Deviance and Social Control:

Deviance:

Deviance refers to behavior, actions, or conditions that violate societal norms or expectations.
These norms can be formal (laws) or informal (social customs, traditions). Deviance is relative
and varies from culture to culture, and even within different groups in the same society, based on
time, place, and situation.

How Deviance is Functional for Society:

Emile Durkheim, a prominent sociologist, argued that deviance can be functional for society.
Here's why:

1. Clarifies Norms and Values: Deviance helps to clarify societal norms and values. When
deviant behavior occurs, society's reaction to it (punishments, protests, or debates)
strengthens the shared beliefs and norms by highlighting what is considered
unacceptable.

2. Promotes Social Change: Deviance can challenge the status quo and lead to societal
progress. Historical movements like the civil rights movement or women's suffrage were
initially considered deviant, but they led to positive social change.

3. Promotes Social Unity: Deviance can bring people together in collective reactions to a
rule-breaking act. For example, after a crime, society unites to ensure justice or to prevent
future violations.

4. Provides Jobs: The existence of deviance also creates jobs for law enforcement, social
workers, the legal system, and corrections facilities.

Types of Deviance:

1. Primary Deviance: This refers to initial acts of rule-breaking that do not result in a
person being labeled as deviant. These are often minor offenses or social transgressions
(e.g., skipping school once or minor theft).
 2. Secondary Deviance: Occurs when an individual is labeled as deviant and adopts that
identity, leading to further deviant behavior. This can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy
where the person is treated as deviant, reinforcing their deviant behavior.

3. Normative Deviance: This type of deviance occurs when a person violates a norm, but
that norm itself may be redefined or reinterpreted (e.g., changes in attitudes towards
homosexuality over time).

4. Cultural Deviance: Refers to behavior that violates the norms of a particular cultural or
subcultural group, but may not be seen as deviant in other cultures (e.g., street gangs or
alternative subcultures).

Social Control and Its Needs:

Social control refers to the mechanisms, strategies, and institutions that societies use to regulate
individual behavior, ensuring conformity to norms and values. The need for social control arises
because without it, society would lack order, and deviance could lead to chaos, violence, and
uncertainty.

Forms of Social Control:

Social control can be both formal and informal:

1. Formal Social Control: This includes institutions like the police, judicial system, and
laws that enforce social norms and rules.

o Legal Sanctions: Laws and legal systems punish deviant behavior.

o Criminal Justice System: This system includes courts, prisons, and law
enforcement.

2. Informal Social Control: This involves the unwritten rules and expectations that are
enforced by families, peers, and community groups. These controls work through social
interactions and pressures, such as:

o Socialization: Teaching children and individuals societal norms and values.

o Peer Pressure: People adjust their behavior due to influence from their peers.
 o Family Influence: Families play a primary role in teaching societal norms and
punishing transgressions (e.g., parents disciplining children).

o Public Opinion: Collective judgment from society can deter deviant behavior.

Methods and Agencies of Social Control:

1. Methods of Social Control:

o Sanctions: Positive (rewards) or negative (punishments) responses to deviant

o Surveillance: Monitoring people's behavior through surveillance cameras, social

o Rehabilitation: Programs aimed at rehabilitating individuals who have violated

o Incarceration: Imprisonment as a form of punishment and deterrent for deviant

2. Agencies of Social Control:

o Government and Law Enforcement: This includes the police, courts, and other
governmental bodies that create, interpret, and enforce laws.

o Religious Institutions: Religious authorities and institutions often promote moral

o Educational Institutions: Schools play a role in instilling social norms through

o Media: Television, news, social media, etc., play a critical role in shaping
perceptions of what is considered deviant and influencing societal norms.

o Peer Groups: Peer groups can exert informal control by encouraging conformity
or punishing deviant behavior.
 o Family: As one of the first agents of socialization, the family instills values and
norms in individuals from a young age.

Conclusion:

Deviance is an essential concept in sociology, playing a crucial role in defining and reinforcing
societal norms. While deviance can challenge existing norms and lead to social change, social
control mechanisms are necessary to maintain order and minimize disruptive behavior. Both
formal and informal methods of control work together to regulate behavior and ensure that
society functions effectively.