What Are the Four Aspects That Define an Act as Deviant?

Question by Rach: What are the four aspects that define an act as deviant?

Best answer:

Answer by Dzhon
I don’t believe that I can narrow a list down to only 4 fundamental aspects of deviant acts, so I’ll just ramble on a bit and allow you.

Deviance is any behavior that violates cultural norms. Deviance can vary dramatically from culture to culture. Cultural norms are relative; this makes deviant behavior relative as well. An act can be criminal and deviant, or an act can be deviant but not criminal.

Different types of deviant behavior
1) Falsely accusing an individual
2) Pure deviance – perceiving one to participate in deviant and rule-breaking behavior.
3) Conforming – not being perceived as deviant, but merely participating in the social norms that are distributed within societies.
4) Secret deviance – the individual is not perceived as deviant or participating in any rule-breaking behaviors.

Professor Robert K. Merton, an American sociologist, borrowed Durkheim’s concept of anomie to form his own theory, called Strain Theory. It differs from Durkheim’s in that Merton argued that the real problem is not created by a sudden social change, as Durkheim proposed, but rather by a social structure that holds out the same goals to all its members without giving them equal means to achieve them. It is this lack of integration between what the culture calls for and what the structure permits that causes deviant behavior. Deviance then is a symptom of the social structure. Merton borrowed Durkheim’s notion of anomie to describe the breakdown of the normative system.

Merton’s theory does not focus upon crime, but rather upon various acts of deviance, which may be understood to lead to criminal behavior. Merton notes that there are certain goals which are strongly emphasized by society. Society emphasizes certain means to reach those goals (such as education, hard work, etc.,) however, not everyone has the equal access to the legitimate means to attain those goals. The stage then is set for anomie.

Merton presents five modes of adapting to strain caused by the restricted access to socially approved goals and means. He did not mean that everyone who was denied access to society’s goals became deviant. Rather the modes of adaptation depend on the individual’s attitudes toward cultural goals and the institutional means to attain them.

1) Conformity is the most common mode of adaptation. Individuals accept both the goals as well as the prescribed means for achieving those goals. Conformists will accept, though not always achieve, the goals of society and the means approved for achieving them.
2) Individuals who adapt through innovation accept societal goals but have few legitimate means to achieve those goals, thus they innovate (design) their own means to get ahead. The means to get ahead may be through robbery, embezzlement or other such criminal acts.
3) In ritualism, individuals abandon the goals they once believed to be within their reach and dedicate themselves to their current lifestyle. They play by the rules and have a daily safe routine.
4) Retreatism is the adaptation of those who give up not only the goals but also the means. They often retreat into the world of alcoholism and drug addiction. They escape into a non-productive, non-striving lifestyle.
5) Rebellion, occurs when cultural goals and the legitimate means are rejected. Individuals create their own goals and their own means, by protest or revolutionary activity.

Bottom line: “Deviance is in the eye of the beholder”.
In other words, that which is deviant to you may or may not be considered deviant by me and all of us may change our perception of what is deviant over time.

====================== That’s Pretty Much IT ======================

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