Course: Citizenship Education and Community (8606)
Semester: Autumn, 2021
Assignment No. 2
Q.1 Explain social deviance. Differentiate between formal and informal deviance.
Deviance refers to behaviors that violate social norms.
● Deviant behavior may violate formally-enacted rules or informal social norms.
● Formal deviance includes criminal violation of formally-enacted laws. Examples of formal deviance
include robbery, theft, rape, murder, and assault.
● Informal deviance refers to violations of informal social norms, which are norms that have not been
codified into law. Examples of informal deviance include picking one’s nose, belching loudly, or
standing unnecessarily close to another person.
● Deviance can vary dramatically across cultures. Cultural norms are relative, which makes deviant
behavior relative as well.
● Formal Deviance: Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate social
norms, including formally-enacted rules (e.g., crime), as well as informal violations of social norms
(e.g., rejecting folkways and mores).
● deviance: Actions or behaviors that violate formal and informal cultural norms, such as laws or the
norm that discourages public nose-picking.
● Informal Deviance: Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate
social norms, including formally-enacted rules (e.g., crime), as well as informal violations of social
norms (e.g., rejecting folkways and mores).
1
, Course: Citizenship Education and Community (8606)
Semester: Autumn, 2021
● Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate informal social norms or
formally-enacted rules. Among those who study social norms and their relation to deviance are
sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and criminologists, all of whom investigate how norms change
and are enforced over time.
● Deviance is often divided into two types of activities. The first, crime, is the violation of formally
enacted laws and is referred to as formal deviance. Examples of formal deviance include robbery, theft,
rape, murder, and assault. The second type of deviant behavior involves violations of informal social
norms (norms that have not been codified into law) and is referred to as informal deviance. Examples of
informal deviance include picking one’s nose, belching loudly, or standing unnecessarily close to
another person.
● Deviance can vary dramatically across cultures. Cultural norms are relative, which makes deviant
behavior relative as well. For instance, in the United States, Americans do not generally impose time-
based restrictions on speech. However, in the Christ Desert Monastery, specific rules govern determine
when residents can and cannot speak, and speech is banned between 7:30 pm and 4:00 am. These rules
are one example of how norms vary across cultures.
● Current sociological research on deviance takes many forms. For example, Dr. Karen Halnon of
Pennsylvania State University studies informal deviance and focuses on what she calls “deviance
vacations,” whereby people of a given socioeconomic status voluntarily enter a different, often lower,
social strata. One example involves heterosexual white males who become drag queens on weekends.
This behavior represents a luxury, because heterosexual white males can afford to make a temporarily
shift, knowing that they may subsequently return to the comforts of their prevailing socioeconomic
status. Other examples include performers who may affect deviant behaviors in order to gain credibility
with an aim to increasing commercial profits.
The aim of social order, Parsons has well said, is “nipping deviant tendencies in the bud”. If that be not done,
social order would cease to exist; the law of the brute would prevail. The world would be that ‘brutish’ and
‘nasty’ state will prevail in society. Just the opposite is the process and influence that regulated social action.
The mechanics of socialisation, the process of internalization of values etc. and the bondage due to emotion –
repulsion and attraction, that individuals, generally come up as conformists. Social control works always and all
the time. But in view of the fact that society is subject to external impact, and internal revulsions, that continuity
and change is the character of social system, the enforcement of social control is not simple.
2
, Course: Citizenship Education and Community (8606)
Semester: Autumn, 2021
Some may be dissatisfied with it and they may find satisfaction in deviance. The danger is always present, it
cannot be eliminated. It is also not tolerable. The effectiveness of social control would therefore depend on the
appropriate coordination of the accepted means of social control.
Generally speaking, social control is nothing but control of the society over individuals. In order to maintain the
organisation and the order of the society, man has to be kept under some sort of control. This control is
necessary in order to have desired behaviour from the individual and enable him to develop social qualities.
Society in order to exist and progress has to exercise a certain control over its members since any marked
deviation from the established ways is considered a threat to its welfare. Such control has been termed by
sociologists as social control.
