Deviance is a violation of cultural norms, but not all deviant behavior is negative. A sociologist can examine deviant behavior through a theoretical perspective to try to understand its causes. A symbolic interactionist view would explain deviance as a product of social stratification. For example, people born into a lower economic class will have limited access to resources such as education and income, so they are therefore more likely to end up in a life of crime and poverty.
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
- Give an example of a positive or negative deviant behavior that you have witnessed, either formal or informal. How did it violate social norms? How did you react? How did the people in the nearby social group react? (Please do not share incriminating or personal details.)
- How would a functionalist or conflict theorist explain the reasons for the deviant behavior?
