The constructionist perspective holds that supposedly deviant behavior
is a voluntary act, an expression of human volition, will, or choice
. Constructionists take this stand because they are disturbed by what they claim to be the dehumanizing implication of the positivist view of deviant behavior.
What are the 3 theories of deviance?
Since the early days of sociology, scholars have developed theories that attempt to explain what deviance and crime mean to society. These theories can be grouped according to the three major sociological paradigms:
functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and conflict theory
.
What are some structuralist theories of deviance?
Structural functionalism argues that
deviant behavior plays an active, constructive role in society by ultimately helping cohere different populations within a society
. Conflict theory suggests that deviant behaviors result from social, political, or material inequalities in a social group.
What are the 4 theories of deviance?
However, deviant behavior can also tiptoe over the line of criminal behavior. While there are many different sociological theories about crime, there are four primary perspectives about deviance:
Structural Functionalism, Social Strain Typology, Conflict Theory, and Labeling Theory.
What are the two functionalism theories of deviance?
Social disorganization theory, strain theory, and social control theory
represent the main functionalist perspectives on deviance in society.
What is the anomie theory of deviance?
Merton’s anomie theory is that
most people strive to achieve culturally recognized goals
. A state of anomie develops when access to these goals is blocked to entire groups of people or individuals. The result is a deviant behaviour characterized by rebellion, retreat, ritualism, innovation, and/or conformity.
What are examples of primary deviance?
Her mother saw her eating the bar and was shocked. She asked Susan if she had taken it from the store, and she admitted she did. Her mother brought her back to the store to confess, and she never took anything from a store again. This incident of
Susan taking a candy bar
is known as primary deviance.
What are the two types of deviance?
Types. The violation of norms can be categorized as two forms,
formal deviance and informal deviance
. Formal deviance can be described as a crime, which violates laws in a society. Informal deviance are minor violations that break unwritten rules of social life.
What are examples of deviance?
Examples of formal deviance include
robbery, theft, rape, murder, and assault
. The second type of deviant behavior involves violations of informal social norms (norms that have not been codified into law) and is referred to as informal deviance.
What are the elements of deviance?
- Deviation is relative, not absolute: In this sense, most people are deviant to some degree. …
- Deviance refers to norm violation: There are wide range of norms—religious norms, legal norms, health norms, cultural norms and so forth. …
- Deviance is also viewed as a ‘stigma construct’:
What is conflict theory of deviance?
In conflict theory, deviant behaviors are
actions that do not comply with social institutions
. The institution’s ability to change norms, wealth, or status comes into conflict with the individual. The legal rights of poor folks might be ignored, while the middle class side with the elites rather than the poor.
What is the functionalist perspective of deviance?
Functionalism claims that
deviance help to create social stability by presenting explanations of non-normative and normative behaviors
.
Who defines deviance?
According to
sociologist William Graham Sumner
, deviance is a violation of established contextual, cultural, or social norms, whether folkways, mores, or codified law (1906). Put simply, deviance is the violation of a norm.
What are the 5 functions of deviance?
- clarify moral boundaries and affirm norms. deviant acts challenge these boundaries. …
- unifying the group. …
- deviance promotes social change. …
- diffusing tension. …
- providing jobs.
What is Durkheim’s theory?
Durkheim believed that
society exerted a powerful force on individuals
. People’s norms, beliefs, and values make up a collective consciousness, or a shared way of understanding and behaving in the world. The collective consciousness binds individuals together and creates social integration.
How does control theory explain deviance?
Control theory stresses
how weak bonds between the individuals and society free people to deviate or go against the norms
, or the people who have weak ties would engage in crimes so they could benefit, or gain something that is to their own interest. This is where strong bonds make deviance more costly.
