You’re Name Professor Course 3 May 2006 The Implication of Norms and Deviance from a Societal Perspective There is a logical interpretation for what is meant of the differences between norms and deviance in society. Of course, when people in society think of a norm, they place this idea with how a person should behave and function within the confines of society. This is in fact, a form of social order (Knobl 2001). Social order defines what social norms are designated as the values that people will be instilled with during their life, from childhood into adulthood, and then the elderly years. This is done through family, peers, in school, church, and many other societal outlets. Behavior is a learned process, and to be considered to be in the norm then people behave and interact with one another in a very appropriate manner, which is defined by how the social order within a society is laid out. Quite honestly this has a lot to do with the amount of respect and compassion that individuals share among each other. Many people look at norms as being attitudes that are utterly socially regulated and of course this does hold truth to it from a psychological perspective (Dubois 2002). However, there are psychologists who beg to differ on the true meaning of what a norm actually is and how society as a whole reacts to the summation of the idea in itself. Dubois (2002), points out that Sociologists view norms as behaviors that define what people do and how they interact, while psychologists view them as simply sociocognitive behavior patterns that they have adapted or adjusted too. “A norm is a statistical idea held by the majority in society” (Dubois 2002). This quote is very factual based and is pretty much the whole concept surrounding norms and societies behavior patterns. Social psychologists detail the idea of norms to be something that guides individuals’ behavior. People understand what is right and what is wrong and they are left with a choice to choose. The norms show what their decisions and interactions in everyday living are within the majority of the population. Normally people follow along the path of what is good and what is right but there are innumerable instances where there are those who turn against the standard norms of society. Those in society that don’t follow the norms that are the primary behaviors and beliefs are considered to be deviant. In this regard, this group of people would be regarded as having many traits and characteristics of deviant behavior. Deviance is unlike the norm, it is considered to be the adverse behavior of some of those in a society. These individuals’ actual attitudes are marred with the definition of deviance. So the perception is that those who go along the road of the appropriate social norms are in the positive group of conformity to the beliefs in a society, while those who are consumed with deviance are in the adverse group (Dubois 2002). Throughout history societal norms have been established so that deviant behavior could somehow be refrained from. It was felt that if people completely understood right from wrong they would often choose the right moral road to walk upon. Norms are representative of many ideals in life, some being ethical and some holding moral countenance (Wallace 1996, pg.9). When viewing norms from an ethical standpoint it is again correlated with what is right and wrong. There is no person that is on this earth that does not understand what is good and what is bad. People are left to judge and come to a decision on what is the best thing to do in certain situations in life. At the same time, Wallace (1996) points out that positivism and character can not be included into the main idea of what skills a person performs because someone might do something extremely intelligent or beneficial to society, yet harbor a deviant frame of mind from the rest of that social group. For instance, simply because someone is a good “navigator” or even an excellent “farmer” does not necessarily mean that they are a good person (Wallace 1996, pg.9). The problem is some just tend to continuously choose what is out of the norm of society. The only way in which this type of behavior is effectively controlled is by law enforcement. Law enforcement dictates when deviant behavior is unacceptable to the point of facing criminal charges and being arrested and then behavior that is of deviant influence but that is considered to be “tolerable” (Desroches 1991). The fact is policing developed from the ideas of the norms established in society. It was realized that there would of course be people who would be different from the norms and would therefore somehow need to be controlled. Thereby, the police force began (Desroches 1991). By policing, many deviant behaviors are modified through punishment established by the judicial system. Once having faced a punishment for adverse actions, many people learn to refrain from that type of behavior but there are still those that no matter what punishment they are given, they still keep the same type of adverse behavior patterns. These would be in the group that would be involved with more severe criminal actions such as rape, armed robbery, and murder. Without the police and the many task forces set up in societies all around the world, there would be no way to control this type of behavior and the world would be filled with many adversities, making it very difficult to keep any type of normalcy to life. In truth it would become a world of deviance rather than of correct social, ethical, and moral norms to live by. Furthermore, from a political standpoint how does one dictate what norms are the correct ones? It has to be asked which moral norms need to be promoted and which ones not, such as gay marriage versus traditional marriage (Cox 2002). When society dictates what norms are to be followed, often there is a problem within the youth population because they tend to have a younger mind set and different ideas of what should and should not be in society. It is often these very strict moral and ethical societal norms that drive the youth into getting involved with deviant activities, without any real criminal intent. Firstly, when a consideration is given as to why youths develop attitudes of deviance, it must be understood that the many social changes that they go through, along with peer pressures and misconceptions about life are what effectively propel them into these types of actions and activities that are incorrect to a society’s structure (Winslow 1972, pg.iii). Nevertheless, it is up to society to ensure that the youth get what they need to thrive, grow and develop in society correctly. Regardless of whether or not they are having problems, or some view them as a social adversity, they deserve attention through counseling and any other form of intervention to help them adjust to what is deemed to be the correct behavior patterns. If interventive measures are taken early in a young person’s life then it makes all the difference when they enter into adulthood. Young people need this guidance to learn to interact with others and to come to realize that they can not always have everything the exact way that they want it. Life is just not made up this way, and the sooner that this is understood the better. This is one of the main reasons that many adults in society are just as deviant as some of the youth. They never received any form of counseling to improve upon their behavior. If specific changes are not made and implemented then this is the type of adversity that society will continue to be faced with and in that regard it is not fair to anyone. However, as was mentioned earlier in this research, if the correct social order is instated within different societal circles and the proper guidance is given to the youth then this will deter many unwanted behaviors among young people. The point is, social control must be carried out in a way that is not demeaning or belittling, much like how police work is handled. Ultimately the two go hand and hand in keeping order and control in society. In conclusion, this research has defined the differences between norms and deviance. It has justified the importance of social order and policing in societal communities. Also, it has shown how the youth deserve acknowledgement and assistance from the adults in society so that they can feel they fit in. Life is made up of morals and there are either those that people follow that are the correct moral and ethical ones or there are those who stay in correlation with a mind set of deviance and deviant actions. It is simply the way the world has developed and one in which those in societies everywhere have had to adjust too. Works Cited Cox, Anne-Marie. “Disturbing Behavior.” The Washington Monthly 34 (2002): 1. Desroches, Fredrick. “Tearoom Trade A Law Enforcement Problem.” Canadian Journal of Criminology 33 (1991): 1-22. Dubois, Nicole. “A Sociocognitive Approach to Social Norms.” Routledge Publications, (2002). Knobl, Wolfgang. “War, Peace, and Social Order.” The Canadian Journal of Sociology 26 (2001):1. Wallace, James. “Ethical Norms Particular Cases.” Cornell University Press, (1996). Winslow, Robert. “The Emergence of Deviant Minorities: Social Problems and Social Change.” Consensus Publishers, (1972).