Deviance directly relates to the norms of the society. For sociologists that study crime and deviance, cultural norms are examined thoroughly on how they change with time, their enforcement and what suffices when those norms are broken. When formally written laws governing the society are broken, this amounts to a crime (Burke). In this case, if a crime is committed, the perpetrator will be detained and prosecuted. Deviance, on the other hand, refers to a situation where one goes against the prevailing norms of the society. Deviant people are more often ridiculed or send away from the society. Such kind of behavior can be explained by Sutherland, Becker and Hirschi in their respective theories.
Sutherland’s theory of differential association theory
According to this theory, people tend to commit a crime because of their association with other individuals. Technically, criminal behavior is acquired by involving oneself with criminal individuals. Some of the tenets put across by Sutherland include; criminal conduct is acquired through the learning process, by interaction (Sutherland).
Becker’s labeling theory
This is a crucial approach towards understanding criminal and deviant behavior. In this theory, Becker insists that an individual become deviant when the deviant label is smeared upon them. When such an identity is forced upon an individual, he or she will tend to adopt that kind of behavior. For instance, a punk can become deviant because of forcing that identity on them hence they end up adopting that feature.
Hirschi control theory
In this theory, Hirschi states that the weak bonds that exist between the individual and the society forces people to deviate. This implies that instituting a strong social bond will deter a crime from happening. People tend to conform to a particular group when they have a belief that they will gain more by conforming to that group hence reducing deviance.
Works Cited
Sutherland, Edwin Hardin, and Donald R Cressey. Criminology. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1974. Print.
Tibbetts, Stephen G, and Craig Hemmens. Criminological Theory. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2010. Print.
Burke, Roger Hopkins. An Introduction to Criminological Theory. Cullompton, Devon, UK: Willan Pub., 2001. Print.
