Question

what type of a humane approach do you think is appropriate for dealing with deviant behavior today?

Answer 1

Let us first understand what does deviant behaviour mean before we try to explain what type of human approach is appropriate for dealing with deviant behaviour today. A deviant behaviour could be any behaviour which is not normal . It is called deviant  because it is not as per the norms set by the society. In simpler words it is not socially acceptable behaviour.

Causes of Deviant Behaviour-

There are different school of thoughts which describe the root cause of deviant behaviour. Biologists  , sociologists and psychologists have tried to explain deviant behaviour according to their theories.
The Biological  Approach - According to this approach a deviant behaviour is a result of genetic makeover of a person which is mainly due to the chromosomal abnormality.

The Sociological Approach- Sociological  approach hold societal norms, group dynamics and other social structures responsible for  the deviant behaviour of a person.

The Psychological Approach - The psychological explanation of deviant behaviour is multifaceted which not only considers the bio psychological approach but also the socio psychological approach  as well for explaining the deviant behaviour of a person.

As we have understood that the causes of deviant behaviour could be biological, sociological or psychological, thus the appropriate handling of deviant behaviour cannot rely only on single approach rather it has to be mixed of all the approaches . For example if the deviant behaviour is caused by any biological abnormality such as an extra chromosome y making it to be xyy or extra X chromosome making it to be xxy ( a normal man has xy pair ), in such case the dealing  of the delinquency would be mostly clinically and therapeutic . If the deviant behaviour is due to societal prejudices or societal causes , then the approach would be more on social reforms like bring equality , eradication of the malpractices in the society. Psychological techniques such as counselling or therapies would be used if the behaviour is mostly related to person's personality type . For example a person is more likely to be involved in deviant behaviour if "he or she scores high on neuroticism , thus prediction and management of the behaviour could be done by using psychological assessment tools .

Conclusion - An Eclectic approach is always better to deal with any kind of behaviour as it reduces the chances of ignoring an aspect which we could otherwise do by using one single approach or methodology.