Joshua Maltez

Acts of Deviance
The acts of deviance are best described as absence from conformity such as breaking a
social norm which to others, seem to be normal to other societies. It results from weak selfcontrol, wanting to conform to others or not reaching societal goals. The five students from The
Breakfast Club have their own each theory of deviance. The theories of deviance connect to all
of them because of their behavior and why they each committed these acts. Society would be
speculating each individual to see their way of behavior towards others or themselves.
Clair Standish was seen as the princess in the movie. The labeling theory is deviance acts
that occur based on how society sees you and expect you to act as Clair is influenced by it. She
has said in the movie during the group discussion that she is depended on by her friends as the
most popular girl and the way she acts is because her friends all agree what she is doing is right
as innovation. In order to get accepted by her friends she has to conform to their rules what is
right and wrong to them to not look bad in front of others. Skipping school to go shopping and
ignoring the people that are not at her status of popularity are her acts of deviance
The control theory shows deviance as a natural occurrence that individuals get influenced
by their inner and outer controls being your conscience or friends. Brian Johnson, known as the
brains in the movie is influenced himself and others. For inner control, Brian believed that
getting an awful grade will disappoint his family so he is willing to suicide because of his failure
to maintain a good grade that he was always tried to get in order to feel like he accomplished and
made his parents proud. He also started smoking with others to conform to them which he was
influenced being his outer control.

Joshua Maltez

One of the five theories is the conflict theory which states inequality is based on peoples
race, class, or gender, that leads to deviance to gain or maintain resources such as John Bender.
Because he is very different from the others, as in gets aggressive easily or does peculiar things
that society doesnt agree with, Johns inequality leads him to deviance by showing that being a
jerk will maintain his position as being different from others. Sneaking out of detention and
getting into fights as his act of deviance. He is different since not many students get into fights or
sneak out of detentions like he does.
Andrew Clark is tied to the cultural transmission theory as it states that deviance is
learned through societal pressure. Andrew said in the movie that his father had always pressured
him to become the best and always remain that way. He was pressured so much that he had
bullied another student. He also taped someones behind together showing someone engaged him
to do it to interact and conform. Andrew did not like being the best always even though he was a
jock. Some that seen him as a jock thought he was a jerk rather than a good person. He was
pressured a lot that he started to commit some acts of deviance.
Alison Reynolds is the girl in the movie is seen as quiet and strange. The perspective she
takes is the strain theory which views deviance as the natural outgrowth of values, norms and
structure of society because of her behavior and how she acts and thinks. Alison shows that she
doesnt have a specific goal in life. She doesnt have a society goal but to just go on with life,
which is anomie. Her innovation is to steal things from other people to use them later and lie to
others to see their reactions. As her form of retreatism, she makes an unordinary sandwich that
others see it as not normal to them.

Joshua Maltez

The theories of deviance have different perspectives of how one can act that leads them to
deviance. It showed how these students all connected to each theory based on their acts and how
society sees them almost all differently. The theories showed how each individual can have
different impacts in their life time from each theory and determine their behavior and how they
will act later on with others whether it is good or bad or their deviance is a small or a big deal. It
is justified that acts of deviance is reflected upon by one of the theories of deviance.