Sociologists speak of deviance as relative to time, place, and group. Select a deviant behavior. Relative to the total society, discuss the extent to which you believe our society regards this behavior as deviant. Relative to this deviant act, describe both the internal and external means of control that are relied upon to prevent the behavior. What would you suggest that might be done to reduce or eliminate this deviant behavior?

POST 1

According to the labeling theory, there are two types of deviance, primary and secondary. Primary deviance: A violation of norms that do not result in any long-term consequences does not hurt self-image.  Secondary deviance: A person’s self-concept changes due to the label society give that person. In freedom countries like the United States, drinking alcohol is not a perversion, also it is not a crime, but in religious countries like Iran, it is a crime. Therefore, society and law determine which action is deviant. In Iran drinking alcohol is forbidden and those who violate this law will be severely punished. “Under Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, consumption of alcoholic beverages is punishable by 80 lashes, and if an individual is convicted and sentenced three times, the punishment on the fourth occasion is death.” (www.amnesty.org) But there are some people in Iran who drink alcohol secretly. Some religious people have considered them deviated and some people do not care. My suggestion to reduce this deviant behavior is freedom. Just as freedom of belief, speech, and religion is important, the freedom of drink is also important. Each person must decide for him/herself what to eat and drink. When there is no freedom to drink, there is a lot of deviation and waste. “Trading and drinking alcohol are illegal in Iran, and those seeking alcoholic drinks often rely on a chain of black-market dealers without knowing where and how the drinks are produced. The dealers themselves are often not sure of the source of the alcohol… “One of those [who] died of poisoning in our hospital was an alcohol dealer, Mohebi sai

POST 2

Robbery is a form of deviant behavior. It involves the act of taking someone’s property usually with an intent to permanently deprive the person of that property. It usually is also performed by means of fear or force. Society regard robbery as a deviant behavior because it violates the codified law that makes robbery an illegal act. As such, robbery becomes a crime because it not only breaks a norm but rather a serious law. Also, the total society governed by laws which ensures checking of any behavior that can cause disruption in the normal functioning of society. Hence, for behavior like robbery the total society formulate laws in order to give sanctions and punishment against perpetrators. It implies that society has strict control over robbery and sees it as a strong type of deviance.External means of control refers to using of authority figure in giving sanctions against those who disobey. It usually is done through laws and legal code of conduct. As such, external means like incarceration, fines, imprisonment, and suspension are sanctioned against those who commit robbery.