Sociology and Deviance Essay

Words: 2079
Pages: 9
Open Document
“Becoming a deviant involves a social process of definition”. The purpose of this essay is to show how this sociological perspective can assist in understanding drug taking in society. In the essay I will discuss the notion of deviance and will demonstrate that people do not become deviants on the strength of their behaviour alone, but by the sanctions of a society whose norms that the offender has deemed to have violated. I will examine approaches to deviance through biological, psychological and sociological methodologies and while the examination of the theories is necessarily brief, it will interrogate some of the main theories related to deviant behaviour in society. The essay will employ Howard Becker’s labeling theory as the …show more content…
182) and therefore the person is considered to be deviant in the eyes of normal society. The notion of deviance is culturally assigned to particular behaviours in particular settings. For example, smoking marijuana in the main street of an Australian city is considered a deviant act, however, the same activity taking place as a spiritual activity in India may be perfectly acceptable. The other consideration is deviant behaviour relative to time. The use of marijuana in the USA for example was legal before the 1930s and therefore was not considered deviant behaviour. Today, it is punishable by law.

How then are we socialised ? What are the key socialising agents that provoke individuals within society to engage in behaviour which is seen by the majority as deviant ? In using drug culture as an example, the principal claim of this essay is that the socialising agents of drug users have come from a learned behavior, a behavior that had been taught from the interaction amid sub cultures, alternative beliefs and learning techniques that are not the regular teachings of a particular culture and not endorsed in the normative society. This is demonstrated through the studies conducted by Howard Becker on marijuana use. Becker held the belief that in the same way that people learn to become anything in society, some learn to become drug users by way of a specific
Show More

Related Documents: Sociology and Deviance Essay

Sociology of Deviance Midterm Essay

Jennifer Nieto-Robinson Professor McBroom Sociology of Deviance Midterm 326 1) What do sociologists mean when they describe deviance as being relative? Provide an example of a deviant behavior and identify how it is relative. Deviance is behavior that a considerable number of people in a society view as reprehensible and beyond the limits of tolerance. In most cases it is both negatively valued and provokes hostile reactions. Deviance does not exist independently of norms. Without norms…

Words 1961 - Pages 8

Deviance: Sociology and Deviant Act Essay

Contrary to positivist assumptions ‘deviance’ is socially constructed by actors interpreting the behaviour of themselves and others.” Using empirical evidence and argument from your reading, discuss with regard to one of the following mental illness Positivism consists of three strands which apply the methods of the natural sciences to study deviance the three strands are made up of biological, psychological and sociological positivism. Biological positivism is based on the idea that those…

Words 2251 - Pages 10

Deviance: Sociology and Friend Caleb Essay

Ryan Shumake Sociology 10/29/2012 Deviance "Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate social norms, including formally-enacted rules as well as informal violations of social norms. It is the purview of sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and criminologists to study how these norms are created, how they change over time and how they are enforced." This paper will include first hand incidents of me and my friend Caleb going against what is…

Words 602 - Pages 3

Types Of Crime In Crime And Deviance

Assignment 1 Langley P, Pilkington A, Richardson J (2011), Sociology In Focus, OCR A2 Level, PP 4-5, 'Crime and Deviance.' - Sociology is the study of human social behaviour and helps us understand the structure and dynamics of society. The subject can be broken down into topics such as; methods and perspectives, crime and deviance and family. Waugh C, Robinson H, Swann F, Thompson V (2008), Sociology, OCR AS Level, PP 262-263, 'Crime, deviance and delinquency.' - The age of criminal responsibility…

Words 449 - Pages 2

Deviant Behavior Theories In Sociology

Sociology is a study of how humans interact with each other in society. There are many categories that sociologist study such as, “sports, religion, music, medication, even the study of sociology of sociologist”, (Conley, 2015). Sociology is studied at different levels; Microsociology, this is when the study is done in- depth and with minimal amounts of individuals. Macrosociology is a study preformed on a larger scale and is based off a larger group of people. Within Sociology there is social norms…

Words 670 - Pages 3

Crime: Sociology and Upper Class Children Essay

Crime and Deviance Crime is an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable, while Deviance is the fact or state of departing from usual or accepted standards, especially in a social or sexual behavior. There are great differences between the two, but each can easily lead to another. One may think that every crime is a deviant behavior, but in some societies that behavior may not be seen as a crime, but as a social…

Words 1776 - Pages 8

Analysis Of The Movie Equilibrium

Movie Review: Equilibrium 1 Movie Review: Equilibrium The movie Equilibrium is an excellent movie to relate to our Introduction to Sociology class. Equilibrium follows the life of John Preston, an elite member of a military team used to locate and destroy all things considered “sensory stimulating”. In this society all citizens are forced to take drugs that suppress all feeling and emotion. The reason for this is the leader “father” of this society believes emotion is the cause of…

Words 1246 - Pages 5

socio paper

There is a variety of issues that can impact American families today. One of the issues that can impact families is deviance. Deviance is a behavior that contravenes the conduct, standards, and expectations of society. People and groups with status and power are the ones that define what behaviors are deviant and what behaviors are not. Deviance can impact families because of the way the deviant individual was raised. For example, children living in a single parent household may become deviant as…

Words 627 - Pages 3

Essay about Sociology Midterm

"normal behavior" is shaped by the power of social control mechanisms in our culture. This theory also asks the questions: Why do we not commit deviance? Basically this theory constitutes why normal behavior is normal behavior and because we act “normally” we thrive in society and that is the reason for the “norms”. The Labeling theory states that deviance is a social process whereby some people are able to define others as deviant. It is not until a label is given to someone by someone else in a…

Words 955 - Pages 4

Bibliography For Deviance Essay

Bibliography Abrams, Dominic. "Deviance." Encyclopedia of Group Processes & Intergroup Relations.” Levine, John and Michael A. Hogg (ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, c2010. Adler, Patricia A. and Pete Adler. 2006. “The Deviance Society.” Deviant Behavior 27(2). Akers, Ronald L. 1973. Deviant Behavior: A social Learning Approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Barrera, M. and Garrison Jones C. (1992). “Family and Peer Social Support as Specific Correlates of Adolescents Depressive Symptoms”…

Words 363 - Pages 2