Deviant behavior is described as “a behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society” (Schaefer, 151). In numerous cases drug abuse becomes an addiction. This behavior is deviant because the person doing drugs is not in the standards of society, and most likely looked at as a “druggie.” There are six theories of deviance, and I believe the differential association theory is the most relevant with drug abuse, and the feminist theory relates the least. Drug abuse is frowned upon, as it is a poor life choice. The differential association theory explains the reasoning of this behavior. This theory “emphasizes how we learn to commit certain types of behavior” (Schaefer, 162). Although many states have begun I believe this is least relevant to drug abuse because both genders are able to do drugs. For this theory to apply, it would most likely be a rape while a female was using drugs to focus on the woman. The feminist perspective is looking into the best interest for women. That being said with the use of drugs, a woman would be more vulnerable and could make situations more dangerous. A situation where the woman is not able to control her actions leaves her very vulnerable to anyone around. On the reverse side, in numerous cases of rape, the person raped will turn to drug abuse. Although feminists do not only believe in the best interest for women, this theory does not apply as well as the others because of the focus that crimes were developed with men in mind, where in some cases drug use may not be a crime or deviant act of This theory “helps to define the limits of proper behavior” (Schaefer, 158). There are numerous laws about possession and use of drugs and stigmatizes to not use them or else a person is endangering themselves. This reasoning for behavior expresses that people follow the law because it is the norm in society to not to do drugs, and to do drugs makes them rebellious or beneath the rest of the community. Jail time for the use of drugs gives the harshness of being caught. In a way, jail and or prison time is scaring people into not doing drugs. People can also be scared into not doing drugs by seeing people have overdosed on the news. This is very relevant on college campuses and high schools where someone may have died of a bad drug. Many people will not think to touch that
Willa Cather’s O Pioneers presents the land as symbolic and vital to the course of the plot. As a force of nature so powerful that it can crush the efforts of any settler in a fleeting moment. This display of supremacy presents itself in the opening lines of Cather's novel, in which she introduces the land as not only the setting but an active character within the story. When Cather’s states, “One January day, thirty years ago, the little town of Hanover, anchored on a windy Nebraska tableland, was trying not to be blown away,” she incarnates the spirit of the settlers within the land. As the novel progresses, the idea that one must be a force equal in strength to the land is apparent in the protagonist character of Alexandra Bergson. O Pioneers brings the works of Fredrick Jackson Turner and Solomon Butcher to life, through Alexandra and her affection for the land, Cather, gives a voice and a human persona to the expanding frontier, showcasing the lands innate ability to shape its own destiny.
In the world we live in today, deviance happens to play an integral role in within the societies that scatter our globe, whether we like it or not. Deviance describes actions or behaviors that violate the social norms of our society. These behaviors can violate formally enacted rules, such as laws that are put into place by government, as well as the informal type of “guidelines” that various cultures have informally established and shaped for themselves. As one may come to understand, norms are essentially expectations that are standard to a certain culture. These norms gently guide people in a society in “what to do,” and “what not to do,” in compliance with their societies' norms. With this said, it is important to keep in mind that social norms differ from culture to culture. One act that may be considered deviant in a particular society, may be generally accepted in another. Three main sociological theories of deviance include the cultural transmission theory (also known as the differential association theory), the labeling theory, and the control theory.
Drugs and Behavior, Rebecca Schilit and Edith Lisansky Gomberg, Page 62, SAGE Publications, Inc.- 1991
Deviance is any behavior that departs from societal or group norms. Deviance is not aimed at directly just once topic. It can range from criminal behavior, to sexual behavior, to religious behavior, and a lot more. Society is based around order and stability, without these two things conformity and predictability in human behavior would not exist. Because deviance can be so defined as so many different things, often people take offense to what they believe is wrong. The way I would define deviance is a mishap, in a person’s beliefs, and behavior that society does not agree with. The concepts 'Social Control ' and 'Deviance ' to my understandings of these terms are that they try to categorize, regulate and define different kinds of antisocial behavior. I believe that a lot of time, we as humans are afraid to break out of our shell and speak our mind because we are so afraid of what others may think. Society tells us that you have to act, be, and look a certain way, and if you do not fit these standards, then you are breaking conformity.
the term is used by Edwin Sutherland in Hensli’s book to indicate that “people who associate with some groups learn an ‘’excess of definitions” of deviance, increasing the likelihood that they will become deviant”. This theory also implies the fact that individuals who commit deviant acts are influenced by primary groups (family’s members) and intimate social contacts (friends). An adolescent growing up in a family with racial issues and racial hatred (have racist behavior) or in family where they have illegal activities such as selling drugs or criminal activities will be much more influenced until becoming the final product (racist, criminal or drug dealer) of these families. Contrary to the previous situation of an adolescent, others adolescent may not be affected because they restrained their desire to take the bad path. According to Foucault, “instead individuals are controlled by institutions. Contemporary society is characterized by the lack of free will on the part of individuals because institutions of knowledge, norms, and values, are in place to categorize and control humans”. In this situation, the external control composed of police officers or authority figures have more affect and influence while responding to the adolescents who behave outside of the norm. If they need to be punished, then the actions should be taken.
