Defining Deviance
Normative definition of deviance applies to any behavior which contradicts consensus shared norms of behavior. (eg. laws, rules, or any informal norms which apply according to the social context in which behavior is judged.)
Deviance is culturally relative meaning whether an act is regarded as deviant or not is dependent on the time, place or person carrying out the act and also the person witnessing the act.
The normative approach is one that is subscribed to by the functionalists perspective and many new right theories see crime and deviance stemming from dysfunctional families ( single parent families- lack of male figures/role models) and a particular social group with their own set of values at the bottom of society (underclass)
Defining Crime
Crime And Deviance
Defining Crime
Normative and Relativistic Approach
Interactionist perspective defines crime as being relative.
Becker states that acts are only criminal depending on where they take place, who commits them, context etc.
e.g taking a life in the streets of Manchester would be seen as a serious crime whereas taking a life in the context of war in Iraq would be classified as an honorable behaviour.
This relativistic approach to crime states that it is impossible to have a consensus due to the complexity of the groups within society based on gender, ethnicity and class.
Labelling theorists argue that those in the dominant position have to power to decide which acts should be regarded and treated as criminal. this is then enforced through policies and the media which are controlled by the dominant group.
The normative approach is associated with functionalists and right-wing theorists, assumes that there is a set of shared consensus values in society. Therefore studying deviance is all about why some people choose not to conform to these values.
The relativistic approach sees society made up of conflicting value. The interest here is not why people are deviant but how certain values are imposed upon society and why do people conform to these when it is not in their interests to do so.
A crime is an act that break the law of society. Differs from deviance. Those that commit crime are punished in society through the use of sanctions. e.g fines, prison sentences etc.
Mooney suggest that many people share a Normative definition of crime, where crime is considered as an injurious acts which offends against society's norms and values . The normative approach states that there is consensus within society, meaning that everyone has the same idea about which acts justify as crimes.
Supported by both functionalist and new-right theorists who believe that crime is a consequence of inadequate socialisation into the shared norms and values of society.
Marxists Approach
Defining Deviance
Marxism argue that acts defined and treated as crimes are more likely to be committed by those at the bottom of society, namely the working-class. This distracts society from the immoral and damaging behavior of the middle and upper-classes. White-collar crimes are those committed by the middle class and are not perceived to be as bad as crimes committed by the working-class. e.g tax avoidance.
Relativist approaches to deviance is the one that challenges the assumption that there is a shared set of values in the first place. It would suggest it depends on who has the power to define deviance. In this case, the law makers, or those that have the power to influence legislation, namely, the ruling-class.
a) Interactionist or labelling approach
- sees society's values as emerging from the complex interactions between individuals and groups in society
- However Becker argued that no act is deviant until it is labelled as such, and that deviance act is merely a social construct, created through the meanings attached to the particular actions by those in the social context.
b) Marxist/Conflict approach
- Marxists see the values of society as reflecting the interests of the ruling class. The proletariat's interest never lie with the dominant ruling class interests, Marxists argue, that any norm or value that threatens ruling class interest can be defined as deviant or even criminal in order to suppress its threats
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