Outline and assess the view that crime and deviance are socially constructed
Outline and assess the view that crime and deviance are socially constructed
There has been a pleather of research regarding the issue of crime and deviance. A definition of crime and deviance can be explained in relative terms which are dependant on any particular society’s interpretation of crime and deviance. Cultures differ from one society to another and the general consensus of right and wrong can also evolve throughout time. Definitions of crime and deviance can evolve with factors such as time, pace and society. However the general definition of crime is that its an act that breaks the law and deviance refers to behaviour that most people see as differing from acceptable social norms or standards of society. The purpose of this Essay is to outline and assess what each perspectives view of crime and deviance is. The perspectives that will be in this essay are Functionalists, Interactionists and conflict theories. Sociologist Durkheim argued that deviance is a normal and necessary part of any society because it contributes to the social order. Functionalists such as Durkheim see society that is organized around consensus of values and norms. Their view is that society is essentially consensual and that most people conform, or aspire to similar values and ways of behaving. Durkheim thinks that every society shares a set of core values, which he called value consensus or collective conscience. The more behaviour differs from the core values, the more likely it is to be interpreted as deviant. Interactionists are critical of this definition of deviance, as it implies that these definitions are fixed, absolute and universally shared. Interactionists also reject the idea that modern western societies are organized around a consensus of values and norms. Interactionists point out that societies are too complex to have shared set of values. Conversely to functionalists, Interactionists see crime and deviance as a social
There has been a pleather of research regarding the issue of crime and deviance. A definition of crime and deviance can be explained in relative terms which are dependant on any particular society’s interpretation of crime and deviance. Cultures differ from one society to another and the general consensus of right and wrong can also evolve throughout time. Definitions of crime and deviance can evolve with factors such as time, pace and society. However the general definition of crime is that its an act that breaks the law and deviance refers to behaviour that most people see as differing from acceptable social norms or standards of society. The purpose of this Essay is to outline and assess what each perspectives view of crime and deviance is. The perspectives that will be in this essay are Functionalists, Interactionists and conflict theories. Sociologist Durkheim argued that deviance is a normal and necessary part of any society because it contributes to the social order. Functionalists such as Durkheim see society that is organized around consensus of values and norms. Their view is that society is essentially consensual and that most people conform, or aspire to similar values and ways of behaving. Durkheim thinks that every society shares a set of core values, which he called value consensus or collective conscience. The more behaviour differs from the core values, the more likely it is to be interpreted as deviant. Interactionists are critical of this definition of deviance, as it implies that these definitions are fixed, absolute and universally shared. Interactionists also reject the idea that modern western societies are organized around a consensus of values and norms. Interactionists point out that societies are too complex to have shared set of values. Conversely to functionalists, Interactionists see crime and deviance as a social