SOCIOLOGY: DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
OVERVIEW
SEGMENT 1: Defining Deviance
 SEGMENT 2: The Life-Cycle of Deviance
 SEGMENT 3: Anomie/Strain Theory

DEFINING DEVIANCE
SEGMENT 1
DEFINING DEVIANCE
Crime – Behaviors that violate a legal code as
part of the institution of government.
 Deviance – a complex concept that involves
individual behaviors that violate codes across a
range of institutions.

Many crimes are not considered deviant beyond
the institution of government – i.e. Jaywalking
 Most forms of deviance in other institutions are
not crimes – i.e. insubordination at work,
misbehavior at school, disobedience in the family,
religious heresy

DEFINING DEVIANCE
Crime
School
Misbehavior
Work
Insubordination
Religious
Heresy
Family
Disobedience
DEFINING DEVIANCE

Social Norms - Expectations or codes of conduct
in particular situations that help to maintain
social order.
Proscriptive norms - Tell people what they should not
do.
 Prescriptive norms - Tell them what they ought to do.


Norms vary according to:

How widely people accept them, How society enforces
them, How it transmits them, How much conformity
they require.

Folkways, Mores, Taboos
DEFINING DEVIANCE
Social control includes efforts to force conformity
to rules and norms, even when obedience
contradicts the interests of the individual
 Social is reinforced through sanctioning.
Sanctions are given by “agents of social control.”
 Sanctions are actions made by agents of social
control intended to increase or decrease the
probability of subsequent behavior that is
considered desirable.

DEFINING DEVIANCE
SOCIAL CONTROL
THE LIFE-CYCLE OF DEVIANCE
SEGMENT 2
THE LIFE-CYCLE OF DEVIANCE



Life Cycle of Deviance – the notion that norms
strengthen and weaken over time depending on
historical contexts and level norm promotion
Changing norms seriously complicate attempts to
evaluate standards for deviance.
 Cigarette smoking – Increasing in deviant character
over past 30 years
 Marijuana – Decreasing in deviant character over past
50 years
 Alcohol consumption – general consumption norms
decreasing in deviant character, “problem drinking”
norms increasing over past 30 years.
Similarly, punishments for deviant behavior have a life
cycle of their own and change historically.
THE LIFE-CYCLE OF DEVIANCE

Why do some acts become more or less deviant over
time even if rates of behavior stay the same (constant)?
Because deviance is often a socially created condition
which doesn’t correspond to major shifts in social
behavior.

It is a process Norm promotion:




An ability to successfully promote particular norms to the
exclusion of other, competing norms.
Groups perceive and attempt to alleviate threats by
advocating to others of the legitimacy of their priorities.
Known as “Moral Entrepreneurship”
Cocaine Epidemic of 1980’s (insignificant change)
 Satanic Cults 1990’s (no such problem)
 Terrorism Threats 2000’s (problem existing since 1970’s)

STRAIN THEORY
SEGMENT 3
STRAIN THEORY
Strain – stress upon individuals within results when
there is a disequilibrium between the emphasis on
societal goals for success and legitimate means for
achieving the goals.
 Anomie – the condition within a society where
there is a lack of normative guidelines regarding

Stems from complex cultural & social conflicts and
contradictions
 Common feature of modern societies that are

Large (many people)
 Diverse (many groups)
 Stratified (unequal)

STRAIN THEORY


Cultural assumptions generally
expect members to achieve
goals through legitimate
means:
GOAL OF FINANCIAL
SUCCESS



LEGITIMATE MEANS FOR
SUCCESS



Wealthy
Consumption
Conventional employment
Completion of education
NORMS ABOUT FINANCIAL
SUCCESS


The success is more important
than the route to success
The route to success is more
important than the success
STRAIN THEORY

Leads to When social strain occurs people adapt
to strain through different strategies of behavior.
Available Means
Cultural
Goals
Accept
Reject
Accept
Conformity
Innovation
Reject
Ritualism
Retreat
New means
New goals
Rebellion
STRAIN THEORY
Conformity – Adherence to goals and legitimate
means
 Ritualism – Abandonment of goals and adherence
to legitimate means
 Innovation – Adherence to goals and
abandonment of legitimate means
 Retreatism – Abandonment of goals and
legitimate means
 Rebellion – Replacement of goals and legitimate
means

STRAIN THEORY

Institution of Education:

Cultural Goals


Legitimate Means


What do adolescents care about in when they are in
high school?
What are the means that the school system provides
to achieve these goals?
Who gets the most opportunities and who gets
left out?
STRAIN THEORY

Rampage Killers





Adam Lanza, 20yr –
(27k, 2in)
Jeffery Weise, 16yr –
(9k, 5in)
Charles Williams,
15yr – (2k, 13in)
Eric Harris, 18yr (13k, 21in)
Dylan Klebold, 17yr –
(13k, 21in)

Common
Characteristics






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White
Male
Above average IQ
Bullied
Felt they deserved
better
Felt numb
Completed or
attempted suicide
RECAP
SEGMENT 1: Defining Deviance
 SEGMENT 2: The Life-Cycle of Deviance
 SEGMENT 3: Anomie/Strain Theory
