Have you ever deviated from the existing set path of working in society?

I think, we all have at some point or the other have deviated and accordingly we were punished or rewarded.

To do something different or to come out of your comfort zone is always a challenging thing.

And there emerges the concept of 'deviance' or 'deviant behaviour' in society.

So, what is Deviance?

Deviance is regarded as the departure from the existing social norms. Maybe by a specific individual or a group of society members.

Non-fulfillment of either the cultural goals or the institutionalized means are factors that are responsible for a deviant behaviour.

Deviance is a part of Criminology and Sociological Studies - this branch deals with the study of the non-conformist behaviour of an individual with regard to society.

Explanations of Deviance:

1. There can be cultural and psychological motivations for a deviant behaviour. Cultural norms put a hell lot of pressure on a man to get a job and support his family. But what if he fails to do that? He enters into a state of depression from where he can't even look back. Psychological triggers of deviance are seen largely when the aspirations of our self do not reflect in our actions. It happens when our Super-Ego is not able to express itself.
2. Lombroso and Sheldon regard that there are some genetic chromosomes, some biological elements that relate with deviance.
3. Deviance can be seen both an individual or a macro phenomenon. Norms can be deviated alone by an individual or from the group itself largely.
4. Deviance can be associated with the labelling theory which mentions that as soon as a label is etched on a person's identity, he or she starts to identify himself with that. Hence, a criminal with a history of crime records is more likely to commit crimes in future, if the person is released on grounds of bail or redemption of punishment.
5. Deviance when seen from a conflict structure reflects that it is due to an imbalance in the power structures usually. Privileged groups tend to ignore the demands of weak and so the weak has to adopt certain means to get their work done.
6. Deviance though rooted in the society also has an individual say. The reference group with whom we interact is deterministic of our deviant behaviour. That is, there are some people who get into bad habits out of peer pressure while some don't. It's all about the differential association.
7. Deviance is largely ascribed to patterns of socio-cultural learning. People of A culture will not be able to get comfortable with people of B culture. What will be deviant for A may or maynot be for B and vice-versa.
8. Deviance is not necessarily uni-faceted. For example, there are people who come in the category of 'double deviants'. For example- a working woman has challenged the existing norms of patriarchy and work culture at the same time.
9. There are some people who are secretly deviant. Teenagers who are consumers of adult content know it very well that it's not meant for them and they are going against the ethics of society. Still, they continue to do so secretly.
10. Positive Deviance is that type of deviant behaviour which leads to some positive changes in society. Example:- Raja Rammohan Roy.

Why Deviance is difficult to define?

Deviance is a very relative concept. It differs according to time, culture, and society.

There was a time when non-practitioner of Sati was considered as a deviant while today those who practice it are considered as deviant.

Same-Sex marriages are not acceptable in Indian culture while the American cultures have given due recognition to it way back in history.

Deviance also differs from society to society. Sex workers are still not given respect in our culture largely while in foreign states, it is as much an occupation as others are.

Why do people deviate?

People deviate due to various reasons. It can be psychological stress or the mismanagement of their personal self. But is it always rooted in the individual only?

No, deviance is more rooted in the structure of society rather than an individual.

Emile Durkheim states that deviance is an all-time pervasive phenomenon. Exists almost everywhere in every society.

He imagines a 'society of saints' where everybody expects that there would be zero deviant behaviour. Still, there would be deviance among them as the standards would be too high to be strictly adhered by everyone.

Durkheim was always interested in maintaining the functional order of society. According to him, deviance is regarded as an act that hurt the collective sentiments (shared norms and values). Although, it's true that a degree of instability creeps in but the society ultimately restores to normalcy.

He regards that a certain degree of crime or deviance is inevitable for the functioning of a society. Too low levels or too high rates of crime reflect an instability in the overall social structure. A certain degree of crime was essential to perpetuate the importance of social control and order. Indeed, it was a functionalist analysis to deviance.

Durkheim's deviance is regarded to be merely 'Normlessness' which means the breaking away of the norm structure of society.

But what about the people who also don't adhere to societal goals?

His work was carried out further by an American sociologist, Robert King Merton, who though being a functionalist by approach was a critic to the functionalist analysis of society. He elaborated that the deviant behaviour resulted due to the 'strain' in the social system. Forces of pressure in the society forces in the individual to deviate.

However, according to Merton, both institutionalized means and cultural goals together enhance our understanding of deviant behaviour.

As long as our action is adhering to both the cultural goals and instiutionalized means, we are not regarded deviant. Example:- If we want food, we need to earn for a living. But if we do stealing to gather that food, we would come in the category of being a deviant.

Every individual has certain dreams or aspirations. Fulfillment of which leads to satiation while the opposite leads to stress and pressure.

Still, a person that's deviant attempts various modes of adaptation to the deviant behaviour are as follows:

• Conformists: These are those people who adhere to the societal norms and goals. Largely the population falls in this category.
• Innovators: Those who affix to the goals of society but adopt new means to do the same. For example, A scientist aims to contribute to the public good and hence deviates from a set paradigm to produce a new research.
• Ritualists: There are those who have totally abided by the societal means but end up attaining non-desired goals. Like, when a student want to become a singer but becomes an engineer.
• Retreatists: They reject both the societal means and goals. They adopt a path of self-renunciation. For example, the monks.
• Rebellion: They reject both the societal means and goals and establish an alternative set of goals and means. For example, the revolutionaries.

Types of Deviance:

1. Formal Deviance: When an individual breaks the formal stated, objective, and said norms of the society which are generally written in nature. Example: Crossing a red light in traffic.
2. Informal Deviance: When an individual runs away from the recognition of unsaid cultural norms and practices. Example:- Some children forget to wish greetings to a teacher.
3. Primary Deviance: When we do something wrong for the first time and we haven't been labelled for that at that moment. Example:- By mistake, you boarded a bus or a train without a ticket. You may convey your problem to the Incharge and he or she may forgive you for your deviant behaviour.
4. Secondary Deviance: Repetition of that very behaviour again and again as a result of which you had been labelled for the first time as in the case of primary deviance. Example- Boarding a train each time without a ticket.

How is Crime different from deviance?

Crime is nothing but the negative and extreme form of deviance. Deviance is to some degree is acceptable while crime is totally unacceptable and should be published right away for the maintenance of social control. Deviance is relatively subjective and may vary as the society changes while crime is more objective in nature. Crime is a crime in everybody's eyes.

Both of these lead to social organisation where the social structure and social relations between people get disturbed. Erosion of values, culture and norms become the order of day. Non-fulfillment of institutionalized means and ways of living.

Positive Deviance of 'Today' maybe Morality of 'Future'.

Must be thinking as to how a deviant behaviour of today can become the basis of morality in future?

But yes, it's true. Let's take an example to understand.

A time when Nelson Mandela was fighting the British for African counterparts. At that time, he had been labelled as a rebel and was imprisoned. Later, when the struggle of apartheid was successful and Africa got independent, Nelson Mandela was installed as President of South Africa who later established some ethics to who follow.

Hence, deviance should be sanctioned but the deviant behaviour is always going to be negative is non-acceptable.

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Reference:

• An Abstraction Based on the Sociological Study of Deviance