Deviance TheoriesWhy do people commit deviant acts?

Think about it?•1. Think about your life goals. Make a list of

things you would like to achieve in your lifetime.

•What do you need to achieve these goals?

•Ex-Home, car, family, education, job, material possessions, fame, travel

•Money, education, job, connections, opportunity, hard work, dedication

MERTON’S STRAIN THEORY (Functionalist)

•People feel strain when they are exposed to cultural goals they feel unable to attain

•They also feel they don’t have access to culturally approved means of getting these goals

•Ex-Approved means would be education or jobs, if you don’t have these things you may turn to crime to get them

In Strain Theory, people adapt to cultural goals in 5 ways:

•CONFORMITY: individuals accept approved cultural goals AND pursue legitimate means of getting them.• Ex-Want to go to college so you get a part-time job

to pay for it.

•INNOVATION: Accept culturally approved goals, but reject legitimate means of getting them▫ Ex-Want to buy a new car, but you sell drugs or

cheat on your taxes to do so.

In Strain Theory, people adapt to cultural goals in 5 ways:

•RITUALISM: Individuals abandon societies goals, but conform to means of attaining them

• Ex-A person who has a job, but doesn’t really care about furthering their education or getting a better job

•RETREATISM: Individuals abandon approved goals and approved ways of getting them.▫ Ex- A person who has given up hope and turns to drugs

and alcohol.

In Strain Theory, people adapt to cultural goals in 5 ways:

•REBELLION: An individual changes the approved cultural goals and the means of attaining them

A person who engages in violence or civil disobedience to promote change

OPPORTUNITY THEORY (Functionalist)

•Individuals are in a circumstance where they have the opportunity to achieve goals through illegitimate means.▫Ex-An individual sees a IPOD left in an

empty room and take it.▫Ex-An armed gunman sees an unarmed

citizen and robs them.

CONTROL THEORY (SOCIAL BONDING) (Functionalist)

•Deviance increases when a person’s bonds to society are weakened.

•When people lack attachments to other people or activities they are more likely commit deviant acts.

Differential Association Theory and Differential Reinforcement Theory (Internationist)

• Differential Association: People tend to commit deviant acts when they hang out with people who commit deviant acts▫Ex-If your family is on a gang, you are more

likely to be in a gang,

• Differential Reinforcement: Both conventional AND deviant behavior are learned through the same process.▫ If your family engages in community service, you

are more likely to engage in community service.

RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY (Internationist)

•Deviance occurs when people weigh the costs and benefits of deviance and the benefits outweigh the cost.

Ex-You may get caught for underage drinking, but the benefit of partying is more important.

•Most people just don’t do random acts of violence, the think about their actions before they do them.

LABELING THEORY (Interactionist)

•When a person is labeled as a deviant, they are more likely to act like a deviant.▫Ex- If you label a person a criminal they

will act like a criminal.