DEVIANCE

DEFINITION
 any behavior or physical appearance that is socially
challenged and/or condemned because it departs from
the norms and expectations of some group

 Norms: rules and expectations for the way people are

supposed to behave, feel, and appear in a particular social
situation.
 Norms are not universal
MECHANISMS OF
SOCIAL CONTROL
 MECHANISMS OF SOCIAL
CONTROL

strategies people use to encourage,

often force, others to comply with
social norms.
 SANCTIONS
 reactionsof approval or disapproval to behavior
that conforms to or departs from group norms.

 Sanctions can be classified as follows:

 Positivesanctions
 Negative sanctions
 Informal sanctions
 Formal sanctions
 Positive sanctions: rewards to those who conform to the norms
like an employee who is promoted in his work for working hard.

 Negative sanctions: punishments for violating norms.

 Formal sanctions: are reactions of approval or disapproval to

behavior that conforms to or departs from group norms.

 Informal sanctions: spontaneous, unofficial expressions of

approval not backed by the force of law or official policy.
 TYPOLOGY OF DEVIANCE AND
CONFORMITY
 Howard Becker (1963)- Labeling Theory

 Conformists are people who have not violated the rules of a group and
are treated accordingly

 Pure deviants are people who have broken the rules and are caught,
punished, and labeled as outsiders.

 Secret deviants are people who have broken the rules but whose
violation goes unnoticed or, if it is noticed, no sanctions are applied.

 Falsely accused are people who have not broken the rules but are
treated as if they have.