Deviance and Crime

DEVIANCE AND CRIME

What causes deviance and how is it functional to society? Discuss the functionalist perspective of deviance.

Deviance, as defined by Diana Kendall, is “any behavior, belief, or condition that violates significant social norms in the society or group in which it occurs” (2011: 202). Deviant behavior is the failure to conform to the standards set by society; failure to follow rules, committing crimes, etc. Most often deviance is regarded as behavior based on one’s actions, but it can also exist as an expression of a radical or unusual belief system. In addition, people may sometimes be viewed as deviant due to some specific condition or characteristic they possess (Sociology in Our Times, 2011). It is important to recognize that deviance is not simply based on behavior alone. It involves a moral judgment made by someone. Furthermore, deviance is relative to time and place. It is not possible to find something that is absolutely condemned by all societies- behavior that is deviant in one society may not be in another. Even within one society, what is deviant today may not be deviant tomorrow. The definition of deviant behavior is changing all the time. As social standards change, what is considered deviant behavior changes along with them. Individuals become deviant when people label their actions as deviance, depending on how that certain society defines deviance on individuals.

There are many different forms of deviance that exist in society. Deviant behavior “…varies in its degree of seriousness, ranging from mild transgressions of folkways, to more serious infringements of mores, to quite serious violations of the law: (Sociology in Our Times, 2011: 203). Probably one of the most familiar types of deviance is crime, a behavior that is in violation of social norms that are formally enacted into criminal law and is punishable with fines, jail terms, or other negative consequences. Crime, as it is with all other types of deviant behavior, varies in its degrees of seriousness. Crimes range from minor traffic offenses, such as a parking ticket, to major offenses, such as rape or murder. Another notable form of deviance is a taboo, which is a strong social form of behavior considered deviant by a majority. According to Kendall, taboos are “mores so strong that their violation is considered to be extremely offensive and even unmentionable” (Sociology in Our Times, 2011: 83). Oftentimes in a society, to speak of a taboo publicly is condemned, and therefore, almost entirely avoided. Some forms of taboo are prohibited under law and transgressions may lead to severe penalties. Other forms of taboo result in shame, disrespect and humiliation. Taboo is not universal but does occur in the majority of societies. Some of the examples of include murder, rape, incest, or child molestation.

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