.

Social Order is the customary and typical social

arrangements which society's members use to base
their daily lives on. Control is easier if attachments,
commitment, involvement, and beliefs are stronger.
When an actor violates group norms but complies
with the law, it is deviance. An example might be if
you wore your Halloween costume to classin July.
If an actor complies with group norms yet breaks
the law, its called crime.

Negative Sanctions are punishments or negative

reactions toward deviance. Positive Sanctions are
rewards for conforming behavior.
The Pluralistic Theory of Social Control claims that
society is made up of many competing groups
whose diverse interests are continuously balanced.

Perspectives on Deviance
Robert Merton On Deviance

In every society when deviance is considered it is

most often controlled. Social Control is formal and
informal attempts at enforcing norms.

When an actor complies with group norms and the

law its called Conformity or an adherence to the
normative and legal standards of a group in society.

attachments which are strong social mutual bonds

that encourage society's members to conform.

A typical dictionary definition of deviance sounds

something like this: "one that does not conform to
the norm;" "one who behaves in sharply different
ways from customs;" or "one who ignores the
common and behaves in unique ways." A thesaurus
might also list: "abnormal; aberration, anomaly,
weird, irregular, and even unnatural" as similarly
related words.

Not only do values vary over time, between

cultures, and between groups, it also varies a great
deal between individuals.

It can be best understood by looking at one of three

perspectives that typically frame an individuals
perspective on an issue.

How Does Culture Influence Deviance?

Chapter 8 - Deviance and Crime

What's the Big Deal about Deviance

Deviance varies between cultures because values

vary between cultures.

Extreme deviance does make us consider "normal"

behavior on the personal and larger social level.

Deviance is a violation norms or rules of behavior

that are outside of the norms.

Theories of Deviance and Crime

Can Deviance Be Functional?

The Labeling Theory claims that the labels people

are given affect their perceptions and channel their
behaviors into deviance or conformity. Perhaps
people grow up and self-fulfill the expectations
others have for themthey grow down to low
expectations.
The Power Elite are the political, corporate, and
military leaders of a society that are uniquely
positioned to commit White-Collar or Elite Crimes, or
crimes of insider nature that typically are difficult to
punish and have broad social consequences upon
the masses.

extreme forms are functional in that they challenge

and offend the established norms in the larger
collective conscience.