Chapter 1: Study of Deviance

Learning Objectives

• Define deviance and distinguish it from crime
• Explain how social norms vary across cultures and contexts
• Identify mechanisms of social control
• Describe how laws are socially constructed
• Understand the role of research in studying deviance

Key Terms

• Deviance
• Social Norms
• Folkways
• Mores
• Taboos
• Social Control
• Formal Sanctions
• Informal Sanctions
• Criminality
• Lawmaking Perspectives (Consensus, Conflict, Interactionist)
• Moral Entrepreneurs
• Social Order
• Research Methods
• Qualitative Research
• Quantitative Research

Summary

This chapter introduces deviance as behavior that violates social norms and emphasizes its variability across cultures and historical periods. It examines how societies regulate behavior through formal and informal social control and distinguishes deviance from criminal behavior. The chapter also explores lawmaking perspectives and introduces key research methods used in criminology.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Photo courtesy of Cassiopeija/Wikimedia Commons

How do we as a community decide what is a crime? Often, this has to do with social norms. The concept of deviation, the act of breaking social norms, varies significantly across historical cultures, situations, and contexts. What one society may view as deviant behavior, another may embrace as a form of cultural expression. This variation plays a significant role in reflecting social values and promoting social change.

Social norms are all around us and are accepted norms and behaviors within a specific group. The group you are in can change, which means the norms and behaviors that are acceptable at any given time may change. In Japan, for example, cultural practices often prioritize social harmony, and behaviors diverging from these norms can be seen as deviant. In contrast, such behaviors might be celebrated in other parts of the world.

Much of the appeal of watching entertainers perform in drag comes from the humor inherent in seeing everyday norms violated. What, exactly, is deviance? And what is the relationship between deviance and crime? According to sociologist William Graham Sumner, deviance is a violation of established contextual, cultural, or social norms, whether folkways, mores, or codified law (1906). It can be as minor as picking your nose in public or as major as committing murder. Although the word “deviance” has a negative connotation in everyday language, sociologists recognize that deviance is not necessarily bad (Schoepflin 2011). In fact, from a structural functionalist perspective, one of the positive contributions of deviance is that it fosters social change. For example, during the U.S. civil rights movement, Rosa Parks violated social norms when she refused to move to the “Black section” of the bus, and the Little Rock Nine broke customs of segregation to attend an Arkansas public school. To understand crime as a social phenomenon, it is first necessary to examine the broader concept of deviance. The study of deviance provides the foundation for understanding how societies define, regulate, and respond to behaviors that violate norms.