Deviant Behaviour Lecture 1 May 8, 2012 What is deviant behaviour?

The agents of social control are deviant; people who are labelling you are deviant.

What is deviant behaviour and how do we define it? Example one of the most basic definitions from the 14th 15th century: women being witches, using witch craft, demonology. Demonological Perspective: the idea that people are possessed by demons, engage in witch craft, are seen as possessed. Because of peoples behaviour does not conform to the standards of norms of the times. 1st Demonology was the first perspective to look at deviant behaviour.

Example: Can a person be sane and insane with in one human being, functioning normal during the day and evil by night. (Dr. Jackal Mr. Hyde) Extreme end of Deviant: Russell Williams. 2nd The other way we look at deviance is as a psychological defect. Example: a body that does not conform to the norm) 3rd most common is statically definition of deviance. (a numerical average and then your judge against it)

Deviance of Pathological Behaviour: people who are ill, people who are sick differ from the normal population because of the illness. Looking at society and how society sees deviance. Definition or metaphor of deviance is: A person who possesses or has presence of disease among them, something wrong with them. Relativistic Behaviour: People who do not obey group rules or laws. Deviance as Dangerous Behaviour: Mental health people who consuetudes a danger to themselves or to other people. Social Responses: 1st Deviance will change over time and will very over time. Example: Homosexuals and how society use to react to homosexuals. This has changed over time. 2nd varies who commits the deviant act. Example: A professor, a doctor, a police officer etc. We respond differently when it is different people who get caught. Example: the President of the USA commits a deviant act. 3rd Some rules are enforced only when you get caught.

Latent Functions of Deviance: Deviance clarifies social rules, when people flaunt them, when people break them. Procedural Justice: How you perceive the fairness of the justice system. Distributed Justice: Fairness associated with decision outcomes. Deviance matins social rules: contributes and clarifies makes us realize rules are there for a purpose. Deviance is a modifier of social rules true, when we make a new law or when we have to change laws it modifies existence laws. Deviance reinforces boundary maintenance: how much tolerance we have for that type of behaviour. Deviance provides solidarity and cohesiveness among other deviances. No such as a normal person. Negative implications of Deviance: Demarcated from the rest of the group. Not going to socialize with someone because of their acts. May be seen as dangerous. It may also lead to institutionalization (something is wrong with that person something has to be done). Labelling may also make people deviant. Scapegoat: Things go wrong we find someone or somebody to set the blame on as the scapegoat.

Deviance is an early morning sign: for problems in the social system when problems start they dont go away. Howard S. Becker 4 Types of Deviance behaviour: Conformist: Excepts and conforms to standards Falsely Accuse Deviant (David Milgaard) Secret Deviant (example: Prof leaves class and puts on a dress), Pure Deviant (A person who admit who they are) It is clear that there is a different way to of defining deviance it has positive and negative consequences for our society. All criminal acts are deviant but not all acts of deviance are criminal.