Social Deviance

The use of alcohol and marijuana has changed insignificantly among my peers throughout the years until university. I did not get to experience the drastic change that most of my peers witnessed because I went to an all-girls Catholic high school. I believed this played a role in that because religion was held so highly among most individuals. Catholicism basically views that consuming alcohol or smoking marijuana are a form of sin. My peers in public high schools were not exposed to this type of discipline to prevent deviant behavior. They decided to engage in these activities to be viewed as “cool” and to blend in with everyone else. More and more of my friends in public high schools decided to start using alcohol and marijuana closer to grade 12. Within my high school, there was no increase in drug use from grade 9 to grade 12. These activities were then carried into university where it increased because of the …show more content…
With this in mind, not every individual who uses alcohol and marijuana will engage in other forms of deviancy. For example, I drink alcohol, but I do not smoke marijuana and I do not have any tattoos. I know a lot of my friends who engage in one form of social deviance, but refuse to partake in others. Of course there are individuals who decide that they want to engage in all forms of social deviance. I believe that if someone engages in one form of social deviance, he or she may be more motivated to try other forms. This is especially evident among university students since they do not have their parents around to scold them. Although the motivation may be there, the morals of that individual may prevent him or her from actually doing it. All in all, the use of alcohol and marijuana does not always mean that individual will engage in other deviant behaviors. The decision to do so depends on the type of person and how motivated they are to do