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INTRODUCING DEVIANCE AND NORMS
Norms are the accepted rules and behaviors that
guide society, while deviance refers to actions that
violate these norms.
2025 | Socio-Cultural Anthropology
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HOME OBJECTIVES CONTENT GENERALIZATION
OBJECTIVES
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. Identify how an individual violates the social norms that lead to being a
deviant person.
2. Show understanding by respecting diverse cultures.
3. Analyze the importance of studying deviance and social norms by creating
a concept map graphic organizer.
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WHAT IS NORMS?
Norms are the accepted rules, behaviors,
and expectations that guide how people
act in society. They help maintain order
and predictability in social interactions.
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WHAT IS DEVIANCE?
Any behavior that violates cultural norms.
Dictionary
noun
•the fact or state of departing from usual or
accepted standards, especially in social or sexual
behavior.
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Two (2) Types of Deviance
FORMAL DEVIANCE
INFORMAL DEVIANCE
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FORMAL DEVIANCE
Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors
that violate social norms, including formally-enacted rules. These
are actions that break legal or institutional norms and are
punishable by authorities such as the government or organizations.
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INFORMAL DEVIANCE
Refers to violations of informal social norms, norms that have not been
codified into law. These actions may be seen as unusual, inappropriate, or
socially unacceptable, but they are not legally punishable. Instead, they
may result in social disapproval, criticism, or exclusion.
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Dr. Karen Halnon
Pennsylvania State University
She study how some people exercise the Informal
deviance.
Her research focuses on what she calls "Deviance
Vacations"
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Theories of Deviance
Social- Strain Typology
Robert k. Merton
• An American sociologist who lived from July 4, 1904 to February 23, 2003.
Merton had a significant influence on the field of modern sociology, as well
as criminology.
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a jewish
Immigrant family who hailed from Eastern Europe.
His birthname was actually Meyer Robert Schkolnick, but he Changed it to
Robert Merton when he was a teenager.
https://study.com/learn/lesson/robert-merton-theories-sociology.html
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Conformity
Involves the acceptance of the cultural goals and means of attaining those goals .
Innovation
Involves the acceptance of the goals of a culture but the rejection of the
traditional and/or legitimate means of attaining those goals.
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Ritualism
Involves the acceptance of the cultural goals and means of attaining
those goals .
Innovation
Involves the rejection of cultural goals but the routinized acceptance of
the means for achieving the goals.
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Retreatism
Involves the rejection of both the cultural goals and the traditonal
means of achieving those goals.
Rebellion
Special case wherein the individual rejects both the cultural goals and
traditional means of achieving them but actively attempts to replace both
element of the society with different goals and means.
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Structural-Functionalism
Deviance helps distinguish between what is acceptable behavior and what is
not. In a sense deviance is required in order for people to know what they can
and cannot do.
Finally, and quite out of character for the structural-functionalist approach, deviance
is actually seen as one means for society to change over time. Deviant behavior can
imbalance societal equilibrium. In the process of returning societal equilibrium, society
is often forced to change. Thus, deviant behavior serves several important functions in
society.
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Conflict Theory
Conflict theories assume that all societies have structural power divisions and
resource inequalities that lead to groups having conflicting interests (Wells,
1979).
A clear example of how deviance reflects power imbalances is in the reporting and
tracking of crimes.
White-collar crimes are typically committed by individuals in higher classes.
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Labeling Theory
Refers to the idea that individuals become deviant when two things
occur:
1. A deviant label is applied to them (e.g., loner, punk)
2. They adopt the label by exhibiting the behaviors, actions, and
attitudes associated with the label.
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Retrospective Labeling
The process of re-casting one's past actions in light of a
current identity.
Stigma
Refers to the situation of the individual who is disqualified from
full social acceptance because of some mark of infamy or
disgrace or a label that is often difficult to hide or disguise.
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DEVIANCE NORMS
Behavior violates cultural norms Accepted rules, behaviors, and STRUCTURAL
expectations in society FUNCTIONALISM
CONFLICT THEORY
LABELING THEORY
THEORIES OF CONFORMITY
RETROSPECTIVE
Crime
Theft FORMAL DEVIANCE
INNOVATION
LABELING
STIGMA
Picking
one nose RITUALISM
Belching
loudly INFORMAL REBELLION
