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deviance:

“a violation of contextual, cultural, or social norms”

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socialization:

“the process wherein people come to understand societal norms and expectations, to accept society’s beliefs, and to be aware of societal values”

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How is socialization important for understanding deviance? 

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How is socialization important for understanding deviance? 

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Deviance has a direct relationship with socialization because socialization teaches us what is acceptable and considered the rules of societ. What is considered not acceptable can be therefore described as “deviant”.

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Socialization, how people learn norms and expectations, is key to understanding the process of deviance: what, how, and why people break them.

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How do agents of socialization affect the product of deviance?

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How do agents of socialization affect the product of deviance?

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If institutions such as school do not properly socialize children or offer them resources they may become products of their environment

ex: In PUNISHED: Policing the Lives of Black and Brown Boys Victor Rios is raised in a poor minority community and due to not receiving proper education, resources, or feeling safe he joins a gang and spends his youth as what society looks as “deviant”.

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How we perceive different people or groups, based on our experiences with socialization, can affect what behavior we categorize as deviant

ex: in the documentary “A Class Divided”, the teacher Jane Elliott notes how easy it was to change the perception of her students on what was good vs. bad based on who she deemed superior due to their eye color.

If both eye colors blurted out an answer without raising their hand only the inferior eye color was punished and the blame was shifted onto their characteristic trait. The belief was pushed that they acted with deviance behavior because of their trait and much of their actions would be categorized as deviant behavior.

This can be translated into society with black people and injustices rooted in discrimination and bias that black people take part in deviance simply because they are black.

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conflict theory:

“a theory that examines social and economic factors as the causes of criminal deviance“

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How is conflict theory used to understand deviance?

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How is conflict theory used to understand deviance?

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Conflict theory studies societies competition for resources. Those with more resources thus have more power. Those in position of power can often push laws, rules, or norms ultimately benefiting them.

What we are given as resources and how much can be considered assigned based on our social class. Conflict theory argues that those with more power are privileged and likely their actions will be excused. Those with less power being more susceptible to scrutiny and punishment. Their behavior being more likely to be labeled as deviant.

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sanctions:

“a way to authorize or formally disapprove of certain behaviors”

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What are the different types of sanctions?

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What are the different types of sanctions?

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History: How sanctions have impacted deviance

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History: How sanctions have impacted deviance

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Sanctions is used to promote behavior and enforce laws, rules, and norms. Historically, sanctions were used in slavery to promote black inferiority and keep whites from assisting them as well as keeping them enslaved.

ex: In “The origins of policing in America” negative sanctions are explained to be used against whites and blacks to keep blacks oppressed and enslaved. Whites were forbidden by “slave codes” to allow slaves to leave, read, write, defend themselves, and gather without a white person.

Whites were enforced by positive sanctions, being given the opportunity to be employed into powerful positions such as slave patrol, night watchers, and militia members (prior to 19th century) and police officers (19th century). They were encouraged to brutalize slaves and both citizens and law enforcement were offered monetary rewards for capturing runaway slaves.

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These historical laws and rules display society’s ability to change and construct what defines deviance. Prior to slavery, being abolished any and all blacks would be considered deviants. Anyone who went against slave code or assisted runaway slaves would also be considered deviant because despite being white, they are violating the rules and norms that were set in that historical period. Sanctions ultimately helped push what behaviors were to be expected by giving and/or taking social acceptance, rewards, and punishments.

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How do sanctions impact deviance overall in society?

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How do sanctions impact deviance overall in society?

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Pushing for acceptance towards norms by awarding people for following them

In contrast, punishing people for violating them and labeling them and/or behavior as deviant

Sanctions promote behavior that is believed to keep society in order

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Sanctions can provide support towards the conflict theory by revealing power dynamics within society and the inequality within them. They can reveal who gets punished, “the deviant”, or rewarded and why.

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labeling theory:

“the ascribing of a deviant behavior to another person by members of society”

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sociological imagination:

“the ability to understand how your own past relates to that of other people, as well as to history in general and societal structures in particular”

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How does sociological imagination apply to deviance? 

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How does sociological imagination apply to deviance? 

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It’s important to understand deviance is a social construct and what society may deem deviant can be interpreted differently by people in society.

Sociological imagination can be used to interpret deviant behavior as a product of societal institutions and in some cases, injustices.

Ex: Instead of assuming Victor Rios joined a gang because he’s a failure, Hispanic, brown, or just a bad individual we can examine what societal conditions pushed him to be in that position. Based on his excerpt we can note societal challenges that included:

Desire to feel safe in a low income neighborhood with heavy crime

Racial profiling, police already assume you’re a gang member and ambulance services are noted to take exceptionally long to arrive

Low income family = no extracurricular activities such as sports, summer camps

Poor education system with no mentors

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Why should we use sociological imagination when challenging deviance?

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Why should we use sociological imagination when challenging deviance?

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Helps us challenge broader social patterns

By digging deeper into the systemic institutions that influence deviant behavior we can move towards solutions and social change

ex: lack of education, racism/discrimination in the justice system, low income neighborhoods with high crime rates and low resources

Reaffirms the influence social structures have on our choices and behaviors

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How does the labeling theory impact deviance?

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How does the labeling theory impact deviance?

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According to the labeling theory, deviance isn’t just analyzed through actions but also how society reacts to it.

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Deviant labels can result in stigmas, social rejection, and inequality

ex: In The Uneven Scales of Capital Justice, Christina Swarns highlights black defendants inability to receive knowledgeable well trained attorneys and thus, being statistically more likely to be sentenced to death. She displays how racism ultimately affects black people being labeled as deviants and not only being punished harsher but, seen as irredeemable. She also calls attention to bias in prosecutors, judges, and jurors who have the ability to mislabel minorities as deviants because of their position in power.

Swarns underlines the labeling theory by focusing not on the actions of these defendants but, how they are viewed by the judicial system and ultimately how the defendants image is further pushed into society to their peers. This image creates reactions by society, typically reinforcing thoughts and stigmas about deviance and who is to be labeled as so.

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE DEVIANCE SOCIOLOGICALLY?

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE DEVIANCE SOCIOLOGICALLY?

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Deviance, from a Sociological standpoint, is important to the wider society because it influences how we view actions and people. This influences society's acceptable norms, beliefs, actions, and how we may discriminate against certain people or groups. This can lead to societal institutions being unfair, racial profiling, and enabling the privileged.

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Terms that can be applied to a better sociological understanding of deviance: 

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Terms that can be applied to a better sociological understanding of deviance: 

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Socialization

Sanctions

Sociological imagination

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Theories that can help view deviance from a sociological standpoint:

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Theories that can help view deviance from a sociological standpoint:

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Conflict theory by Karl Marx

Labeling Theory by Howard Becker