WELCOME GRADUATING and

FUTURE RSWs!
Social Deviance and Psychological
Disorders

Enola Gay M. Misajon-Pedernal, RPsy, MS, PhD Cand. Clinical

Psychologist, Case Manager, & Assistant Professor
INTRODUCTION TO
SOCIAL
DEVIANCY
 LESSON
OUTLINE
Part I Part II
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL OVERVIEW OF
DEVIANCY PSYCHOLOGICAL
1. Defining Deviance & Deviant
DISORDERS
Behavior 1. Obsessive-Compulsive & Related
Disorders
2. Types of Deviance
2. Anxiety Disorders
- Approaches & Paradigms
3. Unipolar & Bipolar Mood Disorders
3. Theoretical Foundations on Social
Deviance 4. Conduct Disorder
- Compare and Contrast different 5. Psychotic Disorders
perspectives. 6. Case Management
 DEVIANCE
 a violation of established contextual, cultural, or social norms, whether folkways,
mores, or codified law (1906).
 a social creation in which “social groups create deviance by making the rules
whose infraction constitutes deviance, and by applying those rules to particular
people and labeling them as outsiders.” (Howard Becker, 1963)
 any behavior that differs significantly from what is considered appropriate or typical
for a social group. (American Psychological Association)
 4Ds Abnormality – Dysfunction, Danger, Distress, and DEVIANCE.
 DEVIANCE can be explained in sociological and psychological perspectives.
 DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
 any behavior contrary to the dominant norms of society (Humphrey, 2019).
 Deviant behavior refers to activities that are disapproved of by society. Deviant
behavior describes an action or behavior that violates social norms, and social
rules. Deviant behavior is a behavioral disposition that is not in conformity with
an institutionalized set-up or code of conduct.
 A certain act or behavior may be viewed as deviant behavior and receive sanctions
or punishments within one society and be seen as a normal behavior in another
society.
 Deviant behavior is difficult to study because most people are reluctant to be
honest about their “deviant” activities because of the social sanctions associated
with them. Interpersonal reactions to deviance may have a significant effect of
increasing the likelihood of subsequent deviant behavior.
 DEVIANT
Deviant is the person involved in deviance.

Some things/types of person regarded as deviant?

Homosexuals, prostitute/prostituted women, drug addicts, radicals, criminals, liars,

atheists, card players, bearded men, perverts, obesity, etc.
 Folkways, Mores, & Codified
Laws
1. FOLKWAYS – norms based on everyday cultural customs concerning
practical matters like how to hold a fork, what type of clothes are
appropriate for different situations, or how to greet someone politely.
2. MORES – more serious moral injunctions or taboos that are
broadly recognized in a society, like the incest taboo.
3. CODIFIED LAWS – norms that are specified in explicit codes and
enforced by government bodies.
4. NORMS – social standards concerning what members of a group
expect and believe is acceptable conduct in a given situation.
The usual, customary, and accepted standard.
 FORMAL & INFORMAL
DEVIANCE
 FORMAL DEVIANCE, in a sociological context, describes actions or
behaviors that violate social norms, including formally-enacted rules,
and INFORMAL DEVIANCE are violations of social norms, social
folkways and social mores.
 Formal deviant behavior can be described as a crime, which violates
laws in a society.
 Informal deviant behaviors are minor violations that break unwritten rules
of social life. Norms that have great moral significance are mores. Under
informal deviance, a more opposes societal taboos, and taboo is a
strong social form of deviant behavior.
 TYPES OF
DEVIANCE
1. ADMIRED BEHAVIOR – sometimes good behavior (not within the
social norm) can also be considered deviant.
Ex. Putting yourself in danger to save someone.
2. BAD BEHAVIOR – law-breaking and other criminal behavior would fit
into this category.
Ex. Theft
3. ODD BEHAVIOR – this behavior, while not illegal, is not normally
accepted or practiced.
Ex. Pet owners choosing to dye their dog’s hair.
 NORMATIVE & SITUATIONAL
PERSPECTIVE
The NORMATIVE PERSPECTIVE sees deviance as human behavior that violates
existing and generally accepted social norms. A behavior is typically a
VIOLATION of widely shared and generally agreed-upon behavioral standards. To
MOST people, it seems somehow inherently “wrong” and even disgusting
(Humphrey, 2019).
Case in point: A man running naked in a crowded street.