Social control is the term sociologists apply to those mechanisms by which any society maintains a normative
social system. It refers to all the ways and means by which society enforces conformity to its norms. The
individual internalises social norms and these become part of his personality. In the process of socialisation the
growing child learns the values of his own groups as well as of the larger society and the ways of doing and
thinking that are deemed to be right and proper.
But every social group makes errors, great or small, in the socialising the young, says Lapiere. Even at best, the
internalisation be so the social norms can scarcely of complete that a person’s own desires exactly coincide with
the social expectations of his group.
Hence, there is some deviations from group norms in every group. But any deviation beyond a certain degree of
tolerance is met with resistance, for any marked deviation from the accepted norms is considered a threat to the
welfare of the group.
Hence sanctions – the rewards or punishments- are applied to control the behaviour of the individual and to
bring the nonconformists into line. All these efforts by the group are called social control, which is concerned
with the failures in socialisation. Social control, as says Lapiere, is thus a corrective for inadequate socialisation.
According to E.A. Ross, the individual has deep-rooted sentiments that help him to cooperate with other fellow
members to work for social welfare. These sentiments are sympathy, sociability and a sense of justice. But these
sentiments by themselves are not enough to suppress the self-seeking impulses of the individual.
Society has to make use of its mechanism to accomplish the necessary order and discipline. This mechanism is
called social control. As Ross defines, “Social control refers to the system of devices whereby society brings its
members into conformity with the accepted standard of behaviour.
“Social control is the system of measures, suggestions, persuasion, restrain and coercion by whatever means
including physical force by which society brings into conformity to the approved pattern of behaviour, a
subgroup or by which a group moulds into conformity its members”. “Social control is the way in which entire
social order coheres and maintains itself – how it operates as a whole, as a changing equilibrium.”
Social control is necessary for an orderly social life. The society has to regulate and pattern individual
behaviour to maintain normative social order. Without social control the organisation of the society is about to
3
Semester: Autumn, 2021
Assignment No. 2
Q.1 Explain social deviance. Differentiate between formal and informal deviance.
Deviance refers to behaviors that violate social norms.
● Deviant behavior may violate formally-enacted rules or informal social norms.
● Formal deviance includes criminal violation of formally-enacted laws. Examples of formal deviance
include robbery, theft, rape, murder, and assault.
● Informal deviance refers to violations of informal social norms, which are norms that have not been
codified into law. Examples of informal deviance include picking one’s nose, belching loudly, or
standing unnecessarily close to another person.
● Deviance can vary dramatically across cultures. Cultural norms are relative, which makes deviant
behavior relative as well.
● Formal Deviance: Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate social
norms, including formally-enacted rules (e.g., crime), as well as informal violations of social norms
(e.g., rejecting folkways and mores).
● deviance: Actions or behaviors that violate formal and informal cultural norms, such as laws or the
norm that discourages public nose-picking.
● Informal Deviance: Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate
social norms, including formally-enacted rules (e.g., crime), as well as informal violations of social
norms (e.g., rejecting folkways and mores).
1
, Course: Citizenship Education and Community (8606)
Semester: Autumn, 2021
● Deviance, in a sociological context, describes actions or behaviors that violate informal social norms or
formally-enacted rules. Among those who study social norms and their relation to deviance are
sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and criminologists, all of whom investigate how norms change
and are enforced over time.
● Deviance is often divided into two types of activities. The first, crime, is the violation of formally
enacted laws and is referred to as formal deviance. Examples of formal deviance include robbery, theft,
rape, murder, and assault. The second type of deviant behavior involves violations of informal social
norms (norms that have not been codified into law) and is referred to as informal deviance. Examples of
informal deviance include picking one’s nose, belching loudly, or standing unnecessarily close to
another person.
