Deviance

Deviance

Deviance is a topic characterized by ambiguity. Accordingly, various researchers have unique conceptions of deviance. Notably, Inderbitzin et al. (2017) describe three conceptions of deviance. The first one revolves around an objective, normative, or positivist notion. From this perspective, individuals set several norms, behaviors, or conduct upon which they all agree. Basically, norms are rules that guide people on how to conduct themselves (Inderbitzin et al., 2017). Therefore, in this conception, deviance is described as violating the rules set by the majority. Subsequently, the second conception is a social constructionist conception. It postulates that deviance is constructed socially through interactions. In this regard, behavior becomes deviant after the definition of deviance is applied to them. In other words, deviant behavior is the behavior that people label as deviant (Inderbitzin et al., 2017). Contact us at eminencepapers.com. Our homework help will save you tons of energy and time required for your homework paper.

The third conception of deviance is a critical definition of deviance. Supporters of the critical conception of deviance argue that the majority of people in power create deviance to enhance or protect their power (Inderbitzin et al., 2017). Typically, the critical conception does not focus on the types of deviance; rather, it evaluates the existing social system. Given that these conceptions are different, exploring theory becomes essential for understanding deviance. Essentially, theory helps us gain a systematic understanding of societal behavior instead of anecdotes about behavior. Accordingly, this calls for systematic research procedures, such as the scientific method, which involves several steps to help the researcher explore a research question.

Furthermore, research can be inductive or deductive. In deductive research, research questions are theoretical. The research questions guide the researcher in formulating hypotheses about a phenomenon they wish to examine. After developing the hypotheses, the next steps are data collection, analysis, interpretation, and conclusions. The conclusions then inform the researcher whether the theory under study helped understand the world. Conversely, inductive research begins with a theoretical perspective, unlike deductive research, which begins with research questions (Inderbitzin et al., 2017). The theoretical perspectives in inductive research guide the research questions. Subsequently, systematic data collection, analyses, and interpretation help improve the original theoretical perspective. The researcher then continues testing their theory and using their findings to inform their reductive or inductive research.

References

Inderbitzin, M., Bates, K., & Gainey, R. (2017). Deviance and Social Control: A Sociological Perspective (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Describe the conceptions of deviance. Assess why theory is important to our understanding of deviance.

Deviance

Examine the basic difference between research questions for inductive versus deductive research in deviance.