Question

Using the theories on deviance from your text describe what deviance is and why sociologists believe people take part in deviant behavior.

Answer 1

Answer.

deviance refers to a behaviour pattern that violates social norms including a crime , as well as informal violations of social norms such as rejecting folkways and customs. There are many different theories that explain how behavior comes to be classified as deviant and why people engage in it, including psychological and sociological theories.

A popular theory of deviance is the Meryon’s social strain theory. According to this theory, societies are composed of both culture and social structure. In a well-integrated society, Culture establishes goals for people in society and people use the accepted and appropriate means to achieve the socially set goals. However when there is an imbalance between cultural goals and structurally available means people can move away from societal norms and engage in deviant practices to reduce the social tension which was caused by unequal opportunities towards goa achievement by members of a Particular group.

Thus, according to the strain theory which remains one of the key theory of social devience, the experience with unequal opportunities in resources, economic success, cultural popularity, can enhance an individual’s sense of frustration creates a situation of unrest in the affected groups leading to a greater tendency in the group to engage in deviant behaviours.