"My Deviant Self” Term Paper Assignment Social Term Paper

My Deviant Self – Term Paper Assignment
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My Deviant Self – Term Paper Assignment
Introduction
When I used to walk, I seemed completely normal, like any other person out there. However, when I got involved in a road accident that left me disabled, people started treating me differently. Even my family could not let me accomplish activities of daily living without them reiterating that I required assistance. I felt like a completely useless and needy person who could not engage in productive activities, such as providing for the family. In this vein, I found it challenging to get used to such circumstances, so I attempted to ensure I did not act like a disabled individual. Simply put, I did not want to seem like a dependent person, whom every person pitied, and so I used to engage in challenging activities that saw my health deteriorate, leaving me bedridden for months. There is the need to understand the different definitions of what constitutes normality and non-conformance in contemporary society. Accordingly, issues relating to collective norms and sanctions have a significant contribution to what constitutes deviance. This report provides an evaluation about collective norms’ societal origins, conflicting meanings of what constitutes normality, non-conformity and dominant norms, collective norms and sanctions, self-transformation and deviant behavior, deviant conduct theories, and a reflection on social norms and deviance.
Social Origins of Collective Norms
It is a shared consensus that individuals with functional disabilities or physical impairments linked to restricted movement have special wants and needs. I seem to be deviating from normal behavior since disability forces a redefinition of behavioral inclinations. Within a short timescale, I discovered that I was unable to conform to norms and values of society which I had possibly assimilated in my continued assimilation. That was normal for me before incapacitation appeared “not normal” in my disability condition. I could no longer fit into societal expectations of being active, independent, healthy, and physical appealing to others, sexually potent, and able to work for extended timescales (Kurawa, 2010).
The appropriate, proper, and regular ways of acting, being and feeling included the ability to be act independently, be healthy, physically attractive, and healthy, as well as feel strong to engage in normal activities such as work. The above societal elements or expectations are designed to ensure that people conform to normality tenets since the disabled person is required to operate as per how society is constructed or organized. Further, the societal elements emphasize on “dismantling barriers” emanating from economic, environmental, or attitudinal aspects that prevent physically disabled individuals from experiencing normal life like their non-disabled counterparts (Williams et al., 2008). When disabled individuals deny their conditions, normal folks react by suggesting that the disabled person undertake rehabilitation and medical assistance in the context of his family’s and his own attitudes, behaviors, and values, as well as those related to extended s...