Social Deviance

Deviance

A behavior that violates social norms, behavioral codes, and expectations of conduct.

Reactivist Definition

Deviance is defined by what a social audience labels as "deviant."

Absolutist Definition

Deviance is anything that violates universal cultural standards.

Statistical Definition

Deviance is behavior that occurs less frequently than the norm.

Normative Definition

Deviance is behavior that departs from established norms and leads to sanctions.

Proscriptive Norm

A norm that prohibits certain behaviors, such as interrupting a professor during a lecture.

Prescriptive Norm

A norm that encourages certain behaviors, such as responding to a medical emergency.

Norm

A framework or code that produces expected patterns of conforming behavior.

Role

A social position tied to norms that helps reproduce or change them.

Power

The ability to control resources, which can take different forms of capital.

Subcultures

Collections of norms and roles that differ from those of the dominant culture.

Stigma

A mark of disgrace that leads to formal and informal sanctions.

Moral Entrepreneurs

Individuals or groups that attempt to impose their norms on others.

Negative Deviance

Negatively evaluated underconformity, such as treason.

Positive Deviance

Positively sanctioned overconformity, such as religious fasting.

Social Control

Mechanisms that regulate individual behavior to conform to societal norms.

Informal Social Control

Unofficial sanctions like peer pressure or social ostracism.

Formal Social Control

Official/legal sanctions like jail time or expulsion.

Social Constructionism

A perspective that focuses on how deviance is labeled and defined by those in power.

Secondary Deviance

A concept that refers to deviance that occurs as a result of being labeled as deviant.

Deviant Career

The process through which individuals engage in deviant acts and manage their deviance.

Phase 1 - Entering Deviance

The initial engagement in deviant acts.

Phase 2 - Managing Deviance

Active maintenance of deviant behavior and handling stigma.

Phase 3 - Exiting Deviance

The process of stopping deviant behavior and reintegrating into society.

Life Course Theory

A framework explaining how aging, education, and work influence movement away from deviance.