function in our society.
 According to Émile Durkheim, deviance
serves a positive social function by clarifying
moral boundaries and promoting social
cohesion.
Structural Strain Theory
 Developed by Robert Merton
 It states that there are goals in our society that
people want to achieve, but they cannot always
reach these goals. This creates stress (or strain)
because people are aware of the goals but do not
have the means to achieve them.
Structural Strain Theory
 Merton’s typology of deviance (structural strain
theory table)
Structural Strain Theory
Merton’s typology: Conformists
Conformists accept
the goals of the
society and the
means of achieving
those goals.
Structural Strain Theory
Merton’s typology: Innovators
Innovators accept the
goals of the society, but
they look for new, or
innovative, ways of
achieving those goals.
Structural Strain Theory
Merton’s typology: Ritualists
Ritualists aren’t
interested in the goals
of the society but they
do accept the means of
achieving those goals.
Structural Strain Theory
Merton’s typology: Retreatists
Retreatists don’t
accept the goals of the
society or the means
of achieving those
goals.
Structural Strain Theory
Merton’s typology: Rebels
Rebels don’t accept the
goals of the society or the
means of achieving those
goals, so they create their
own goals using new
means.
Conflict Theory
 Deviance is a result of social conflict.
 In order for the powerful to maintain their
power, they marginalize and criminalize the
people who threaten their power. Inequality is
reproduced in the way deviance is defined.
Symbolic Interactionism
 Differential association:
 A symbolic interactionist
perspective developed by Edwin
Sutherland
 States that we learn deviance from
hanging around deviant peers
 http://www.wwnorton.com/college
/soc/real-world3/ch/06/dvd.aspx
Symbolic Interactionism
 Labeling theory:
 A symbolic interactionist perspective
developed by Howard Becker
 States that deviance is caused by
external judgments (labels) that
change a person’s self-concept and
the way that others respond to that
person
Symbolic Interactionism
 Labeling theory:
 Primary deviance
 The thing that gets her labeled in the first place
 Secondary deviance:
 A deviant identity or career
 Tertiary deviance
 The rejection of the notion of deviance entirely and the
redefinition of behavior as normal.
Symbolic Interactionism
 Labeling theory:
 Becker suggests that “labeling” can lead to
a self-fulfilling prophecy—a prediction
that causes itself to come true.
 Thomas Theorem
 “If men define situations as real, they are
real in their consequences.”
Symbolic Interactionism
 Stigma:
 Term coined by Ervin Goffman
 Describes any physical or social attribute that
devalues a person or group’s identity, and which
may exclude those who are devalued from
normal social interaction
Symbolic Interactionism
 Types of Stigma:
 Physical
 Physical and mental impairments
 Moral
 Signs of a flawed character
 Tribal
 Membership in a discredited or oppressed group
Symbolic Interactionism
 Stigma and Deviant Identity
 Passing
 Concealing stigmatizing information
 In-Group Orientation
 Actively proposing new standards within the normal range
 Outsiders
 Living in one way or another outside mainstream society
 Deviance Avowal
 Conceiving of deviance as a role
Studying Deviance
 The “nuts and sluts” approach
 The deviance of the poor and powerless
 The Seduction of Crime
 Cyberbullying
“Positive” Deviance?
 Actions considered deviant within a given context
but are later reinterpreted as appropriate or even
heroic.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrQqDqOx3
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