Sociological Theories of Deviant Behavior


 

PERSPECTIVE

 

THEORY

KEY ELEMENTS

 

 

 

Functionalist Perspectives

 

 


 




Robert Merton's Strain theory

 

Cloward and Ohlin's
Opportunity theory

 

 

  • Crime is a symptom of the American Dream ideology.



  • Crime is a reflection of our opportunity structure.

 

 

 

Conflict
Perspectives






 

 

 

 

Karl Marx's Critical approach

 

 



Meda Chesney-Lind's Feminist approach

 

 

  • The powerful use law and the criminal justice system to protect their own class interests.
  • Deviance is an expression of inequality.


  • Liberal feminism views women’s deviance as arising from gender discrimination; radical feminism focuses on patriarchy; and socialist feminism emphasizes the effects of capitalism and patriarchy on women’s deviance.

 

 

 

Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives


 

 

 

 

 

 


 



 


 

 

 

 

Edwin Sutherland's Differential Association theory

 


Travis Hirschi's Social control/social bonding


Howard Becker's Labeling theory



Edwin Lemert's Primary and Secondary deviance


 

 

 

  • Deviant behavior is learned from people we spend a lot of time with; it becomes normalized.

 


  • Social bonds keep people from becoming criminals because more committed to social norms. 
    Weak ties --> criminal behavior.



  • Acts are deviant or criminal because they have been labeled as such. 
  • Powerful groups often label less-powerful individuals.


  • Primary deviance is the initial act.  Secondary deviance occurs when a person accepts the label of “deviant” and continues to engage in the behavior that initially produced the label.