Relationship Between Crime And Deviance

Crime is an action that violates the laws that are established by political authority. In a society, laws are created by government officials so citizens can follow them and have order in society rather than a chaotic place. However, many individuals tend not to conform to the norms and the laws of society defined as deviance. These individuals known as deviant groups would tend to break away from society as a whole and live by their own set of rules that they conform to. As a person thinks sociological about crime they can see the connection between conformity and deviance in different social settings. In addition, to analyzing the cause of crime and deviance many theories have been created by sociologist in order to further explain the …show more content…
According to Durkheim anomie exists when there are no standards, norms, or even rules of conduct available to an individual. As a result, of the lack of organization in social life, a person would become confused or even uneasy, and anomie might even cause a person to suicide. However, Durkheim believed that crime and deviance are unavoidable and essential aspect in a modern society. Durkheim also claims, that since society is becoming modern there are more likely to be more people who do not conform to society because of people who value their opinion. Deviance is also needed in a society because new ideas and opinions help bring about changes in society changing the traditional viewpoints created by many. Deviance in society helps create a better understanding about what is considered good or bad in a human behavior. For example, people from a neighborhood can come together, demanding more protection from crimes that result in their neighborhood every so often. In contrast, American sociologist Robert K. Merton explains anomie as the pressure that is put on individuals when they face the reality of social acceptance. According to Merton deviance is caused by economic inequalities in society. For example, people who have better opportunities in life are most likely to succeed where disadvantaged people use illegitimate methods in order to compete with successful individuals. As a result, Merton placed individuals in five categories such as conformists, innovators, ritualists, retreatists, and rebels explaining whether or not if they conform and how they behave in society. In conclusion, Merton’s theory about criminology explains that the raising of inequalities and poverty leads to deviant behavior of a