Sociology involves studies on structure, functioning and development of the society. Sociology is a diverse subject which involves subjects such as religion, crime, social classification, race, social stability and other sociological issues. It is important to study these subjects in sociology to expand our knowledge on how our consciousness and actions are shaped or help to shape the surrounding social and cultural structures. In this paper, I will look at the topic of the role of deviance in the society. In this topic, I will apply the functionalist theory which emphasizes on social stability besides adequate development of social integration and socialization. The topic allows sociological investigation because people need to learn how a change in the society affects social order. The paper will emphasize some concepts of sociology which include ethnicity, values, race, inequality, and values (“Basic Concepts & Terms of Sociology,” 2018).
Zach Lamb (2018). Functions of Deviance Tutorial.
Lamb (2018) deviance is an important state for any stable and well-functioning society. Deviance can help in promoting social cohesion, social stability, harmony and cohesion in every society. Lamb (2018) states that the father of functionalist theory known as Durkheim related deviance to social solidarity. According to this article, deviance helps in clarifying our ethnic values and also assists in defining our morality besides unifying the society. Deviance is also an important agent of social change. Through deviance, the society is able to differentiate between the wrongs and the good acts. The society, therefore, works in unity to avoid the wrongs and work on what is right. Deviance also helps in defining societal values. The moral notions in the society are clarified when responding to deviant behaviours. Deviance unifies the society because people come together when responding to deviant behaviours hence creating strong social bonds. Deviance also helps in promoting social change. It promotes morality, helps people to do what is right, and enhances social solidarity beside promoting the proper functioning of the society. Lamb (2018) regards deviance as a very important part of a social and cohesive living.
Need for Deviance in Society, Sociology | New England College Online. (2018).
According to this paper, every society has a different definition of deviance. The society has its definition of what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. Durkheim was commonly known as the “father of sociology” supposed that every society must have deviance. Durkheim suggested that deviance is necessary to some extent in every society, particularly crime. Crime helps in the proper evolution of law and morality in the society (“Need for Deviance in Society,” 2018). The definition of deviance in a society is essential because it creates norms which inform members of the unacceptable and acceptable behaviours. According to functionalist theory, deviance provides knowledge on the re-calibration and disruption of societal beliefs over time. In simpler words, what the society stigmatizes may become communally acceptable over time. One of the sociologists by the name Erikson suggested that when somebody experiences deviant behaviours, the behaviour develops a form of an organization which persists for some time and even gains momentum. The paper argues that increased desires for deviance require a release to enable ordinary people to live normal lives for a long period. Many sociologists believe that deviance is important in maintaining social stability.
Ahmed, R. (2016). How is the deviance of any benefit to a society?
The functionalist theory states that every notion that exists in our societies helps the community to function properly. According to functionalism, everything functional in the society continues with its existence, but all that is dysfunctional fades with time. Functionalists suggest that deviance is something functional in the society because it has existed since time immemorial and has no signs of fading away. Functionalists suggest that deviance is an important aspect of the society because it acts as a reminder of what is wrong and what is right. Deviance helps in reasserting societal values because when somebody is caught in a deviant act, he or she faces the consequences which have outcomes. Ahmed (2016) explains that most individuals in the society will start confronting because they fear facing punishment due to deviant acts. Deviance also leads to a revolution in the community. What the society regards as deviant may become a norm after some time because deviance is regarded as a virtual concept. For instance, the society believes that women could not participate in public, but this is now a norm.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (2017, May 23). Street gangs, crime serve as deviant leisure activities for youths. ScienceDaily.
The article describes some of the deviant acts in the society and gives some reasons why people get involved in deviant acts. Studies show that youths join street gangs and other criminal activities as part of deviant leisure, to belong to a certain place, for social support and the urge for excitement. As stated by Ahmed (2016), every society has different deviant acts. In this paper, it is evident that violence has increased in many cities due to the rise of numerous criminal gangs. As discussed in other articles, people need to understand deviant activities so that they can avoid them and come up with laws to be followed. It is important to understand these criminal and delinquent activities. With such an understanding the society will have knowledge on how leisure activities and sports can prevent deviance in the society. According to former gang members, some people stay in the gangs for long, but others leave the gangs after they serve a long period of imprisonment (“University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,” 2017). The act of leaving these gangs proves that proper understanding of deviance acts can help people to change because they would not like to face the consequences of deviance acts.
Credo Magazine. (2016, May 18). Sociology on deviance.
