Deviance

Deviance is behavior that violates significant social norms and is disapproved by large numbers of people. Deviant behavior is often seen as abnormal and disgraceful. Deviance can be seen in many different ways since it varies from society to society. It also varies among different groups within a society. No act can relatively be seen as deviant. The act becomes deviant only when it is socially seen as deviant. The act can be seen differently depending on the time, place, and group. Since society cannot be divided into the normal people who conform and the deviant who do not conform, specifically defining deviance and why it occurs is difficult.

Most people in their lives will have violated at least one major norm at some point or another. If a person were to subtract all the people who've every done drugs, suffered from a mental disorder, stole something, lied on a driver's license from the supposed normal people in society, only a few would be left. Most of these people escape discovery of their deviant behavior, are not stigmatize, and do not regard themselves as deviant. Stigma is the mark of social disgrace that sets the deviant apart from the people who see themselves as normal. Stigma is a characteristic shared by people who are widely regarded as deviant. According to Erving Goffman, a stigmatized person has a spoiled identity as a result of negative evaluations by others.

There are four major sociological theories that try do explain deviance. Each varies in one way or another and none of them fundamentally have a explanation of all deviance. The four theories are cultural transmission theory, structural strain theory, control theory, the labeling theory.

The cultural transmission theory explains deviance is a behavior that is learned though interaction with other people. The theory of differential association explains how cultural transmission takes place. Differential association is social relationships