Why do people commit deviant acts?

1. Why do people commit deviant acts?

2. There are three sociological perspectives that explain deviance? • Functionalist • Conflict • Interactionist

3. Functionalist • Strain theory – views deviance as a natural outgrowth of values, norms, and structure of society. • Societies goal is to achieve economic success • However not every one has access to the legitimate means to achieve these goals. • Anomie- the situation that arises when the norms of society are unclear or no longer applicable.

4. Merton’s Structural Strain Theory • Conformity • Innovation • Ritualism • Retreatism • Rebellion

5. Conflict Perspective • Competition and social inequality lead to deviance. • See social life as a struggle between those who posses power ( ruling class ) and those who do not ( lower class )

6. People with Power • Commit deviant acts in a effort to maintain their position. • Label any behavior that threatens their power base as deviant • Explain deviance as a problem of the lower class • Crime enforcement efforts are most directed toward crimes committed by the lower classes

7. People without power • Commit deviant acts to obtain economic rewards. • Low self esteem and feelings of powerless • People without power don’t necessarily commit more crimes than other people. • Rather, they commit crimes that are most likely to be detected and punished

8. Interactionist perspective • Control theory: explains deviance as a natural occurrence. • Cultural transmission theory: explains deviance as a learned behavior • Differential association: frequency and closeness of a associations a person has with deviant and non deviant individuals

9. Other aspects of Deviance • Labeling theory: how individuals come to be identified as deviant • Primary deviance: deviance that goes undetected • Secondary deviance: results in a individual being labeled a deviant • Degradation: public setting, trial , guilty, punished and labeled deviant