Assignment task:
Deviance is defined as a violation of cultural norms, but not all deviant behavior is negative. A sociologist can examine deviant behavior through a theoretical perspective to try to understand its causes. A symbolic interactionist view would explain deviance as a product of social stratification. For example, people born into a lower economic class may have limited access to resources such as education and income; therefore, they may struggle more significantly to overcome those limitations.
Respond to the following in a minimum of one hundred seventy five words:
Give an example of a positive or negative deviant behavior that you have witnessed, either formally or informally. How did it contradict social and/or cultural norms? How did you react? How did the people in the nearby social group react? (Please do not share incriminating or personal details.)
How might a functionalist or conflict theorist explain the reasons for the deviant behavior?