CONFORMITY

& DEVIANCE
NORMS
a standard or pattern,
especially of social
behavior, that is typical or
expected of a group.
Every culture has norms that
establish expectations about
what types of behavior
are appropriate for particular
people in certain social
situations.
CONFORMITY

Is an act of
submitting oneself
to the norms of the
society.
CONFORMITY
Pressure to behave in
ways that are viewed
acceptable or appropriate
by a group of people in a
society.
Why do people conform?
TWO MAIN REASONS
1. because they want to fit in
with the group;
2. because they believe the
group is better informed than
they are.
Following rules
Marriage
Changing eating habits
Following fashion
Queues
Greetings
Attending parties
In class
Education and career
Adopting habits
We conform because…
 We don’t want hassle in life;
 We just obey so life would be
less stressful;
 We belong to the majority;
 There is a reward that we can
get.
 TYPES OF
CONFORMITY
1. NORMATIVE
submit to group
pressure to fit in; afraid
of being rejected;
involves compliance.
1. NORMATIVE
Peer pressure:
This is when you use others’
behaviour/comments as a guide
for how to fit in and avoid
disapproval.
2. COMPLIANCE
publicly changes
behaviour to fit in while
privately disagreeing;
conforming to majority.
3. INFORMATIONAL
when a person is lacking
knowledge, and looks for
group guidance; socially
compares their behaviour
with the group;
4. INTERNALIZATION

occurs when we
change our behavior
because we want to be
like another person.
5. INGRATIATION
where a person conforms
to impress or gain
favour/acceptance from
the group;
5. INGRATIATION
similar to Normative
influence, but is motivated
by the need for social
rewards than the threat of
rejection;
6. IDENTIFICATION
conform to the expectations of
a social role; similar to
compliance, but the does not
have to be a change in
private opinion.
DEVIANCE
When a person violates a
norm, members of
society respond by
recognizing the act as
deviant.
DEVIANCE
Behavior that some people in
society find offensive and
which excites, if it were
discovered, disapproval,
punishment, condemnation,
or hostility.
DEVIANCE
Deviant behavior is
outside the bounds
of the group or
society.
Deviance is not simply
behavior. It involves a
moral judgment.
SOCIOLOGIST:

-non-conformity with social

norms;
--behavior that in some way
does not meet with the
expectations of a group
The Nature of Deviance
1. Almost any behavior or
appearance can qualify as
deviant under the right
circumstances.
2. Conceptions of what is deviant
may vary over time and place.
Deviance exists because people
make judgments; it is a product of
society

1. It exists only in relation to

cultural norms
2. People become deviant
when others define them
that way
Deviance Is A Complex Concept

Not everyone who commits

a deviant act is caught and
not everyone who is
punished committed the
crime.
Emile Durkheim
who is considered
as the father of
sociology explains
that deviance is
necessary in
society.
 Emile Durkheim
Modern societies are prone
to anomie or
normlessness. Such a
condition leaves individuals
socially unregulated and
prone to deviance.
STRAIN THEORY
According to this
theory, people
deviate from societal
norms because of
their inability to
reach cultural
goals through
legitimate means.
STRAIN THEORY
ROBERT K. MERTON noted
that not all members of a
culture were always given
equal opportunities to attain
the ideal goals and as a result
people experienced stress.
 All crime is
deviance…but all
deviance is NOT a
crime.
ALCOHOLISM
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE
ABORTION
BEGGARS
PROSTITUTION
Attacking others with weapon
Public display of affection
Drug use
Talking with full mouth
All crimes are deviant, but
some deviant behaviour are
not, is not criminal because the
norms have not been made
into law by a recognized
political authority.
FORMS OF DEVIANCE
He proposes a theory of
deviance based on
accepting or rejecting
goals and the means of
achieving them.
1. CONFORMITY
Follows the process of
pursuing a person’s goal
through traditional means
like education and hard
work.
CULTURAL CULTURAL EXAMPLE
GOALS NORMS
A high school
ACCEPT ACCEPT student
graduates and
goes to
college.
2. RITUALISM
Person rejects a certain
cultural goal, but still
continues to act
conventionally to project a
level of dignity.
2. RITUALISM
Find it impossible to
achieve goals by
acceptable means.
 Ritualism is common among
people of modest social
standing who have little
opportunity to gain more in life
but fear risking what they have
though innovation.
Examples of these are the lower-
level officials who compulsively
conform to rules to the points of
losing sight of their overall
purpose. The means become
ends in themselves.
Such people are deviant,
although they may be viewed as
good citizens because of their
rigid adherence to the rules. In
Filipino, we call them “wala ng
ambisyon sa buhay,” or
“kuntento na sa kanyang
kalagayan”
CULTURAL CULTURAL EXAMPLE
GOALS NORMS

