Lecture on Social Deviance

Introduction

• Definition: Deviance means being non-normative or different, not necessarily bad or harmful.
• Examples: Convenience store robber, pacifist, vegan, white-collar criminal, runaway slave.
• Importance: Understanding societal function involves understanding those who deviate from norms.

Understanding Deviance

• Norm vs. Deviance: Deviance is not just statistical rarity but what deviates from accepted norms.
  • Example: Red hair is rare but not deviant; purple hair might be deviant.
• Social Control: Society regulates behavior through sanctions.
  • Negative Sanctions: Social reactions to deviance (e.g., strange looks).
  • Positive Sanctions: Affirmative reactions to conformity.
• Informal Norms: Breaking folkways leads to negative sanctions without legal consequences.
• Formal Sanctions: Legal consequences for violating codified norms.

Biological and Psychological Approaches

• Biological Explanations: Essentialist views, like Cesare Lombroso's theory linking physical traits to criminality, are outdated.
  • Example: Muscular men perceived as likely to be deviant.
  • Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Expectation leads to behavior encouragement.
• Psychological Explanations: Focus on socialization and environment.
  • Example: Containment theory (impulse control) by Reckless and Dinitz.
  • Limitations: Ignore peer influence, opportunity, and purely individual factors.

Sociological Approach to Deviance

• Key Principles:
  1. Cultural Variance: Norms vary by culture and time; deviance is context-dependent.
     • Example: Slavery was once normal; rejecting it was deviant.
  2. Labeling Theory: Society's response defines deviance.
     • Example: Perception can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy.
  3. Social Power: Norms and laws reflect elite interests.
     • Example: Differences in response to rallies vs. protests.
• Contrast with Biology/Psychology: Sociology views deviance as a structural result, not just individual abnormality.

Conclusion

• Recognized the value and limitations of biological and psychological views on deviance.
• Introduced sociological foundations and perspectives on deviance.
• Preview of next week's detailed theoretical explanations for crime and deviance.

Additional Information

• Production: Crash Course Sociology filmed in Missoula, Montana.
• Support: Funded by Patreon, with support from patrons allowing free access.

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This lecture provided an overview of deviance from biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives, emphasizing the latter's focus on societal structure and norms.