Deviance

Chapter 7
Deviance

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Social Foundation of Deviance

How do you explain why some countries have higher crime rate?

Crime Perception Ranking 2018

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Learning Outcomes

Concept
•Understand the Social Foundation of Deviance
•Provide detailed analysis of Merton’s Strain Theory
•Understand the Concept of Deviant Subculture

Application

As policy maker - develop policies to improve social

conditions to reduce crime rate

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Social Foundation of Deviance

Deviance well as conformity is shaped by society

Deviance varies according to cultural norms

Nevada – Prostitution is allowed here but not other parts of US. Topeka
Kansas – Snowball Fight not allowed.
Valentines Day – Arab – No sales of Red Flowers. In Malaysia – No dating
for Muslim Couples

People become deviant as others define them that way

 The Movie Cider House Rules – Please don't go up on the roof if you've
been drinking--especially at night.

The way people define rule breaking involves social power

Malaysia : Government mobilize resources to clamp down on protestors,
but lenient on BN Supporters

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Social Foundation of Deviance

Anyone celebrating Valentine’s Day

will be punished in Saudi Arabia
2 Years Ago

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Social Foundation of Deviance

Can you guess where is this?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang
Social Foundation of Deviance

Halden Prisonin
Prisonin Østfold,
Østfold, Norway

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Social Foundation of Deviance

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Structural-Functional Approach

EMILE DURKHEIM: Deviance has certain function

Nothing wrong with deviance. It has 4 essential functions

1. Deviance affirms cultural values and norms
Any virtue requires AN OPPOSITE (Yin and Yang)

2. Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries

How far can you behave in certain ways? Hair cut, Skirt length

3. Responding to deviance promotes social unity

Example Sept 11, and May 13 in Malaysia

4. Deviance encourages social change

Today’s Deviance, Tomorrow’s Morality. Example Jazz music and
Nudity in Bali

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Merton’s Strain Theory

Robert Merton’s Strain Theory

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Merton’s Strain Theory

Robert Merton’s Strain Theory

Conformity lies in pursuing cultural goals through approved means.
The strain between our culture’s emphasis on wealth and lack of
opportunities to get rich may encourage people engage in stealing,
drug dealing, or other forms of street crime.

Deviance Innovation Ritualism

•Using unconventional means rather •Reject cultural goal but continue to
than conventional means to achieve work or involve in the conventional
a culturally approved goal means

Rebellion
•Reject both cultural goal and the
means to obtain the goal
•Further step is forming a counter-
culture alternative
Retreatism
•Rejecting both cultural goals and
means an individual is a “drop out”

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Merton’s Strain Theory
Exercise: What is Deviance in a Sunni Country?

Believe in Believe in God

God. Pray 5 but Meditate to
times to reach God
reach God Sunni Sufi

Believe
in God Liberal
Muslim
Murtad

Ritual
Atheist Humanitarian
Work
Do not believe in Humanist
God but practice Believe in
Fasting Humanism

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Merton’s Strain Theory

Exercise: What is Deviance in a China?

Get Rich Get Rich

through Hard through Fast
Work and and Easier
Legal Way Businessman Prostitute Way

Ponzi
Make a lot Scheme

of Money Buddhist PhD

Restaurants Student

Continue to
Work Hard
but reject Couchsurfing
Looking for Traveller
Wealth And Begging
Experience

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Merton’s Strain Theory

Exercise: What is Deviance in your Society

?
?
Get
Married

?
? ?
?
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang
 Merton’s Strain Theory

The Travel Beggar is an example of Rebellion

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang
 Merton’s Strain Theory

Application

If you are Prime Minister of a country explain

a.What will you do to increase chances of your

citizens achieve cultural goals?
b.What will be your new cultural goals if current
goals in not attainable?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Merton’s Strain Theory

The Relative Opportunity Structure

Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin (1966)

extended Merton’s theory – readily accessible
illegitimate (illegal) opportunity.
 
Deviance or conformity arises from the relative
opportunity structure that frames a person’s life.

Example
The Life of Al Capone – A Notorious
Gangster

When young faced barriers of poverty and ethnic prejudice, which lowered his odds of
achieving success in conventional terms. Capone found in his neighborhood people
who could teach him how to sell alcohol illegally — a source of illegitimate
opportunity.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Deviance as a Subculture

Criminal Subcultures
Where the structure of opportunity favors criminal activity, Cloward
and Ohlin predict the development of criminal subcultures, such as
Capone’s criminal organization or today’s inner-city street gangs.

But what happens when people are unable to find any opportunity,
legal or illegal?

Conflict subcultures - such as armed street gangs that engage in

violence out of frustration and a desire for respect.

Retreatist subcultures - in which deviants drop out and abuse

alcohol or other drugs.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Deviance as a Subculture

Deviant Subculture and Lower-Class

Albert Cohen (1971) suggests that delinquency is most common
among lower-class youths because they have the least
opportunity to achieve conventional success.

The Function of Deviance

•Neglected by society, they seek self-respect by creating a
delinquent subculture that defines as worthy the traits these youths
do have.

•Being feared on the street may great in society, but it may satisfy
a person’s desire to “be somebody” in the local neighborhood.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Deviance as a Subculture

The Rise of Delinquent Subculture

Walter Miller (1970) define the characteristic of delinquent
subcultures:

1. Trouble, arising from frequent conflict with teachers and police;

2. Toughness, the value placed on physical size and strength,
especially among males;
3. Smartness, the ability to succeed on the streets, to outsmart or
“con” others, and to avoid being similarly taken advantage of;
4. A need for excitement, the search for thrills or danger;
5.A belief in fate, a sense that people lack control over their own
lives;
6.A desire for freedom, often expressed as anger toward authority
figures.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Deviance as a Subculture

Deviant Subculture - The Street Code

Elijah Anderson (1994, 2002; Kubrin, 2005) explains that in poor urban
neighborhoods, most people manage to conform to conventional or
“decent” values.
 
In neighborhood filled with crime and violence, indifference or even
hostility from police, young men decide to live by the “street code.”
 
A young man displays “nerve,” a willingness to stand up to any threat.
Young men believes that a violent death is better than being “dissed”
(disrespected) by others.
 
Some manage to escape the dangers, but the risk of ending up in jail—or
worse—is very high for these young men, who have been pushed to the
margins of our society.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Deviance as a Subculture

Can Miller’s Delinquent

Characteristics be
applied to Mat Rempit?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

 Deviance as a Subculture

Application

If you are an NGO helping Juvenile Delinquency

a. What can you do to address the elements identified

by Walter Miller?

b. What kind of program will you introduce?

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang

Deviance

THE END

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE // Lectures by Sean Ang