Deviance

Deviance
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Deviance
Deviance refers to behaviors or actions that violate formally-enacted rules or informal social norms. There exist two primary types of deviance, namely crime and informal deviance. A crime occurs when one violates the formally enacted laws, which is also called formal deviance. For example, a person is said to have committed a crime when one kills, steals, rapes, or engages in sexual assault. The other type of deviance entails violating informal social norms, such as standing too close to another individual or belching loudly. The micro-level perspective highlights three theories that explain deviance and crime, namely labeling, differential association, and control theories.
Howard Becker’s labeling theory is crucial to understanding criminal and deviant behavior. In particular, the concept shows that deviance is created socially. Social groups are the ones that create deviance by coming up with rules and applying them to specific people, who are labeled as outsiders. Becker classified behavior into four groups, namely secret, pure, falsely accused, and conforming (Walklate, 2020). Falsely accused deviant are people who engage in obedient behavior, but they are perceived as deviant. Conforming deviant are those who engage in behaviors that are viewed as obedient. Pure deviants are individuals who break the rules and are seen as deviant by society. Secret deviants are people who breach regulations but are not perceived as deviant by society. Consequently, Becker’s theory depicts that individuals who break the rules formed by social groups engage in deviance or crime.
Edwin Sutherland’s differential association theory asserts that individuals learn attitudes, motives, values, and techniques of deviance or crime by associating with criminals. In other words, when people who observe social norms or complies with the law interact with criminals, they learn how to be deviant or commit a crime (Dobrow, 201...