The SITUATIONAL PERSPECTIVE shifts the focus away from the individual and
to the social situation surrounding the behavior in question. A behavior is
relativistic which understands deviance primarily in terms of WHEN and WHERE it
occurs.
Case in point: The naked man is running during UP Oblation.
 SOCIAL
INTERACTIONS
Social interaction is defined by Gettyes and Dawson as a process by which human
interpenetrate the minds of each other.
According to Corkiness, social interaction is defined as a process that influences
the overt state or behavior of individuals minds.
Social interaction is usually described as an event that changes the attitude and
the behavior of the interacting persons.
It is a social relationship between at least two people, which affects and changes
the societal conditions of people's lives. This social interaction is the soul
of relationship and social life, which produces groups that are the foundation of
societies.
 DEVIANT BEHAVIORS AFFECT SOCIAL INTERACTIONS.
OBJECTIVIST &
SUBJECTIVIST
InAPPROACHES
terms of aspects of Social
Interaction
 OBJECTIVE VS SUBJECTIVE

Subjective:
Based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.

Objective:
(of a person or their judgement) not influenced by personal feelings or
opinions in considering and representing facts.
 OBJECTIVIST
THEORIES
Deviance lies in the characteristics/qualities of an act or a person. There is something
about a person or their behavior that makes them deviant.
For people who believe this, it is often treated as common sense:
Ex.: Homicide is believed to be deviant simply because its always treated as such;
its just common sense that homicide is a deviant thing to do.
Domestic violence, mental illness, drug use, racism, etc.
 Which characteristics or qualities make something inherently deviant?
a. Harm (its deviant because it inflicted harm on someone or
something)
b. Rarity (its deviant because it rarely happens)
c. Reaction (its deviant because of how society reacts to it)
d. Norms (its deviant because it violated social norms)
 OBJECTIVIST
THEORIES
A. HARM
• By objectivist theory, harm is a quality or characteristic that makes an act deviant
(psychological harm, environmental harm, physical harm, etc.)

• There are many critiques of this theory:

Degrees of harm – how much harm is required for an act to be considered deviant?
There are many things in our lives that are harmful that are not considered to
be deviant – being a soldier in combat is often very harmful, but instead of
being considered deviant, its celebrated.
There are also many things that are considered deviant that are not harmful – bad
table manners, picking your nose in public, etc.
 OBJECTIVIST
THEORIES
B. RARITY
• Objectivists also say that social behavior that is rare is deviant

• There are many critiques of this too:

The threshold problem – how rare does it have to be?
There are lots of rare things that aren’t deviant – winning the lottery, acts of
heroism.
There are tons of things that are common but deviant – tax fraud is
becoming
increasingly common, as is domestic violence.
 OBJECTIVIST
THEORIES
C. REACTION
• Objectivists will argue that something is deviant because it generates a negative social
reaction.

• That which society condemns or rejects:

One of the main critiques – what does ‘society’ mean? Everyone?

How many people have to have a negative reaction for it to be considered deviant?
If
reaction is an indicator of deviance, we have to figure out what the tipping point is.
 OBJECTIVIST
THEORIES
D. NORM VIOLATION
• Objectivists believe something is deviant when it violates a social norm – if anyone deliberately
steps outside of those norms, it is inherently deviant.

• In other words, deviance is a characteristic/quality that violates behavioral

standards/expectations.

• There is one key critique of this too:

The issue of normative “consensus” – it assumes that we all subscribe to the same set of norms
Norms and values between places or between people can be very different.
 OBJECTIVIST
THEORIES
1.
CRITICISMS
Some objectivist theories include Merton’s anomie, differential association, strain, etc.

2. The problem is that there are ongoing inconsistencies embedded into each of
these theories’ logic.

3. The appealing thing about these theories is that they seem like common sense; they take
a pragmatic view on the world.

4. But what if its possible that deviance has nothing to do with a characteristic/quality of a
person/act? What if its just a matter of interpretation or perception?
 SUBJECTIVIST
THEORIES
Subjectivists believe that deviance is a subjective perception of human beings, rather
than an objective characteristic/quality.

