Cultural Deviance
Every community has expectations regarding the way its members are supposed or not supposed to behave. Norms are guidelines or expectations for manners of conduct. Each society comes up with its standards for a mode of behavior. It also decides when the instructions have been disobeyed and even what actions to take. Norms change frequently. They also differ broadly among communities, and they can also vary depending on the various groups in that same community. Wherever individuals go, there are expectations concerning their behavior. Even inside the same community, these norms are different in multiple settings. For example, the way people are expected to carry themselves in a church is different from how they are expected to act in parties or even classrooms.
Norms are also place-specific; thus, the things that are seen as appropriate in a particular country could be seen as so wrong in a different country. For example, in several African nations, it is ok for individuals in a movie theatre to shout frequently and even comment loudly concerning the movie. However, in America, individuals are expected to sit in silence while watching a movie in a theater, as shouting is unacceptable. Appropriate and also unsuitable behavior frequently transforms dramatically from a single generation to another generation. Norms changes over time. For example, in the United States, it was not easy for a lady to ask a male guy out during the 1950s. It is, however, different today as ladies comfortably ask men out and pay for a few or even the entire bill.
Deviance behavior can be beneficial or have positive consequences for a community as it serves to assist in reminding the society the right things and those that are wrong. Deviant behavior has a specific result; hence every time an atypical actor is caught and also punished, the community witnesses the consequence, which in return assists in reasserting the society’s values. Deviance act is also beneficial as through it, social transformation occurs. If a particular deviant behavior becomes more acknowledged, there is a possibility that it may be viewed as legitimate. Deviance behavior also assists individuals in adjusting to transformation. It accomplishes this by providing alternate lifestyles’ examples and also eases the social transformation’s shock, as deviant acts introduce these transformations gradually. People get accustomed to seeing various styles of behavior, dresses, etc.
Deviant behavior also promotes social solidarity via distinguishing “us” from “them.” It thus heightens social cohesion in the huger community by creating social boundaries that define what is acknowledged or the right behavior. When individuals agree concerning particular norms of a manner of conduct and the things that constitute a disobedient of this act, the community becomes more united. Lastly, deviant behavior gives way for a few people and also groups to make their agendas known to the various societies and, at the same time, uplift their private status. Generally, deviance behavior is also an essential part of all communities since it brings about social order. It also typically assists in promoting transformation in the community.