Defining Deviancy Down By Daniel Patrick Moynihan Summary

Since the early studies of sociology, crime has been considered normal. It was though to be impossible for any society free of it to exist. In his essay title "Defining Deviancy Down", Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan states that "By defining what is deviant, we are enabled to know what is not, and hence to live by shared standards."(Moynihan, p.17) The complication with deviancy in this case comes when societies choose to overlook or not notice behavior that would usually be controlled, disapproved or punished. According to Moynihan, this is what the United States has been doing as of late.
The deviant behavior recognized in today's society has increased beyond levels of normality based on earlier standards. Because communities cannot afford
Paul Hoch. Dr. Hock described of a development of tranquilizers in one of the state mental hospitals. It appeared to be an effective treatment for many psychotic patients and increased the number of patient discharges. In that same year the Joint Commission on Mental Health and Illness was formed to "formulate "comprehensive and realistic recommendations" in this area, which was then a matter of considerable public concern." (Moynihan, p.20) The problem faced was that the population if mental institutions continued to grow and more and more facilities were being built. With the discovery of tranquilizers the amount of mental patients, "confined against their will and awareness", was
In 1965, Moynihan reached the conclusion that crime would have a dramatic increase because of the dramatic increase in single-parent families. In an article titled America he spoke that communities that allow men to grow up in broken families, with no male figures in their lives "asks for and gets chaos". He goes on to say "Crime, violence, unrest, unrestrained lashing out at the whole social structure-that is not only to be expected; it is very near to inevitable." (Moynihan, p.26) I support this statement made by Moynihan, although I wouldn't apply to the entire "broken family" population. I feel that it is important to grow up with a male figure in your life, to teach you by example, and show you right from wrong. The absence of this male figure makes the crime and violent common, because the population of young men without their parents will not now what is right or why something is