Write a 500-word paper answering the following questions:
1. Are there behaviors in your life that would be considered by some as deviant? Who considers these behaviors deviant? How do you respond to these expectations? What if there are competing norms from different groups? For example, in some contexts, one might be sanctioned by peers for being too good a student, and in that same context being too poor a student may also be considered deviant and subject to sanctions from others. Navigating these groups with competing norms can present challenges.
2. Choose a theory related to deviance (see Table 7.2) and apply this theory to your life experience. Describe how your experience is an example of this theory.
3. Finally, consider power, inequality, and deviance. Have you, for example, experienced situations where some receive sanctions (or harsher sanctions) for behaviors considered deviant while others receive no sanctions (or lighter sanctions)?
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Deviance & Social Control
Q 1. Being overly aggressive is one of the behaviors in my life that is considered deviant by others. The people who considered my behavior as deviant are workmates because I tend to go against the organizational norms and end up threatening work colleagues (Rebellon, Cesar, and Paul Anskat, page 189-206). The behavior is, however, considered intentional and not coincidental as a reflection of my personality. The problem comes in when I do not meet my managing director and other colleagues’ expectations, especially in behaving calmly and managing my anger. Composure, self-control, and the ability to manage anger are some of the qualities the colleague makes it hard for me to meet the expectations. To meet their expectation, I try to remain calm in a conflict, which makes it hard for me to communicate when required to prevent anger outbursts, which is triggered by the argument. Apart from being aggressive, some colleagues consider me too kind and humble, which tends to cover my over-aggressive behavior (Rebellon, Cesar, and Paul Anskat, page 189-206) . The competing norms confuse people on how to react towards me, especially after showing off the aggressive part. Also, the competing norms tend to affect job opportunities and promotion, especially in leadership positions, despite the ability to inspire and motivate others to be better humans.
Q2. Social disorganization theory is a theory that explains the cause of overly aggressive behavior. According to social disorganization, aggression is caused by being raised in communities with weak societal bonds and a lack of self-control (Lopez, Gillespie, page 1-5). Reflecting on the kind of community I grew in, I tend to understand that growing in a low-income area and getting a low-level of education greatly impact how a person handles issues and deals with conflicts. Social disorganization theory explains the origin of my overly aggressive behavior, which is perceived by others who have not had similar childhood experiences as deviant and unacceptable.
Q3. What is considered deviance depends on the group of people or the category of people who hold power in society, such as law enforcement. Some people are held accountable and sanctions for certain behaviors from experience, while others are allowed and receive no sanction (Narayanan, Kanimozhi, and Susan Murphy, page 218-233). The main reason behind sanctions for behavior considered normal in another society is inequality, where the powerless or less influential are never sanctioned or called deviant. For instance, politicians, and doctors, and people from top professions, engage in white-collar crimes such as drug trafficking and are never held accountable or sanctioned for being powerful and influential.
The influential have money and power that keeps them safe from being called deviant or being sanctioned for crimes, such as robbery (Lopez, Gillespie, page 1-5). I have been sanctioned for over-speeding on the road, while some politician driving in front of me was over-speeding, stopped, and never sanctioned like me. It is so devastating, and such behavior should stop, where everyone should be charged for going against the law and cultural norms despite money, power, or influence (Narayanan, Kanimozhi, and Susan Murphy, page 218-233). Power money and influence categorize crimes into three different ways, white-collar crime, crimes in suites, and crime in the street, which depends on a person’s social income, and position in society.
Work Cited
Lopez, J. M., & Gillespie, L. K. (2017). Social Disorganization Theory. The Encyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Justice, 1-5.
Narayanan, Kanimozhi, and Susan E. Murphy. “Conceptual framework on workplace deviance behaviour: A review.” Journal of Human Values 23.3 (2017): 218-233.
Rebellon, Cesar J., and Paul Anskat. “Crime, deviance, and social control: Travis Hirschi and his legacy.” The handbook of the history and philosophy of criminology (2018): 189-206.”,,2022-10-11 11:51:15″
