Evaluation of Sociological Theories Essay -- Papers Sociology Deviance

Evaluation of Sociological Theories Deviance canful be described as Nonconformity with existing/traditional br otherwisely norms. This nonconformity is often said to be pathological when it challenges power and privilege yet it is said to be indicative of innovation or creativity when the gatekeepers of morality approve it. A loaded term, deviancy is a negative plus when the environment is stable but can be a supportive asset to a society when the environment is irreversibly changing. Each emplacement asks different questions and focuses on different issues regarding crime and deviance. They have different ideas roughly the causes of crime. Subcultural theories on crime and deviance were developed in the late mid-fifties and early 1960s from the works of Albert Cohen(1955) and Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin(1960). They suggested that people react to forces external to them, this leads them to behave in certain ways. Their behaviour is determined b y complaisant causes. Criminals behave otherwise from non-criminals. Subcultural theorists have attempted to seek the causes of these differences, they claim to have identified malfunctions in the social order. These malfunctions are seen to be rectifiable by different types of social engineering e.g. Social reform, social welfare and education. Crimes are social facts and therefore must(prenominal) have social causes. Criminals are non seen as abnormal individuals by subcultural theorists, but as social actors influenced by social causes. Statistics have indicated that criminals are mostly male, adolescent, works class and urban living. An idea inspired by Durkhiem (1952) suggested that this is a socia... ...s as it gives evidence to support their idea that working class people cast more crimes than middle class males. On the other hand, criminal statistics was challenged by left realists who believe that criminal statistics is the reality and ther efore we should accept it, on with the solutions to attempt to solve the problems to tackle the high levels of crime. Marxist approach in explaining deviant behaviour is only reliable to some extent. Along with the contradictions from other perspectives, it shows that improvements can be added to their ideas. Marxists mainly concentrated on the class dispersal and stress that they the ruling class control the norms and values of the society. It leave not be classed as deviant unless the bourgeoisie say so and they will not say so unless a working class soul commits it.