Preview

Deviant Behavior

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
286 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Deviant Behavior
Discuss the difference between behaviors that are deviant versus behaviors that are criminal. Give examples. How would something transition from being deviant to criminal?

Deviant behavior only violates the social norms, while criminal behavior violates the law. Also, criminal behavior tends to be defined in terms of a state or country, whereas deviant behavior is defined in terms of time/situation.

Criminal behavior is the behavior of wrong doings that will get you put in jail (because the law is being broken). Examples of criminal behaviors are committing crimes such as driving drunk, physical & sexually abuse or murder.

Deviant behavior is behavior that deviates from the social norm. Examples of deviant behaviors are things like a preacher who drives a Harley and hangs out at the bar, a young child with tattoos all over their body or a guy who starts randomly punching some guy in the middle of the store.

There is quite a bit of overlap in these two concepts. Sometimes behavior which is socially unacceptable is also against the law. It is both illegal and against the norm to murder and just as deviant and criminal to urinate in public, but there are occurrences of each without the other. For instance, it is considered deviant behavior to wear underpants over your pants in public. This isn't illegal, just deviant (not to mention a little funny). Then there’s tax evasion, which is only criminal and not deviant. Furthermore, some criminal behaviors aren't deviant at all. Crimes such as downloading, speeding or jaywalking are crimes but also they are considered norms.

Lastly, if you are trying to differentiate your own criminal behaviors and deviant ones stop and think: Will I get arrested for
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Social Deviance: Societal Norms
    • 1239 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Social Deviance: Societal Norms

    In sociology, the term deviance depicts a social judgment and not a moral judgment and since a deviant behavior is one that defies the expectations of a particular community, but not necessarily immoral. As such, one community might perceive a certain behavior as a crime while other communities perceive the behavior a norm. For example, the popular culture resonates closely with deviant characters such as sociopaths and psychopaths with Hannibal and Sherlock Holmes being ideal examples, in spite of the fact that such individuals have inherent social control and manipulative skills which enable them to blend with the rest of the society, making them that much more dangerous (Hare,…

    • 1239 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Howard Becker Deviance Examples
    • 223 Words
    • 1 Page

    Howard Becker Deviance Examples

    Deviance is the term used to describe the violation of norms. Howard S. Becker, the sociologist that came up with the thought that says “It is not the act itself, but the reactions to the act that make something deviant”. A good example of the act of being deviant is when you see someone walking around naked or not politely dressed in public. It is something different that you don't see every day so you take it as something “Weird” and make it into a huge deal. It makes no sense in what you see, but they might think that it is normal and is very usual to them. Another good example is that if you were to go to the mountains and live with a tribe for a day or two, you will see that you guys are much different from each other, them thinking…

    • 223 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Chapter 6 Study Questions
    • 1594 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Chapter 6 Study Questions

    Deviance is behavior or characteristics that violate important social norms. The difference between how the dictionary defines deviance and how sociologist define deviance is what may be deviant in one place, at one particular time, may not be deviant in another place and time. Basically with times changing something may or may not be tolerated as acceptable behavior.…

    • 1594 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Outline and assess the usefulness of official statistics in measuring crime
    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Outline and assess the usefulness of official statistics in measuring crime

    Crime is basically any sort of behaviour or an act which breaks laws of a society and is punished by the legal system. What is considered criminal or deviant is culturally determined. This means that what is considered criminal or deviant changes with time and place, as the values, norms and expectations change. What may not be acceptable in one society at a particular time may be acceptable in another country or acceptable at another time, for example drug cafes in Amsterdam.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Outline and Evaluate Marxist Theories on Crime
    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Outline and Evaluate Marxist Theories on Crime

    The non-sociologist definition of crime and deviance would be that deviance is uncommon behaviour, something that offends the morals or the majority of society, without being harmful or serious enough to be criminal. Whereas a criminal act is an act which causes harm to someone else enough to warrant a decision-maker passing a law which forbids the act.…

    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Mr Stefan Sledmore
    • 1499 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Mr Stefan Sledmore

    Pease (1994) said, ‘Crime comprises those actions which are deemed so damaging to the interest of the community that the state determines that it must take a direct role in identifying and acting against the criminal.’ Downes and Rock (1998) said ‘Deviance may be considered as banned or controlled behaviour which is likely to attract punishment or disproval.’ In short, ‘Deviance’ is a asocial construct that can change across time and place and ‘Crime’ is an action that breaks the law.…

    • 1499 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mental And Social Factors That Motivated Moses Sithole Action As A Serial Killer
    • 859 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Mental And Social Factors That Motivated Moses Sithole Action As A Serial Killer

    Criminal behavior is a complex topic to speak about which is sometimes difficult to discuss…

