DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL

Theories of Deviance
Conformity and Obedience
Informal and Formal Social Control
Law and Society
Types of crime
Criminal justice system
• Deviance
Theories of Deviance
• Social Control
Conformity and Obedience
Informal and Formal Social Control
Law and Society
• Crime
Types of crime
Criminal justice system
 Deviance
Deviance is the recognized violation of cultural norms. One familiar type
of deviance is crime, or the violation of norms a society formally
endorses into criminal law. Deviance includes a wide range of other acts
of non conformity, from variations in hair style to murder.
The study of social deviance is the study of the violation of cultural
norms in either formal or informal contexts . Social deviance is a
phenomenon that has existed in all societies with norms.
Sociological theories of deviance are those that use social context and
social pressures to explain deviance .
It is not the act itself, but the reactions to the act, that
make something deviant.”
Howard Becker, 1966

Deviance is behavior that violates any social norm,

whether it concerns conduct or personal appearance.
 Theories of Deviance

Four main sociological theories of deviance

exist.
 Social strain typology
 Structural Functionalism
 Conflict Theory
 Labeling Theory
 Social strain typology
The first is the social strain typology developed by
American sociologist Robert K. Merton.
The theory states that social structures may pressure citizens to
commit crimes . Strain (pressure, stress) may be structural,
which refers to the processes at the social level that filter down
and affect how the individual perceives his or her needs. Strain
may also be individual, which refers to the resistances and
pains experienced by an individual as he or she looks for ways
to satisfy individual needs. These types of strain can suggest
social structures within society that then pressure citizens to
become criminals.
For instance, individuals in the U.S. who sell illegal
drugs have rejected the culturally acceptable means of
making money, but they still share the widely accepted
cultural value of making money. Thus, deviance can
be the result of accepting one norm, but breaking
another in order to pursue the first.
 Structural Functionalism
The second main sociological explanation of deviance comes
from structural functionalism. His approach argues that
deviant behavior plays an active, constructive role in society
by ultimately helping to stick different populations within
a particular society. Deviance helps to distinguish between
acceptable and unacceptable behavior. It draws lines and
defines boundaries. This is an important function that affirms
the cultural values and norms of a society for the members of
that society.
 Conflict Theory
The third main sociological theory of deviance is
conflict theory. Conflict theory suggests that deviant
behaviors result from social, political, or material
inequalities of a social group. In response to these
inequalities, certain groups will act defiantly in order
to change their circumstances, change the social
structure that produced their circumstances, or just to
"act out" against their oppressors. An example of
conflict theory would be the Occupy Wall Street
movement that began in the fall of 2011.
 Labeling Theory
The fourth main sociological theory of deviance is labeling
theory. Labeling theory refers to the idea that individuals
become deviant when a deviant label is applied to them; they
adopt the label by showing the behaviors, actions, and
attitudes associated with the label. Labeling theory argues that
people become deviant as a result of others forcing that
identity upon them. This process works because of stigma; in
applying a deviant label, one attaches a stigmatized identity to
the labeled individual.
 Conformity and Obedience
Social control is established by encouraging individuals to
conform and obey social norms, both through formal and
informal means. Conformity is the act of matching attitudes,
beliefs, and behaviors to group norms. The tendency to
conform occurs in small groups and in society as a whole, and
may result from refined unconscious influences or direct and
overt social pressure.
Conformity can occur in the presence of others, or when an
individual is alone. For example, people tend to follow social
norms when eating or watching television, regardless of
whether others are present. As conformity is a group
phenomenon, factors such as group size,
agreement, unity, status, prior commitment, and public opinion
help determine the level of conformity an individual displays.
 Formal and Informal Social Control
Social control: Techniques and strategies employed for
preventing deviant human behavior in any society.

 Parents
 Peer groups
 Companies
 Government
Informal social control: Used casually to enforce norms or
social control carried out by people through such means as
laughter, smiles etc.

Formal social control: Carried out by authorized agents such

as police, judges, administrators, employer etc.
 Law and Society
Some norms are so important to a society that they are
formalized into laws.
Law: Governmental social control
•The legal order reflects values of those in a position to
exercise authority.
•The body of rules made by government for society,
interpreted by the courts, and backed by the power of
the state.
•Control Theory: Our connection to members of
society leads us to systematically conform to society’s
norms
 Crime
Types of crime
Criminal justice system
Crime: A violation of criminal law for which formal penalties are
applied by some governmental authority.
• Sociologists categorize crimes based on how they are committed and
how society views the offenses:
• Conventional Street Crime
• White-collar Crime (Professional)
• Vice Crime (victimless)
• Organized Crime (Hierarchal Structure)
• Political Crime
 White Collar crime: Illegal acts committed in the course of
business activities
 Computer crime: Use of high technology to carry out fraud
or electronic fraud
 Corporate crime: Any act by a corporation that is
punishable by the government.
 Victimless crimes: Willing exchange among adults of widely
desired, but illegal, goods and services.
 Organized crime: Group that regulates relations between
various criminal enterprises involved in illegal activities.
 Criminal justice system

The term “Criminal Justice” refers to an area of

knowledge devoted to controlling crime through the
scientific administration of Police, Court and
Rehabilitation/Correctional agencies. It is an
interdisciplinary field making use of the knowledge
basis of sociology, psychology, law, public policy and
other related fields.
 Criminal justice system in Pakistan

Judicial Structure of Pakistan

Supreme court of Pakistan

Federal Shariyat court
High Courts (Provinces wise)
Subordinator Courts
 Civil Courts
 Criminal Courts
Alternate Court System
 Jirga
 Biradry System
 Nizam-e-Adal law (Swat & Malakand)
 Class room Activity (Peer Activity)

• Your experiences about Deviance

• Informal and Formal Social Control

• Discussion & Presentation