● Deviance can vary dramatically across cultures. Cultural norms are relative, which makes deviant
behavior relative as well. For instance, in the United States, Americans do not generally impose time-
based restrictions on speech. However, in the Christ Desert Monastery, specific rules govern determine
when residents can and cannot speak, and speech is banned between 7:30 pm and 4:00 am. These rules
are one example of how norms vary across cultures.
● Current sociological research on deviance takes many forms. For example, Dr. Karen Halnon of
Pennsylvania State University studies informal deviance and focuses on what she calls “deviance
vacations,” whereby people of a given socioeconomic status voluntarily enter a different, often lower,
social strata. One example involves heterosexual white males who become drag queens on weekends.
This behavior represents a luxury, because heterosexual white males can afford to make a temporarily
shift, knowing that they may subsequently return to the comforts of their prevailing socioeconomic
status. Other examples include performers who may affect deviant behaviors in order to gain credibility
with an aim to increasing commercial profits.
The aim of social order, Parsons has well said, is “nipping deviant tendencies in the bud”. If that be not done,
social order would cease to exist; the law of the brute would prevail. The world would be that ‘brutish’ and
‘nasty’ state will prevail in society. Just the opposite is the process and influence that regulated social action.
The mechanics of socialisation, the process of internalization of values etc. and the bondage due to emotion –
repulsion and attraction, that individuals, generally come up as conformists. Social control works always and all
the time. But in view of the fact that society is subject to external impact, and internal revulsions, that continuity
and change is the character of social system, the enforcement of social control is not simple.
2
, Course: Citizenship Education and Community (8606)
Semester: Autumn, 2021
Some may be dissatisfied with it and they may find satisfaction in deviance. The danger is always present, it
cannot be eliminated. It is also not tolerable. The effectiveness of social control would therefore depend on the
appropriate coordination of the accepted means of social control.
Generally speaking, social control is nothing but control of the society over individuals. In order to maintain the
organisation and the order of the society, man has to be kept under some sort of control. This control is
necessary in order to have desired behaviour from the individual and enable him to develop social qualities.
Society in order to exist and progress has to exercise a certain control over its members since any marked
deviation from the established ways is considered a threat to its welfare. Such control has been termed by
sociologists as social control.
Social control is the term sociologists apply to those mechanisms by which any society maintains a normative
social system. It refers to all the ways and means by which society enforces conformity to its norms. The
individual internalises social norms and these become part of his personality. In the process of socialisation the
growing child learns the values of his own groups as well as of the larger society and the ways of doing and
thinking that are deemed to be right and proper.
But every social group makes errors, great or small, in the socialising the young, says Lapiere. Even at best, the
internalisation be so the social norms can scarcely of complete that a person’s own desires exactly coincide with
the social expectations of his group.
Hence, there is some deviations from group norms in every group. But any deviation beyond a certain degree of
tolerance is met with resistance, for any marked deviation from the accepted norms is considered a threat to the
welfare of the group.
Hence sanctions – the rewards or punishments- are applied to control the behaviour of the individual and to
bring the nonconformists into line. All these efforts by the group are called social control, which is concerned
with the failures in socialisation. Social control, as says Lapiere, is thus a corrective for inadequate socialisation.
According to E.A. Ross, the individual has deep-rooted sentiments that help him to cooperate with other fellow
members to work for social welfare. These sentiments are sympathy, sociability and a sense of justice. But these
sentiments by themselves are not enough to suppress the self-seeking impulses of the individual.
Society has to make use of its mechanism to accomplish the necessary order and discipline. This mechanism is
called social control. As Ross defines, “Social control refers to the system of devices whereby society brings its
members into conformity with the accepted standard of behaviour.
“Social control is the system of measures, suggestions, persuasion, restrain and coercion by whatever means
including physical force by which society brings into conformity to the approved pattern of behaviour, a
subgroup or by which a group moulds into conformity its members”. “Social control is the way in which entire
social order coheres and maintains itself – how it operates as a whole, as a changing equilibrium.”
Social control is necessary for an orderly social life. The society has to regulate and pattern individual
behaviour to maintain normative social order. Without social control the organisation of the society is about to
3
