For example, from birth we’re encouraged to achieve the American Dream of financial success. In 1938 Robert Merton expanded on Durkheim’s idea that deviance is an inherent part of a functioning society by developing strain theory (also called the anomie theory of deviance), which notes that access to the means of achieving socially acceptable goals plays a part in determining whether a person conforms and accepts these goals or rebels and rejects them. A person isn’t born a criminal but becomes one over time, often based on factors in his or her social environment. Proponents of social disorganization theory believe that individuals who grow up in impoverished areas are more likely to participate in deviant or criminal behaviors than an individual from a wealthy neighborhood with a good school system and families who are involved positively in the community. Social disorganization theory points to broad social factors as the cause of deviance. P ark, a journalist and sociologist, suggested a program to increase the number of playgrounds to counteract social disorganization and juvenile delinquency. They studied deviance by examining rapid changes to the neighborhoods, caused by population increases, immigration, and urbanization in Chicago. Several sociologists at the time, who viewed the city as a laboratory for study, were dubbed “The Chicago School.” These sociologists included Robert Park and Ernest Burgess (19) became the first to utilize an ecological approach, which examined society much as an ecologist examines an organism and their environment-by paying attention to the social, institutional, and cultural contexts of people-environment relations. Social Disorganization Theoryĭeveloped by researchers at the University of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s, social disorganization theory asserts that crime is most likely to occur in communities with weak social ties and the absence of social control. In smaller, more homogeneous societies, deviance might be punished more severely. For example, in large, industrialized societies that were largely bound together by the interdependence of work (the division of labor), punishments for deviance were generally less severe. He discussed the impact of societal size and complexity as contributors to the collective conscience and the development of justice systems and punishments. “A crime is a crime because we condemn it,” he said (1893). Durkheim saw laws as an expression of the “collective conscience,” which are the beliefs, morals, and attitudes of a society. A key example of this dynamic is the Civil Rights Movement, which corrected many historical wrongs by continuously challenging the dominant society’s values and norms.ĭurkheim’s point regarding the impact of punishing deviance speaks to his arguments about law. On the other hand, when norm violations became more widespread and collective, as a result of various historical and cultural factors (i.e. war in Vietnam, other social movements, televised police brutality, etc.), this cycle of continued deviance eventually led to social and legal change. Norm violators were often severely punished, even lynched, which led to increased social bonds among racist whites. Those who violated these norms reinforced their legitimacy for those in power, which often led to even harsher laws and sanctions, which in turn led to increased conformity or adherence to the norms. Émile Durkheim believed that deviance is a necessary part of a successful society and that it serves three functions: 1) it clarifies norms and increases conformity, 2) it strengthens social bonds among the people reacting to the deviant, and 3) it can help lead to positive social change and challenges to people’s present views (1893).įor instance, segregation laws remained intact for nearly a century in the United States after slavery was abolished. Émile Durkheim: The Essential Nature of Deviance ![]() Social disorganization theory, strain theory, and social control theory represent the main functionalist perspectives on deviance in society. They view deviance as a key component of a functioning society. Sociologists who follow the functionalist approach are concerned with the way the different elements of a society contribute to the whole. ![]() (Photo courtesy of David Shankbone/flickr) Functionalism ![]() Protesters, such as these PETA members, often use this method to draw attention to their cause. ![]() Figure 1. Functionalists believe that deviance plays an important role in society and can be used to challenge people’s views.
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