The multi-causal model of drug abuse takes into account social and individual causes of addiction, both distant and immediate, that lead to a disposition to using drugs, drug use and the social and individual consequences. Why a person becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol is different for everyone. Some are genetically predisposed, some learn it from their environment (i.e. family or friends), and still others use it to avoid a trauma they have experienced. The case history describes a client that had both social and individual causes for her alcohol use and subsequent dependence.
From a sociological understanding, deviance is any behavior or physical appearance that is condemned from social standards because it defies social norms or social expectations. Sociological understanding of deviance is not always associated with a negative outcome, but can have positive effects for the individual or soceity. With the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks was seen deviant for sitting at the front of a bus and refusing to move when a white male came on board. This act of civil rights not only made a stance for improving African American rights, but also helped change social norms.. From an everyday understanding, deviance is any behavior or physical appearance that is seen with a bad or negative outlook. An example of an everyday understanding of deviant behavior can be seen as an individual having tattoos all over his or her body. Some individuals would consider tattoos covering someone’s entire body are bad or a negative appearance, even if the tattoos had significant meaning to that specific individual.
The war on drugs in our culture is a continuous action that is swiftly lessening our society. This has been going on for roughly 10-15 years and has yet to slow down in any way. Drugs continue to be a problem for the obvious reason that certain people abuse them in a way that can lead to ultimate harm on such a person. These drugs do not just consist of street drugs (marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy), but prescription medications as well. Although there are some instances where drugs are being used by subjects excessively, there has been medical research to prove that some of these drugs have made a successful impact on certain disorders and diseases.
It is not uncommon to view drug addiction as a problem that is created and maintained by the drug addicts. Most of
Feminist criminology is the study of crime in terms of gender for example why men commit more crime than women, why women do more petty crimes, like shop lifting, than violent crime, sexism in the court system, and female victimization. Feminist criminology contains many branches. Liberal, radical, Marxist, and socialist feminism are widely recognized, although other "strands" exist such as postmodernism and ecofeminism. Most feminist criminology involves critiques about how women offenders have been ignored, distorted, or stereotyped within traditional criminology, but there is no shortage of separate theories and modifications of existing theories.
Some people are likely to generalize about the causes of drug related crimes and say that they are simply related to people who do not do any good for our society. However, in certain instances drugs can be used as a source of income for people and they commit crimes in order to facilitate that goal (Nurco, 1998). These people have no way out of their drug lives and therefore may not necessarily choose this life style but are brought up into it.
The first criminological theory, that explains behavior of the drug sellers, is the theory of Differential Association. Differential Association, termed by Edwin Sutherland, argued that persons engage in delinquent behavior because they learn it from society and they engage in it when it benefits them. By this, he is saying that an individual will be a criminal if they experience an excess of criminal definitions over conventional definitions. Sutherland discovered that Differential Association is developed through various stages and he explains such development with the use of nine propositions. (Lily et al. 2011, 48) Such propositions are as follows: (1) criminal behavior is learned, (2) it...
Deviance is defined as being conduct that is not segment of the averages in specific civilization. This can be distinctive throughout the places because certain societies have very dissimilar standards. Conduct condition is a psychological syndrome acknowledged in juvenile that gives itself through a recurring and obstinate display of conduct in which the simple privileges of others and main age-appropriate standards are disrupted. Conduct disorder gives as destructive and discourteous conduct. These psychosomatic indications of conduct disarray, support to explicate the instructive connects among psychology and crime. Furthermore, they establish the progressively unsolidified frontier among psychosomatic and biological theories of deviance.
Drug abuse dates as far back as the Biblical era, so it is not a new phenomenon. “The emotional and social damage and the devastation linked to drugs and their use is immeasurable.” The ripple of subversive and detrimental consequences from alcoholism, drug addictions, and addictive behavior is appalling. Among the long list of effects is lost productivity, anxiety, depression, increased crime rate, probable incarceration, frequent illness, and premature death. The limitless consequences include the destruction to personal development, relationships, and families (Henderson 1-2). “Understandably, Americans consider drug abuse to be one of the most serious problems” in the fabric of society. And although “addiction is the result of voluntary drug use, addiction is no longer voluntary behavior, it’s uncontrollable behavior,” says Alan Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Torr 12-13).
There are many assumptions of why an individual may use different substances and perhaps go from a “social” user to becoming addicted. Understanding the different theories models of addiction many help in the process of treatment for the addict. Although people in general vary in their own ideologies of addiction when working as a clinician one must set aside their own person beliefs. Typically as a clinician it is best for the client to define how they view their addiction and their view may encompass more than one of the five theories. Some theories suggest genetic and other biological factors whiles others emphasize personality or social factors. In this study three theories are defined and given to three different people with different cultural backgrounds, different ideologies, different experiences, and most importantly different reference point of addiction.