According to this magazine, people involved in different deviant acts such as family violence, bullying and stealing. The magazine argues that every person in the society has committed some of these deviant acts. Even some small acts which are against the societal norms are regarded as deviant behaviours (Credo Magazine, 2016). The author argues that everything that people see as deviant should not be done. The magazine suggests that deviant behaviours are those acts that go against the societal norms. For instance, stealing do not go in line with the values of a community and the society see it as inappropriate. Deviance can turn into a criminal activity when it is accompanied by a punishment. Deviance relates to the culture, status and time. For example, what people saw as deviant, is not the same thing we regard as deviant today. Different societies also have different meanings of deviance and the people in different social status view deviance differently. The magazine also argues that deviance helps in stability and solidarity in the society as discussed in the other articles.
The functionalist theory relates to deviance in the society in many ways. According to functionalist the society is a complex organization which contain small pieces put together. People do things with an aim of achieving a specific outcome (Brown, 2013). For example, someone may clean the environment to enhance its cleanliness. The society has a latent function which aims at achieving social cohesion (Denzin, 2017). But, deviance arises due to issues such as racial differences, inequality in the society, and the presence of bad values in the society. Conflict theory emphasizes these sociological problems, power relations and inequality. According to conflict theory, the society has people from different ethnic groups and all of them have different interests which lead to the rise of conflicts.
In the articles, it is evident that deviance is can lead to positive change in the society. Conflict theory proves this because it states that conflicts can lead to positive changes in the society. Social change is something which is desirable because it leads to positive advancements (Burrell and Morgan, 2017). Conflict theory argues that deviance arises from the concept of social disparities. For instance, people from different races may compare themselves with others and see them as inferior and this leads to deviance. The punishment of such an act may make the person change and see other people as equal in the society (Akers, 2017). When people have the same beliefs and values, solidarity is enhanced and people get a chance to live in peace.
Functionalism is a theory which supports deviance in the society because it believes that deviance creates social stability. Punishing and recognizing deviant behaviours helps in the creation of beliefs and helps people to differentiate the wrongs and the rights. People come together when dealing with deviant acts hence promoting cohesion. Through deviance, the society understands re-calibration and disruption which occur in the community
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is evident that functionalist theory supports deviance in the society. According to functionalists, deviance is important because it contributes to social change, promotes morality, and unifies the society (Osgood et al., 2017). It is through the understanding of deviance that the society is able to come up with norms and different laws to determine what is unacceptable and what is acceptable. In this paper, we can see that deviance is something functional because it will always exist in the society. But, people will always see deviance differently according to their ethnic values, status or time. We can see that people join gangs so that they can belong to a particular group in the society. I would, therefore, recommend the society to come up with some leisure activities such as soccer games to prevent some acts of deviance (Downes, Rock, and McLaughlin, 2016). I would also like to criticize functionalist because deviance does not always create social change in the society. Some deviant acts such as racial discrimination can lead to a lack of self-esteem by the marginalized communities and this is a negative change.
References
Zach Lamb (2018). Functions of Deviance Tutorial. Sophia Learning, LLC. doi:10.1007/s11841-018-0662-9
Need for Deviance in Society, Sociology | New England College Online. (2018). Retrieved August 17, 2018, from https://www.newenglandcollegeonline.com/resources/sociology/society-and-the-need-for-deviance/
Ahmed, R. (2016). How is deviance of any benefit to a society? Retrieved August 17, 2018, from https://www.quora.com/How-is-deviance-of-any-benefit-to-a-society
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (2017, May 23). Street gangs, crime serve as deviant leisure activities for youths. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 16, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170523124111.html
Credo Magazine. (2016, May 18). Sociology on deviance. Retrieved August 17, 2018, from https://www.credomagazine.nl/sociology-on-deviance/
Basic Concepts & Terms of Sociology. (2018). Retrieved August 17, 2018, from https://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/
Brown, R. (2013). Understanding industrial organizations: Theoretical perspectives in industrial sociology. Routledge.
Denzin, N. K. (2017). The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods. Routledge.
Burrell, G., & Morgan, G. (2017). Sociological paradigms and organisational analysis: Elements of the sociology of corporate life. Routledge.
Akers, R. (2017). Social learning and social structure: A general theory of crime and deviance. Routledge.
Osgood, D. W., Wilson, J. K., O’malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Johnston, L. D. (2017). Routine activities and individual deviant behavior. In Crime Opportunity Theories (pp. 49-69). Routledge.
Downes, D., Rock, P. E., & McLaughlin, E. (2016). Understanding deviance: a guide to the sociology of crime and rule-breaking. Oxford University Press.
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