Explain Deviance. How does deviance vary among different cultures and religions? Who defines deviance?
When asked to explain deviance, most people have multiple different definitions for the word. But deviance is stated, “ a behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or a society” (IS PG. 178). You can say being deviant is going against the norm, what you may find normal, others might not find it normal. Sociologist Howard S Becker described deviance and said, “It’s not the act itself, but rather the reactions to the act, that make something deviant” (PG 178).
Deviance is rather defined throughout culture, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc. You would think what makes something deviant and what makes something normal? Society defines normal as, “what is standard within their culture.” I went around and asked a …show more content…
How does this theory prove to be detrimental to those whom are labeled? Give an example of how the labeling theory works.
Stated by Ashley Crossman a sociologist expert she states, “Labeling theory is based on the idea that behaviors are deviant only when society labels them as deviant. “ its when your group defines one specific individual in a certain way, you can look at it as a “self-fulfilling prophecy” aspect.
The labeling theory can be very detrimental to those being labeled. I’ve tried to look at it in every positive perspective but could not find one. I’ve only seen it on a negative aspect as far as I know. For example, someone is being labeled as a felon after committing their first crime. People leave the court house ready to associate themselves as a felon no matter how major or minor the crime may be. They can be charged from a misdemeanor to a felony and still be listed as a felon in their job applications. No matter how hard someone studies or tries, majority of the time a job won’t look at your application as long as it states you’ve committed a