    • 859 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Youth Suicide in Australia
    • 1973 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Youth Suicide in Australia

    There are types of deviant behaviour which are called delinquency. This refers to acts that are criminal, or are considered anti-social, which are committed by young people (Harambolos & Holburn, 2004, p.331). However, many deviant acts that are disapproved of are not defined as criminal. For example suicide and alcoholism are not illegal in Australia.…

    • 1973 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    crime patterns
    • 301 Words
    • 1 Page

    crime patterns

    2) What are deviant places, and how are they associated with deviant acts? Deviant places are places that sustain deviant acts. These could be old buildings, poverty-stricken neighborhoods, or largely-populated areas. These places create certain stresses and could cause these behaviors. For example areas with a lot of poverty are usually areas with the highest crime rate. This stress leads to stealing, drugs, etc. ,…

    • 301 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Deviant Act That Is Not Criminal in Nature
    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A Deviant Act That Is Not Criminal in Nature

    Many deviant acts are acts that depart from are social norms. Every society has its basic social norms; it may vary a bit, because of so many different multi-cultural societies. Even so I can safely say that most societies have the same universal belief when it comes to social norms. Social norms are very serious if an individual commits a deviant act, the community will automatically demand punishment. In some cases the individual will be punished by the society but will not face a criminal charge by the government. Many deviant acts do not violate written laws; therefore individual cannot be charge with a criminal violation.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Deviance In Sociology
    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Deviance In Sociology

    Many sociologists have said that the sociology of deviance is dead, such as Colin Sumner in 1975. It was said that behaviors are not deviant but rather just seen as not normal in society, but the term ‘normal’ cannot exactly be defined. Deviance is a discipline in Sociology that many claim is now ‘dead’. Deviance is an act with refers to ‘norm-breaking’ in our society. A social norm is appropriate behavior for a social group and an appropriate behavior for the environment an individual is in. Deviance is the act of breaking these social norms whether it be your behavior or something you do. Once you break…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Functionalist View Of Deviance Essay
    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Functionalist View Of Deviance Essay

    Deviance is an action or behavior that violates social or cultural norms. It can be categorized into two categories, formal and informal. Formal deviance is a criminal act as dictated by the law. Social norms dictate informal deviance. The functionalist perspective of deviance is that crime is inevitable because not everyone can or will be equally committed. A lot of social change seems to begin with a form of deviance. For example, the Civil Rights Movement. People such as Rosa Parks who spoke out against segregation by simply going against what was customary at the time were performing acts of deviance. The conflict perspective of deviance is that it does not go along with social institutions. The criminal justice system is more…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Deviance: Violation Of Social Norms
    • 3598 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Deviance: Violation Of Social Norms

    Deviance is the violation of a social norm. Generally, "deviance" is regarded in a negative light, but there are many "positive" sides to deviance. For example, ice cream lovers in the United States have come to regard "Ben and Jerry's" ice cream as one of the best brands on the market. But the founders of this product, Ben and Jerry, are generally regarded as "deviants" in the minds of the "established" corporate society. This is because they ran their highly successful business…

    • 3598 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Elements Of Deviant Behavior
    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Elements Of Deviant Behavior

    “Deviant behavior is defined as human activity that violates social norms, (pg. 5 Schmalleger).” A number of crimes can be classified as deviant. Some people who commit deviant crimes may not see their crimes as being deviant like others would. Certain individuals consider the way others dress as being deviant if it’s not within social norms. Deviant behavior is not accepted by the general public and is seen as abnormal behavior compared to the rest of society.…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Distinguish Between Crime as a Social and a Sociological Problem, to What Extent Should Sociologists Attempt to Combat “the Social Problem of Crime”
    • 1954 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Distinguish Between Crime as a Social and a Sociological Problem, to What Extent Should Sociologists Attempt to Combat “the Social Problem of Crime”

    Deviance is not all that different to crime. In fact sometimes crime and deviance are the same thing, but not in every case. Deviance may be defined as non-conformity to a given set of norms that are accepted by a significant number of people in a community or society (Giddens, 2001 pg. 203). We can split deviance into two groups’ folkways and mores. Folkways are minor norms while mores are more serious norms. There are different sanctions for a violation of them. An example of the violation of folkways would be burping in a library, and a violation of mores would be killing someone for a biscuit. Mores can also be laws. Laws are formal sanctions. Durkheim who was probably one of the founding fathers of sociology saw crime and deviance as social facts. (Giddens 2001 pg. 207). They are essential and necessary to a society’s progression. The problem with this is that traditional norms become undermined and if you don’t replace them, Anomie exists. Durkheim believed Anomie exists when there are no clear standards to guide behaviour, social values and…

    • 1954 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics