Sociology

There are cultural norms in every society. The violation of these norms is referred to as deviance. The society considers anyone marked deviant to be negative to the society. This is not usually the case since deviance is viewed as a driving force to change in society. Deviance is portrayed in various forms in the society. It is not a must that deviance is negative. The introduction of new norms in a society may require violation of the existing norms. The enforcement of new forms may demand violation of the norms in the society. People in a society are normally put under social controls. Deviant behaviors occur when individuals go against the set laws in the society. Deviance is important since it makes people adapt to changes of which they could not have achieved if deviance did not occur.

Negative deviants also do exist. Individuals with deviant behaviors call for attention claiming of depression or disturbance. These individuals trap some individuals who are not aware about their plans. They normally argue that they are not being understood by the society. It is perceived that deviance contributes to changes in the society. It is thus, not a negative aspect all the time.  The society would stand still if there was no deviance. It would not sound good if individuals are held hostage by the norms of the society. This may act as a barrier to development. There is significant impact of deviance despite of it being not common. It is good to be socially acceptable despite of being deviant.  Norms are the standards of behavior of which people are required to practice.  Norms keep on changing and are not universal. They are determined by culture and society changes. Norms are contextual in that they are defined by classes as well as generation. It may be hard to conform to the prevailing norms. This leads to deviance. Breaking any of the social norms put in place defines deviant behavior (Tittle Charles, 1995). There are times when deviance leads to criminal deeds.  Examples of social deviance include incest, murder and rape. These criminal deeds break the norms of the society. Social deviance is measured by considering the deviant behaviors in individual behaviors. Norms are created to govern a society and can be enforced through law.

Structural functionalist considers norms as binding values to institutions and groups.  This puts forth two groups of individuals in the society egoism and altruism. Egoism is the group of individuals who are not integrated while those who are integrated form altruism. Extremes affects social bond. This lead to occurrence of various suicides anomie, egoistic and altruistic suicide. Individuals in a society struggle in order to maximize benefits. As a result of struggle for benefit, social change occurs. This defines conflict theory. (Tittle Charles, 1995)  Conflict occurs in the process of instilling changes by institutions. In this view, economic and social factors are considered to be the contributing factors to crime. Crime is defined by the powerful in the society according to this theory. Laws are applied sparingly according to conflict theory.  Laws suppress more those who are not powerful while it favors the powerful.

Karl Max highlighted on the causes of conflict. Max emphasized on hostility amongst the working class individuals. The magnitude of punishments reduces with increased demand of labor. Also the degree under which deviant behavior is tolerated increases.

In conclusion, norms are the acts accepted in a society. Violation of the set norms leads to social deviance. Norms are created based on cultural background. They are enforced through law.