Social Deviance

Examining a variety of forms of deviance, this text considers two alternative viewpoints: the objectivist conception - deviance is norm-violation, and subjectivist conception - deviance is a definition. It applies both views to the differing forms of deviance examined in later chapters. For each viewpoint, both macro and micro level theories relevant to each form of deviance are presented. For each theory empirical research is reviewed with an eye towards evaluating the validity of the theory. The text stresses throughout that the definition of deviance depends on one's conception.