Since a certain amount of change is healthy for society, so it can progress rather than stagnate. Many sociological definitions of deviance simply elaborate upon this idea. Thus deviance consists of those areas which do not follow the norms and expectations of a particular social group. In terms of the above definition of deviance, the soldier on the battlefield who risks his life above and beyond the normal call of duty may be termed deviant, as the physicist who breaks the rules of his discipline and develops a new theory.

Sometimes ago in Western society it had been considered deviant for women to smoke, use make-up and consume alcoholic drinks in public.

In America the accepted ways of achieving success are through educational qualifications, talent, hard work, drive, determination and ambition. Durkheim regarded some crime as and anticipation of the morality of the future. Deviance. A second response is 'innovation'. For example, are there  In a balanced society an equal emphasis is placed upon both cultural goals and institutionalized means, and members are satisfied with both. The little old lady with a house full of cats or the old gentleman with an obsession for collecting clocks would fall into this category. The following examples will serve to illustrate the above points. An act defined as deviant in one society may be seen as perfectly normal in another. In everyday language to deviate means to stray from an accepted path. Merton terms the fourth and least common response, 'retreatism'. In particular, their reaction will be shaped by their position in the social structure. Deviance is relative. However, since members of society are placed in different positions in the social structure, for example, they differ in terms of class position; they do not have the same opportunity of realizing the shared value. This response rejects normative means of achieving success and turns to deviant means, crime in particular. NB for students studying the crime and deviance component of A-level sociology, most resources tend to focus on the ‘crime and deviance‘ aspect, NOT the social control aspect, but the question of why people conform is just as important as the question of why people break the rules! We'll review them briefly here. In the same way terrorists of freedom fighters may represent a future established order .If crime is inevitable, what is the function of punishment. ; People who engage in deviance are called (noun) deviants because they (verb) deviate from norms.

In order for change to occur, Yesterday's deviance must become today's normality. The situation becomes like a game of cards in which winning becomes so important that the rules are abandoned by some of the players. Deviance, to a sociologist, means deviating from the norm and can be biased toward the positive or negative. In the West the private ownership of property is an established norm; members of society strive to accumulate wealth and substantial property holding brings power and prestige. Structural functionalism has its roots in the very origins of sociological thought and the development of sociology as a discipline. Rebellion forms the fifth and final response. Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate social norms, including formally-enacted rules (e.g., crime), as well as informal violations of social norms (e.g., rejecting folkways and mores). This situation can generate deviance. Merton argues that it is typically members of a rising class rather than the most depressed strata who organize the resentful and rebellious into a revolutionary group.To summarize, Merton claims that his analysis shows how the culture and structure of society generates deviance. In the same way, definitions of crime change over time. Merton outlines five possible ways in which members of American society can respond to success goals. In Merton's words: 'The social and cultural structure generates pressure for socially deviant behaviour upon people variously located in that structure.Using USA as an example, Merton outlines his theory as follows. Today this is no longer the case. Thus in Durkheim's view, a healthy society requires both crime and punishment, both are inevitable, both are functional.Following Durkheim, Merton argues that deviance results not from pathological personalities but from the culture and structure of society itself. In everyday language to deviate means to stray from an accepted path. But in America great importance is attached to success and relatively less importance is given to the accepted ways of achieving success. Therefore, not everybody shares the same restraints about breaking the law. Durkheim argues that it only becomes dysfunctional when its rate is unusually high. The first and most common response is conformity. A comparison of modern Western culture with the traditional culture of the Teton Sioux Indians of the USA illustrates how deviance varies from society to society.

Those who adopt this alternative want to create a new society.

The norms of Sioux culture prevented the accumulation of Wealth. They have strongly internalized both the cultural goals and the institutionalized means but is unable to achieve success. Tweet. Durkheim argues that its function is not to remove crime in society. Since individuals are exposed to different influences and circumstances, it is impossible for all to be alike.