Sociological And Psychological Theories Essay

Sociological and Psychological Theories
Theories are useful tools that help us understand and explain the world around us. In criminology, it helps us understand the functioning of the criminal justice system and the actors in the system. Theories suggest how things are, not things as it should be. These are not inherently good or bad, however, they can be used in favor or against. A theory can try to explain the delinquency of large social unit or area, or it can try to explain the delinquency in the smallest unit of level or individual. Because it is human behavior, social sciences will never be like a hard science. In the hard sciences, the theory of relativity is not going to change. In the social sciences, however, we deal with probabilities. …show more content…
On the other hand, deviant behavior is a way of adapting a culture to social change. No current society can possibly remain static for long. Even the most isolated of the world's societies will face radical social changes within the next generation. Deviant behavior often represents the origin of tomorrow's adaptations. Without any deviant behavior it will be difficult to adapt a culture to the needs and circumstances that are transformed. A society on the other hand needs, therefore deviant behaviors if it is to operate efficiently.
Not all deviation shapes will conform to the previous scan. The behavior of the murderer, who commits sexual abuse with children or the alcoholic seldom contributes to forging a new and useful social norm. At any given time, deviant behavior takes on several forms, and only a few of them will become standards tomorrow. Too much deviation is totally destructive in its personal and social consequences. But a little deviation is socially useful, as stated earlier. Separating dangerous social deviations from socially useful requires the ability to predict the social norms that tomorrow's society will