Week 4 Project

12/20/2020 Conformity and Deviance - SOC1001-Introduction to Sociology SU03

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Psychological Explanations of Deviance In the quest to understand deviance, some theorists have created psychological explanations of deviance. Psychological theories concentrate on individual abnormalities involving personality. For example, containment theory poses the view that juvenile delinquency (among boys) is a result of social pressure to commit deviant acts in the absence of moral values and a positive self-image. In the 1960s, longitudinal research conducted by Walter Reckless and Simon Dintz supported this conclusion.

However, there are various weaknesses of the psychological research. First, people who are psychologically abnormal commit more serious crimes. Second, cross-cultural differences in what is deemed normal and abnormal tend to be ignored. And third, people with similar psychological qualities are not as likely to be labeled deviant. Therefore, sociologists have also tackled the concept of deviance.

Robert Merton According to Robert Merton, deviance is encouraged by the day-to-day operation of society. His theory points out imbalances between socially endorsed means available to different groups of people and the widely held goals and values of society. This structured inequality of opportunity makes some people prone to anomie. The term "anomie" means a situation in society where individuals receive little or no moral guidance. There is a higher proportion of deviance in groups experiencing anomie. Merton identified four adaptive strategies: innovation, rituals, retreats, and rebellion. Conformity, or the acceptance of both cultural goals and means, is seen as the result of successful socialization and the opportunity to pursue these goals through socially approved means.

There are some inadequacies to Merton's approach. First, it is difficult to measure precisely how much deviance is actually caused by strain. Second, some kinds of deviance, like mental illness and homosexuality, are not adequately explained. Third, Merton is not precise about why one response to strain is chosen over another. Fourth, the extent to which variability in cultural values creates different notions of personal success is not adequately incorporated.

Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin Researchers Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin have attempted to extend the work of Merton, utilizing the concept of "relative opportunity structure." They argue that criminal deviance occurs when there is limited opportunity to achieve success. They further suggest that criminal subcultures emerge to organize and expand systems of deviance. In poor and transient neighborhoods, conflict subcultures (e.g., violent gangs) are often the form this process takes. Those who fail to achieve success using illegitimate means are likely to fall into retreatist subcultures (e.g., alcoholics).