It would be inaccurate to claim that the world is perfect and people do not commit crimes or partake in deviant behavior. This is obviously an absurd idea, in which everyone knows the regularity of crime and deviance in everyday life. There are several different ways to explain deviant behavior and crime in society. These approaches include the Structural Functionalism Approach, Social Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism. Through analysis of these approaches one can get a better understanding of acts of deviances, even one of the most common crime on college campuses: underage drinking. For many young and fresh college students, the idea of attending school away from their parents and experiencing the freedoms they did not have before
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This theory suggests that a person may associate themselves with a particular group or person that engages in some form of deviance. The more that they socialize and associate with these people then they themselves will likely begin to partake in the same acts of deviance being committed by their acquaintances or even other forms of deviant behavior. The extent to which this new behavior may develop can be effected by “the frequency and intensity of our associations […], how long they last, and how early they occur” (Chambliss 141). Meaning, it is more likely for a person to be more greatly affected by a relationship of a childhood friend rather than someone they have just recently met. This theory could have much influence over why people may choose to be …show more content…
“Deviance is learned in groups” (Lecture, Slide 17). The college student didn’t just decide to begin drinking, a relatively social event, by themselves. They were introduced to this deviant behavior through others. If they had not associated themselves with those deviants then it is highly likely that they would not have participated in the behavior, as they would not have been introduced to the act. The learned deviance through others led to the act being done and will most likely continue to influence future acts of
This theory suggests that a person may associate themselves with a particular group or person that engages in some form of deviance. The more that they socialize and associate with these people then they themselves will likely begin to partake in the same acts of deviance being committed by their acquaintances or even other forms of deviant behavior. The extent to which this new behavior may develop can be effected by “the frequency and intensity of our associations […], how long they last, and how early they occur” (Chambliss 141). Meaning, it is more likely for a person to be more greatly affected by a relationship of a childhood friend rather than someone they have just recently met. This theory could have much influence over why people may choose to be …show more content…
“Deviance is learned in groups” (Lecture, Slide 17). The college student didn’t just decide to begin drinking, a relatively social event, by themselves. They were introduced to this deviant behavior through others. If they had not associated themselves with those deviants then it is highly likely that they would not have participated in the behavior, as they would not have been introduced to the act. The learned deviance through others led to the act being done and will most likely continue to influence future acts of