Deviance Essay, Research Paper

Theories of Deviant Behavior examines various theories and perspectives on conforming and deviant behavior which are products of Western scholarly thought: anomie, functionalism, social disorganization, social conflict, social control, psychoanalysis, status politics, differential association, labeling theory, etc. The focus is less on the actual sources of deviant behavior than on available explanations for it. While multiple forms of deviant behavior are explored — homosexuality, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, mental illness, and drug use — the concern is for the theoretical usefulness of identifying their similarities with respect to societal reaction, identity, etc. Deviant behavior is viewed as embedded in a dynamic process which brings the individual into specific kinds of relationships with institutions and their agents as well as with the self. Inquiries are organized around certain questions: 1) what distinguishes “deviant” behavior, 2) what are the rites de passages which mark the individual’s entry into a deviant lifestyle, 3) how do various others (family members, agents of social control, legislative bodies, etc.) respond to deviance, 4) how do individuals cope with the responses of others to deviant behavior, 5) is deviance more productively viewed as an attribute of the individual’s identity or of the individual’s behavior, 6) how do social statuses (e.g., gender, ethnicity, social class, etc.) affect the incidence and type of deviant acts individuals perform.