 Nothing is inherently deviant; it is all about the labels that are applied to it.
Ex. Homicide is not inherently deviant; we know this because killing is accepted
and celebrated in many contexts (war, euthanasia, etc.)
 We bring different kinds of understanding to the same act, depending on the context.
 Deviance is a perception/interpretation applied to the phenomenon – but how do
phenomena come to be interpreted as deviant?
 What social processes are involved?
 SUBJECTIVIST
THEORIES
 There are many dimensions of deviance:

A. Sociocultural (e.g., what happened in pop culture to make smoking weed less
deviant than it used to be?)

B. Institutional (e.g., did our cops or the courts do anything to make smoking weed
less deviant than it used to be?)

C. Interactional

D. Individual (e.g., why do we personally see smoking weed as less deviant than it used to
be?)
 SUBJECTIVIST
THEORIES
 How would a subjective approach examine/explain drinking and driving?
Years ago, drinking and driving was not seen as deviant – everybody did it. Over time,
drinking and driving has become more and more of a problem – if you do it, you are
shamed, charged, punished, etc.

On the institutional level, one of the reasons for this is MADD, which has changed many
peoples’ perceptions of drinking and driving

 How would a subjective approach examine/explain tattooing?

Years ago, tattoos were seen as deviant. Nowadays, nobody really cares if people
have tattoos. This is simply because perceptions have changed over time.
 SUBJECTIVIST
THEORIES
1.
CRITICISMS
Examples of subjective theories include labelling theory, conflict theory, etc.

2. The most profound critique of subjectivist theories is this – is nothing truly

deviant?

3. This is a difficult concept to understand for many people.

4. When we deem things like child abuse to be deviant, that is just a matter of
perception/opinion (that almost all people agree with).
 Blending Objective &
Subjective
Approaches
Deviance is something that violates social norms (an objectivist assertion)
but those norms are socially constructed (a subjectivist assertion).
When you combine these two theories, you get an approach that
fulfills both areas in a “hybrid” approach.
THEORIES ON
DEVIANCE
Concept of Deviant
Behavior
STRAIN
THEORY
A strain is when a muscle is
stretched too much and tears. It is
also called a pulled muscle. A strain
is a painful injury. It can be caused
by an accident, overusing a muscle,
or using a muscle in the wrong way
 1. STRAIN
THEORY
Robert K. Merton’s Structural Strain Theory origins of deviance to the tensions that
are caused by the gap between cultural goals and the means people have available
to achieve those goals.

• Individuals pushed toward norm-violating behavior only because of undue strain

stemming from their circumstances in society. (Ward et. al., 1994)

• According to Structural Strain Theory, societies are characterized by both cultural

and societal structure.
 CULTURE establishes goals for people in society while SOCIAL structure
provides (or fails to provide) the means for people to achieve those goals.
 It is when the goals and means are not in balance with each other that
deviance is likely to occur. This imbalance between cultural goals and
structurally available means can actually lead an individual into deviant
 Five (5) Adaptations to
Strain
Merton argued that when individuals are faced with a gap between their goals
(usually finances/money related) and their current status, strain occurs. When
faced with strain, people have five ways to adapt
1) Conformity – pursing cultural goals through socially approved means.
2) Ritualism – using the same socially approved means to achieve less elusive goals
(more modest and humbler).
3) Innovation – using socially unapproved or unconventional means to obtain
culturally approved goal
4) Retreatism – to reject both the cultural goals and the means to obtain it, then find
a way to escape it.
5) Goals – ex. dealing drugs or stealing to achieve financial security.
 FIVE ADAPTATIONS TO STRAIN

Category Goals Means

Conformity + +
Ritualism - +
Innovation + -
Retreatism - -
Rebellion/Goal -+ -+
DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION
THEORY
 2. DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION
THEORY
A learning theory of deviance that was initially proposed by sociologist
Edwin Sutherland in 1939 and revised in 1947.
Also known as CULTURAL TRANSMISSIONS – deviance is created through
the socialization or transmission of norms within a community or group.
The differential association explanation of offending suggests that through
interaction with others, individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques
and motivation for criminal behavior.
The principle part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within
intimate personal groups.
SOCIAL CONTROL
THEORY
 3. SOCIAL CONTROL
THEORY
Deviance is behavior that violates social norms and arouses negative
social reactions.
Some behavior is considered so harmful that governments enact written
laws that ban the behavior.
Crime is behavior that violates these laws and is certainly an important
type of deviance that concerns many people.
Social control refers to ways in which a society tries to prevent and
sanction behavior that violates norms.
Social control theory suggests that the strength and durability of an
individual’s bonds or commitments to conventional society inhibit social
deviance (Hirschi 1969; Simpson 1976).
 3. SOCIAL CONTROL
THEORY
In one of the foundational applications of social control theory to the field of
crime and delinquency, Hirschi (1969) argued that the most important
question is not “why do they do it?” (i.e., why do criminals commit crime),
but rather “why do the rest of us not do it?” Social control theory offers an
explanation—SOCIAL BONDS.

