Book Description

Deviance is a behavior that goes against the social norms of society and causes adverse social reaction. Some behaviors are considered to be to be so dangerous that governments adopt written laws that prohibit the act. Criminality is a violation of the law and is an extremely serious type of deviation which is troubling to the majority of Americans. The fact that both deviance as well as criminality trigger negative social reactions, reminds us that every society must ensure that its citizens follow social rules when they interact. Social control refers to the ways that a society attempts to stop and punish the behavior that is in violation of rules. As a society such as that of the United States has informal and formal norms, it also has formal and informal social control. The majority of the time informal control of social behavior is employed to limit behavior that goes against informal norms, while official social controls are used to limit those who violate formal norms. It is common for us to avoid violating informal norms, even if we even contemplate breaking them at all as we are afraid of the negative reactions of others. These reactions, and consequently instances of social control that is not formal are anger, frustration as well as ostracism and ridicule. The formal social control system is a common practice in the United States typically involves the legal system (police judges, prosecutors and police as well as corrections officials) as well as for companies and businesses, the various local, state or federal regulators that comprise this regulatory structure. Social control isn't always complete, and there are there are so many rules and norms that exist that there will always be those who break rules. In fact, Mile Durkheim (1895/1962), Durkheim, E. (1962). The sociological principles technique (Ed. S. Luke's). New York, NY: Free Press. (Original work published in 1895) one of the founders of sociology was discussed within emphasized that an ideal society that is free of deviation is unattainable due to at two main reasons. The first reason is that our collective consciousness isn't enough strong to stop any rules breaking. Even in the "society of saints," like a monastery rules are bound to be violated with negative social responses are triggered. Furthermore, since deviance fulfills various important social functions. Any given society "invents" deviance by defining certain actions as being deviant, and those who engage in these behaviors as deviants. Since Durkheim considered deviance to be normal due to this reason, he believed it to be a normal element of any healthy society. While deviant behavior is not uncommon in this sense but it's evident that some individuals are more inclined than others to engage in it. It's also true that certain regions within a society have higher levels of deviation than other areas for instance, U.S. cities have more violent crimes than rural regions. But Durkheim's monastic example brings up an important issue about the degree of deviation: whether or not a particular behavior is considered to be deviant is based on the conditions under which it occurs, and not the act the behavior itself. While talking may be considered to be deviant in a monastery, it could definitely be considered to be normal in other settings. If an attacker, for instance an unidentified young man, kills one of his victims, he is likely to be charged with arrest as well as prosecution, and in some states, execution. However, if a soldier kills an enemy during war it could be regarded as a hero. In either case, killing is a possibility but the context and the reasons behind the killing decide if the perpetrator is punished or awarded an award.