Deviant Behavior: Deviance: Positive, And Consequences

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Deviance Project Deviant behavior is sociologically defined as, when someone departs from the “norms”. Most of the time when someone says deviance they think against the law or acting out in a negative behavior. To sociologists it can be both positive and negative. While most crimes are deviant, they are not always. Norms can be classified into two categories, mores and folkways. Mores are informal rules that are not written; when mores are broken, they can have serious punishments and sanctions. Folkways are informal rules that are just expected to be followed, but have no real repercussions. The deviance project I chose to do violated folkways. My project was to walk up to people and ask for directions; after they started to explain how to get to that location I am supposed to walk away, and see what their reaction is. This is violating folkways, because it is common courtesy to wait until they are finished. This is a folkway because if you ask someone a question or start a conversation, then you should wait until they are done talking or under certain circumstances politely excuse yourself. I wanted to test this …show more content…

They tried to keep telling me the directions, even as I walked away. I expected from the people that know me to walk with me as I walked away, which they did. I figured strangers would just stop talking. The only sanction I received was a shocked/disgusted face from my boss’s son. I only felt somewhat rude. The one Walmart employee that followed me down the aisle made me feel the worse because she just looked at me like where am I going. I have never been to another country and I have not experienced very many other cultures. I would imagine that that the norms I violated would be the same in most cultures. I feel like the norms I violated were simple ones and are not odd or weird. I makes sense that you would let someone finish talking before you walk

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