 When an individual’s bonds to society are strong, they prevent or limit crime
and
other deviant behavior. When bonds are weak, they increase the probability of
deviance. Weak or broken bonds do not “cause” delinquency, but rather allow
it to
happen (Whitehead and Lab 2009: 89).
 Four (4) Elements of Social
Bonds
1. Attachments—expressed concern about what others think, or “sensitivity to
the opinion of others“ that would lead individuals to avoid crime and
negative behavior in order to avoid disappointing a respected individual or
group ( teachers or parents);
2. Commitments— “investment of time, energy and oneself” in a particular
form of conventional activity and awareness that deviant behavior would
place such investment at risk;
3. Involvements—sufficient time and energy spent on conventional activities
such that less time remains for delinquent behavior; and
4. Beliefs—the extent to which an individual “has been socialized into and
accepts
the common belief system.
DETERRENCE THEORY
 4. DETERRENCE
THEORY
Deterrence theory says that people don't commit crimes because they are
afraid of getting caught - instead of being motivated by some deep moral
sense.

According to deterrence theory, people are most likely to be dissuaded from

committing a crime if the punishment is swift, certain and severe. For
example, in the candy bar theft, if there is a low likelihood that you'll get
caught or if the punishment for getting caught is just a warning, deterrence
theory says you'll be more likely to steal it.
 4. DETERRENCE
THEORY
Deterrence theory has received some criticism because it makes
three assumptions. It assumes that people:
1. Know what the penalties for a crime are.
2. Have good control over their actions.
3. Think things through and make choices about their behavior based on logic,
not passion.
LABELLING
THEORY
 5. LABELLING
THEORY
The theory attempts to account for the processes by which audience
reactions, in the form of sanctions and stigmatizing labels, serve to increase
the very behaviors complained of.
Theory holds that behaviors are deviant only when society labels them as
deviant. As such, conforming members of society, who interpret certain
behaviors as deviant and then attach this label to individuals, determine the
distinction between deviance and non-deviance.
Labeling theory questions who apply what label to whom, why they do this,
and what happens as a result of this labeling.
 5. LABELLING
THEORY
Howard Becker’s (1963) idea is that deviance is a consequence of external
judgments, or labels, that modify the individual’s self-concept and change the
way others respond to the labeled person.
The central feature of labeling theory is the self-fulfilling prophecy, in which
the labeled correspond to the label in terms of delinquent behavior.
It has been criticized for ignoring the capacity of the individual to resist
the labeling and assuming that it is an automatic process.
Labeling theory recognizes that labels will vary depending on the culture,
time period, and situation.
ETHNO-METHODOLOGY
THEORY
 6. ETHNO-METHODOLOGY
THEORY
ethno refers to a particular socio-cultural group
ex: a particular local community of lumad (ata manobo, aeta, Blaan)

method refers to the methods and practices this particular group employs in its everyday
activities
ex: Live chicken and pig are sacrificed. Their blood spread on farm tools and asking the
“Mambabaya' (GOD) for the safety and for the abundant harvest through rituals.

ology refers to the systematic description of these methods and practices.

