SOC 2106 Chapter 1: chapter 1 notes
20 Aug 2016
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SOC 2106
Deviant Behaviour 11th ed.
September 26th 2015
Chapter 1: What Is Deviant Behaviour?
-multiple different definitions for deviance
-sociologists mostly agree on the fact that deviance is real in itself, and has properties that distinguish it
from non deviance
-deviance is defined by stressing the importance of power
-the powerful individuals in society are less likely to be labeled by others as deviant
-they are the ones that label others as deviance
-deviant behaviour should not be regarded as an entity that is completely distinguishable from
conforming behaviour
-should be viewed as an act on a continuum of total conformity on one side and total rebellion on the
other
-the study of deviance is divided into two opposing views; positivist (deviance is positively real) and
constructionist (deviance is a social construction)
-the combination of both positivist and constructionist perspectives can give us a better picture together
than they can alone
-by emphasizing their own views, they reinforce the others’
-the positivist perspective consists of three assumptions about what deviant behaviour is: absolutism,
objectivism & determinism
-absolutism: deviance as absolutely real
-possesses qualities that distinguish is from conventionality
-deviant people re assumed to have certain characteristics that make them differ from conventional
others
-deviant behaviour is inherent in an individual; there are specific biological and physiological
characteristics that all criminals have
-today’s positivist sociologists acknowledge the role in social factors in shaping a deviant individual
-since they consider deviance real, positivist sociologists tend to focus their study on deviant
behaviour and people rather than non deviants who label others as deviant
-objectivism: deviance as an observable object
-for positivist sociologists deviance is an observable object and it can be studied in the same manner
as physical phenomena
-they treat deviants as if they were objects however it is hard to control their personal biases by
forcing themselves not to pass moral judgement on deviant behaviour or share the deviant person’s
feelings
-determinism: deviance as determined behaviour
-deviance is determined or caused by forced beyond the individual’s control
-positivist sociologists acknowledge that humans have free will however this does not undermine the
principle of determinism
-an individuals’ choices/decisions are determined by some previous causes
-there is no inconsistency between freedom and causality
-will not attribute deviance to human choice but instead will look at factors that caused a certain
reaction as the source of deviance
-summary:
-deviance is absolutely real
-deviance is an observable object
-deviance is determined by forced beyond the individual’s control
-the positivist perspective is more relevant to the study of what society considers relatively serious types
of deviant behaviour/higher-consensus deviance (murder)
-serious deviant acts respond better to this perspective because:
-serious deviant behaviours can be more easily labeled as deviant
-since serious deviants generally are of a lower class, and positivist sociologists are not, they are
able to remain aloof from the criminals
-it becomes natural then for them to study deviants as if they were passive people ‘out there’ with
specific causes for their deviance and no free will
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Document Summary
Sociologists mostly agree on the fact that deviance is real in itself, and has properties that distinguish it from non deviance. Deviance is de ned by stressing the importance of power. The powerful individuals in society are less likely to be labeled by others as deviant. They are the ones that label others as deviance. Deviant behaviour should not be regarded as an entity that is completely distinguishable from conforming behaviour. Should be viewed as an act on a continuum of total conformity on one side and total rebellion on the other. The study of deviance is divided into two opposing views; positivist (deviance is positively real) and constructionist (deviance is a social construction) The combination of both positivist and constructionist perspectives can give us a better picture together than they can alone. By emphasizing their own views, they reinforce the others". The positivist perspective consists of three assumptions about what deviant behaviour is: absolutism, objectivism & determinism.
