Deviance is the recognized violation of cultural norms. The concept of deviance is quite broad because norms guide almost all human activities. Deviance is relative, meaning it is considered in relation of in proportion to something else. For example, norms vary across society, therefore deviance does too. Those who are deviant within a society threaten normality and predictability. Deviance immediately conjures the negative (Interactive Presentation). One group of deviance is crime. Crime is the violation of a societies formally enacted criminal law. In other words, deviance is considered crime when laws are violated. Many theories explain why people do what they do including the works of Becker, Sutherland, and Hirschi. The Labeling Theory,
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Sutherland’s Differential Associations Theory states that deviant and criminal behavior is learned behavior due to interactions and associations with others who are engaging in such behaviors. Learning behavior takes place in groups. According to Sutherland, a person’s tendency toward conformity or deviance depends on the amount of contact with others who encourage or reject conventional behavior. Back to the previous example of the boy who stole a pencil, if his peer group encouraged him to engage in theft, he will most likely continue to do so, so he can be rewarded as a high status in his peer group The idea behind this theory is related to peer pressure, which is defined as influence from members of one’s peer group. Young people are more likely to engage in delinquency if they believe members of their peer groups encourage such activity (Macionis …show more content…
“Strong social attachments encourage conformity” (Macionis 208). For example, if a teenager had strict parents, he or she might be afraid to stay out past curfew, because he or she is afraid of the consequences, such as getting grounded or losing their phone. “The greater a person’s access to legitimate opportunity, the greater the advantages of conformity” (Macionis 208). An example of opportunity is if a law student had the opportunity to smoke marijuana with some friends, he or she may restrain because they don’t want it to cause a problem in future successes. Moreover, the involvement in holding a job or going to school inhibits deviance because they have little time to do so or don’t wait it to cause a problem with their activity. Those who just wait around for something to happen and are not involved have a greater chance or pursuing deviant acts. Finally, if a person has a strong belief in conventional morality and respect for authority figures, he or she has a tendency to restrain from deviance” (Macionis 208). An example of this would be if a person with a strong morality is less likely to commit a crime than a person who has a weak conscience because he or she feels it’s morally
Sutherland’s Differential Associations Theory states that deviant and criminal behavior is learned behavior due to interactions and associations with others who are engaging in such behaviors. Learning behavior takes place in groups. According to Sutherland, a person’s tendency toward conformity or deviance depends on the amount of contact with others who encourage or reject conventional behavior. Back to the previous example of the boy who stole a pencil, if his peer group encouraged him to engage in theft, he will most likely continue to do so, so he can be rewarded as a high status in his peer group The idea behind this theory is related to peer pressure, which is defined as influence from members of one’s peer group. Young people are more likely to engage in delinquency if they believe members of their peer groups encourage such activity (Macionis …show more content…
“Strong social attachments encourage conformity” (Macionis 208). For example, if a teenager had strict parents, he or she might be afraid to stay out past curfew, because he or she is afraid of the consequences, such as getting grounded or losing their phone. “The greater a person’s access to legitimate opportunity, the greater the advantages of conformity” (Macionis 208). An example of opportunity is if a law student had the opportunity to smoke marijuana with some friends, he or she may restrain because they don’t want it to cause a problem in future successes. Moreover, the involvement in holding a job or going to school inhibits deviance because they have little time to do so or don’t wait it to cause a problem with their activity. Those who just wait around for something to happen and are not involved have a greater chance or pursuing deviant acts. Finally, if a person has a strong belief in conventional morality and respect for authority figures, he or she has a tendency to restrain from deviance” (Macionis 208). An example of this would be if a person with a strong morality is less likely to commit a crime than a person who has a weak conscience because he or she feels it’s morally