In what ways are crime and deviance relative? (10) Taylor Purrott
. Can use: statistic, current relative example, importance of SPECIFIC DETAILED examples
. Points not expected to be very long but need to be developed with examples
Crime is an act or behaviour that breaks the formal, written laws of a given society. Whereas deviance is
behaviour that does not conform to the dominant norms of a specific society. It involves the breaking of social
rules or norms. Crime and deviance can be described as being relative due to the fact that it can change as a
result of the persons time, location, and culture. Due to the fact that norms + values are varied across the
world it can also be described as being socially constructed as well as relative. The term relative in itself means
that crime and deviance are different from one another and are not fixed.
Para 1 PEEE (time)- One way in which crime and deviance can be seen as relative depends on the time in which
an event occurred. For instance, in today’s society, it is deemed to be perfectly normal to see a woman
wearing a bikini on the beach when it is a hot day however Ann Oakley found that unequal gender norms are
changing over time, but not fast enough! This can be seen in 1922 where if someone wore a bathing suit that
was deemed as being too short, they faced receiving a warrant from the police. They even had “bathing suit”
patrol men who would measure to see if a bathing suit was of proper length standards. Bathing suits back then
could not be more than 6 inches above the knees. Thus, this makes crime and deviance relative depending on
the time period being looked at.
Para 2 PEEE (Place/social sit)- Additionally, a second way in which crime and deviance can be seen as relative
depends on the location of the event. Linking to my previous statement, while it may be considered a social
norm to wear shorts and expose skin during the heat this is not the case for everywhere. Countries such as
Saudi Arabia are under the Shariah Law which in turn makes it both illegal and punishable for a woman in
Saudi Arabia to wear shorts and expose her skin- thus making crime and deviance relative depending on the
location of where you are situated.
Para 3 PEEE (culture)- Following on from this, a final way in which crime and deviance can be seen as relative
depends on the culture of the person/country. Margaret Mead noted several differences in cultural norms in
her study of the Chambri tribe. In the UK an aggressive woman could be labelled as a ‘deviant’ however
Mead’s findings reflective upon this same behaviour in the Chambri tribe where this was seen as completely
normal as a social norm, if anything a docile/nurturing female (as seen in the UK) would have been considered
‘deviant’. Therefore, crime and deviance can be described as being dependent on these factors (time, place
and culture), their relativity is not fixed.
. Can use: statistic, current relative example, importance of SPECIFIC DETAILED examples
. Points not expected to be very long but need to be developed with examples
Crime is an act or behaviour that breaks the formal, written laws of a given society. Whereas deviance is
behaviour that does not conform to the dominant norms of a specific society. It involves the breaking of social
rules or norms. Crime and deviance can be described as being relative due to the fact that it can change as a
result of the persons time, location, and culture. Due to the fact that norms + values are varied across the
world it can also be described as being socially constructed as well as relative. The term relative in itself means
that crime and deviance are different from one another and are not fixed.
Para 1 PEEE (time)- One way in which crime and deviance can be seen as relative depends on the time in which
an event occurred. For instance, in today’s society, it is deemed to be perfectly normal to see a woman
wearing a bikini on the beach when it is a hot day however Ann Oakley found that unequal gender norms are
changing over time, but not fast enough! This can be seen in 1922 where if someone wore a bathing suit that
was deemed as being too short, they faced receiving a warrant from the police. They even had “bathing suit”
patrol men who would measure to see if a bathing suit was of proper length standards. Bathing suits back then
could not be more than 6 inches above the knees. Thus, this makes crime and deviance relative depending on
the time period being looked at.
Para 2 PEEE (Place/social sit)- Additionally, a second way in which crime and deviance can be seen as relative
depends on the location of the event. Linking to my previous statement, while it may be considered a social
norm to wear shorts and expose skin during the heat this is not the case for everywhere. Countries such as
Saudi Arabia are under the Shariah Law which in turn makes it both illegal and punishable for a woman in
Saudi Arabia to wear shorts and expose her skin- thus making crime and deviance relative depending on the
location of where you are situated.
Para 3 PEEE (culture)- Following on from this, a final way in which crime and deviance can be seen as relative
depends on the culture of the person/country. Margaret Mead noted several differences in cultural norms in
her study of the Chambri tribe. In the UK an aggressive woman could be labelled as a ‘deviant’ however
Mead’s findings reflective upon this same behaviour in the Chambri tribe where this was seen as completely
normal as a social norm, if anything a docile/nurturing female (as seen in the UK) would have been considered
‘deviant’. Therefore, crime and deviance can be described as being dependent on these factors (time, place
and culture), their relativity is not fixed.
