Deviance In Society Essay Research Paper How

Deviance In Society Essay, Research Paper

How America’s Social Structure Causes Deviance

How America’s Social Structure Causes Deviance Although many people know that deviancy is apparent in American society, few realize that it is society itself that causes deviancy. Our social structure exerts numerous pressures among people in our society to engage in non-conforming and deviant behavior to achieve the American dream. American society does this by emphasizing certain success goals, and not emphasizing the correct means to achieve these goals. In addition, deviancy is reinforced in numerous elements of American social structure through culturally defined goals, institutionalized means, societal reactions, and various forms of sanctions. Further, American society has a strong emphasis on wealth and an unreasonable demand for success. Therefore, Americans are lead to forms of innovation, deviancy, and live in a state of anomie. First, we must examine the definitions of deviance and norms. Henry defines deviance as a person who goes against the standards, expectations, and norms of their society (lecture). Further, deviancy is thought of as a personal attribute or behavior that results in social disapproval from others, or behavior that breaks the rules and norms for that society(Social Deviance 5). Norms are rules of conduct, and each norm is a statement of desirable or undesirable behavior. Examples of desirable and undesirable states of being are messages like “don’t be too fat” and “don’t be too thin” (Social Deviance 5). In addition, norms are the shared expectations and evaluations of behavior or being that the majority of society’s members agree upon. Meier states that expectations refer to how people will act or be, and evaluations are how people should act or be (Social Deviance 5). These expectations and evaluations further reinforce the standards and expectations of our society. Some sociologists previously believed that deviance was caused by biology. Sociologists once believed that deviant people were “born bad”, and that heredity, genes, and a persons body chemistry were all common denominators in deviant people. Merton contradicts this theory by noting that: With the more recent advancement of social science, this set of conceptions has undergone basic modification. For one thing, it no longer appears so obvious that man is set against society in an unceasing war between biological impulse and social restraint. For another, sociological perspectives have increasingly entered into the analysis of behavior deviating from prescribed patterns of conduct. For whatever role the biological impulses, there still remains the further question of why it is that the frequency of deviant behavior varies within different social structure and how it happens that the deviations have different shapes and pattern in different social structures. (230) Now sociologists, such as Robert K. Merton, have new insight into the theory that deviancy is caused by the society in which we live, not biology or body chemistry. This theory of deviance is also backed up by the belief that American society leads an individual to want the American dream, but does not afford them with the means to achieve them (Fanning). As members of a society obsessed with television and media, we have pressures that reinforce the popular belief that material possessions and wealth are extremely important in American society. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that if we can locate certain groups subject to the pressures of achieving the American dream, we should expect to find high rates of deviancy in its members. In addition, some social classes do not have equal opportunity to achieve goals. Due to discrimination, members of lower classes, and certain racial and ethnic minorities, all suffer from blocked opportunities. The stress and strain that results from blocked opportunities causes the individual to question the legitimacy of traditional and institutionalized means (Fanning). In effect, these members of society begin to think of other, often illegal, ways to succeed. Furthermore, when this occurs, respect for the traditionally accepted means of achieving goals crumble, norms weaken, and society is no longer able to regulate the methods its members use to obtain success. Therefore, high crime among lower classes can be attributed to the stresses caused by American society. If a person is born into a poor family, they might be forced to work while going to high school, and may not be able to focus on school work, like other classmates. Therefore, due to life chances, they might not have the opportunity to go to college due to bad grades or unaffordability. While constantly struggling to make ends meet, they decide to commit a crime to be able to have material possessions, since they believe that they will never be able to save up to buy anything through traditional work. This new social theory states that deviancy is people simply responding normally to the social situation in which they are in. Furthermore, Merton states that “some social structures exert definite pressures upon certain persons in the society to engage in nonconforming, rather than conforming conduct” (230). In addition, deviance varies culture to culture. What we consider to be deviant is different than what other societies consider deviant. Deviant definitions also change rapidly. American society used to think that women who wore sh