a subject of study; a branch of knowledge
 6. ETHNO-METHODOLOGY
THEORY
Ethnomethodology was developed by Garfinkel as a challenge to orthodox
sociology. Ethnomethodology's interest is in how ordinary people make sense
of their social world.
Ethnomethodology is an approach which stresses the ambiguity of language
and action. Rather than assume that we understand what means when they
say or do something, 'ethnos' argue that we have to struggle for their
meaning, and that every situation is characterized by the search for common
understanding.
The social world is therefore built up of arbitrary rules, made up of a dense
and often contradictory set of tacit understandings about what is going on.
 6. ETHNO-METHODOLOGY
THEORY
Ethnomethodology is a approach in sociology that studies the “common-
sense” resources, procedures, and practices through which members of a
society interpret their everyday life, and how these social interactions, when
mutually recognized within particular contexts, creates orderliness (Williams,
2001).
The approach argues that human societies construct their organized
social structures and constructions of meaning solely through “folk
methods” (tacit knowledge, routine practices, and ordinary language)
(Lynch, 2001).
The practice of Ethnomethodology stems from a tradition of phenomenology.
Phenomenology is a philosophy of experience, and seeks to describe the
structures of experiences, consciousness, the imagination, relationships
between people, and one’s place in society and history (Biberman, 2005).
CONFLICT
THEORY/ NEO-
MARXIST
 7. CONFLICT
THEORY
Norms are not shared by but imposed on members of society by the
state to protect material (property) interests of the capitalist class.
Draws attention to power differentials, such as class conflict, and generally
contrast historically dominant ideologies. It is therefore a macro level
analysis of society.
Karl Marx is the father of the social conflict theory, which is a component of
the four paradigms of sociology.
Conflict theory looks to social and economic factors as the causes of crime
and deviance.
 7. CONFLICT
THEORY
MARX BELIEVED THAT THE GENERAL POPULATION WAS DIVIDED
INTO TWO GROUPS.
He labeled the wealthy, who controlled the means of production and
business, the bourgeois.
He labeled the workers who depended on the bourgeois for employment
and survival the proletariat.
Believed that the bourgeois centralized their power and influence through
government, laws, and other authority agencies in order to maintain and
expand their positions of power in society.
 Conflict Theory
Assumptions
1. Competition – Conflict theorists believe that competition exists as a result of
the scarcity of resources, including material resources–money, property,
commodities, and more.
2. Revolution – Given conflict theorists' assumption that conflict occurs
between social classes, one outcome of this conflict is a revolutionary
event.
3. Structural Inequality – An important assumption of conflict theory is that
human relationships and social structures all experience inequalities of
power.
4. War – Conflict theorists tend to see war as either a unifier or as a
"cleanser" of societies. In conflict theory, war is the result of a cumulative
and growing conflict between individuals and groups, and between entire
 Power and
Deviance
 German sociologist Max Weber said that power is the ability to exercise one’s
will
over others (Weber 1922).
Power inequality affects the quality of deviant activities likely to be engaged
in by people. More powerful people are more likely to be involved in
profitable deviant acts. Ex: Corporate crime
 Powerless are more likely to commit less profitable deviant deeds. Ex:
Robbery
Power-or the lack of it- determines to a large extent the type of deviance
people is likely to carry out.
SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION
THEORY
 8. SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION
THEORY
 Developed by researchers at the University of Chicago in the 1920s and
1930s, social disorganization theory asserts that crime is most likely to
occur in communities with weak social ties and the absence of social
control.
Social disorganization theory points to broad social factors as the cause of
deviance. A person isn’t born a criminal but becomes one over time, often
based
on factors in his or her social environment.
Research into social disorganization theory can greatly influence public policy.
For instance, studies have found that children from disadvantaged
communities who attend preschool programs that teach basic social skills
are significantly less likely to engage in criminal activity.
 8. SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION
THEORY
Social Disorganization Theory believes that deviant behavior as caused by
the breakdown of norms, laws, mores, and other important values of the
society.
Modification or rehabilitation in the parts of the system which suffers
from disorganization.
 What are the systems of the society that slowly becomes weak?
GENDER &
FEMINIST
PERSPECTIVE
 9. GENDER & FEMINIST
THEORY
 SEX VS. GENDER
SEX – Refers to physical or physiological differences between males and
females, including both primary sex characteristics (the reproductive system)
and secondary characteristics such as height and muscularity.
GENDER –behaviors, personal traits, and social positions that society attributes
to being female or male.
 9. FEMINIST
THEORY
 A type of conflict theory that examines inequalities in gender-related issues.
This uses the conflict approach to examine the maintenance of gender roles
and inequalities.
Radical feminism, in particular, considers the role of the family in
perpetuating male dominance.
In patriarchal societies, men’s contributions are seen as more valuable than
those of women. As a result, women’s viewpoints tend to be silenced or
marginalized to the point of being discredited or considered invalid.
 Most of women’s experiences in society filtered through the lens of gender;
from
early youth, their role in society affected by structure of male domination.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
THEORY
 10. PSYCHOLOGICAL
THEORY
 Childhood trauma
 Inner tensions and inability to control one’s impulses.
 Failure to structure one’s behavior in an ordinary way.

Starting from these basic assumptions, psychological explanations of

deviant behavior come mainly from three theories: Psychoanalytic
theory, Cognitive Development theory, and Learning theory.