Deviance Theory and Criminology

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that although the theory of deviance helps to shed light on some of the reasons people engage in criminal actions, the theory is a social construct and is thus inherently flawed. The paper maintains, that this theory should, therefore, occupy only a minor role in the field of criminology. The paper also asserts that this theory only be employed as a means of interpretation of the criminal mind when there is no possibility that the root cause of deviance may lie within the society and not the individual.

Outline:
Introduction
Strengths
Weaknesses
Deviance and Criminology

From the Paper:

"The theory of deviance is not organic. Broadly defined, deviance is behavior that violates the norms of a particular society. Thus, the theory is a creation of society, and a social construct that labels persons within a society as outcasts because they tend to display certain behaviors that society deems reprehensible. Deviance, then, is best understood as an artificial creation, which fits neatly into the realms of academic disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, psychology and social psychology to explain the unexpected actions of individuals. Most of all, the theory helps us to understand the most reprehensible among us: the criminal. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Allen, K. (2004). Max Weber: A Critical Introduction. Ann Arbor: Pluto Press
• Kornblum, W. (2005). The Social Construction of Deviance in Sociology in a Changing World. California: Thomson Wadsworth.
• Emirbayer, M. & Cohen, I. (Eds.). (2003). Emile Durkheim, Sociologist of Modernity. London: Blackwell Publishing.
• Beatty, J., & Samuelson, S. pg. 161 (2005). Crime, Society, and Law in Essentials of Business Law. Ohio:Thomson West.
• August 4-10, 2007. Race Relations: Where Black and Brown Collide. The Economist, 26.

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