Passing on
REJECT ACCEPT a promotion
rather than
face failure.
3. RETREATISM
The individual is similar to
being apathetic.
Acceptance of their
current situation is evident
by not doing anything to
change or improve it.
3. RETREATISM
They resort to suicide,
drug addiction, and
chronic alcoholism..
CULTURAL CULTURAL EXAMPLE
GOALS NORMS

Drug
REJECT REJECT addicts,
beggars.
4. INNOVATION
Is the use of non-
traditional way or
approach to reach a
socially acceptable goal
4. INNOVATION
accepts the cultural goal but
the position within society
prevents adequate access to
legitimate means for goals
attainment.
 4. INNOVATION
The individual then resorts to
illegitimate means to achieve
culturally approved goals such as
economic success, material
possessions, and social
status.
CULTURAL CULTURAL EXAMPLE
GOALS NORMS

Want wealth,
REJECT REJECT Drug
dealers,
burglars,
theft
5. REBELLION
An individual rejects both
the cultural goal and the
traditional way of
reaching it.
5. REBELLION
Substitute new set of
goals and means of
achieving the goals.
5. REBELLION
Radicals who want to
repair or even destroy the
current system in order to
build a new social
structure
CULTURAL CULTURAL EXAMPLE
GOALS NORMS

Members
REJECT & REJECT of a
REPLACE &
revolutionary
REPLACE
movement
 FOUR
FUNCTIONS OF
DEVIANCE
1. “Deviance affirms
cultural values and norms.
There can be no good
without evil and no justice
without crime”
2. Responding to
deviance clarifies moral
boundaries. People draw
a boundary between
right and wrong.
3. Responding to deviance
bring people together.
People typically react to
serious deviance with
shared outrage.
4. Deviance encourages
social change. Deviant
people push a society’s
moral boundaries.
 FOUR
FUNCTIONS OF
DEVIANCE
1. Deviance serves
as an outlet for
diverse forms of
expressions.
2. Deviance serves
to define the limits
of acceptable
behavior.
3. Deviance may
also promote in
group solidarity
4.Deviance can
serve as an indicator
of social tension
 SOCIAL
CONTROL
SOCIAL CONTROL
systematic practices
developed by social
groups to encourage
conformity and to
discourage deviance.
SOCIAL CONTROL
The the government, the
courts and law enforcement
agencies are structures or
institutions in society that
maintains peace & order.
JUSTICE SYSTEM
Ensures that criminal
courts give a fair and just
judgement on cases
involving that accused.
SOCIAL CONTROL
Society has different
ways in making its
members conform and
behave according to its
norm and standards.
Social control forces
people to conform and
that those who oppose
are considered deviants,
rebels or oppositionists.
ULTIMATE GOAL:

SUBMISSION
OBEDIENCE
CONFORMITY
 BASIC CONTROL
PROCESS:
1) Internalization of group norms
as a result of the socialization
process. Internalization occurs
when individuals accept the norms
and values of their group and
make conformity to these norms
part of their self-concept.
 BASIC CONTROL
PROCESS:
2) Social reactions through external
pressures in the form of sanctions
whenever there are deviations from
the norms. People fear the negative
reactions from others once norms are
violated like condemnation, or
being the object gossip.
Social Control
of Deviance
SANCTIONS
-a threatened penalty for
disobeying a law or rule;
-official permission or
approval for an action.
INFORMAL SANCTIONS

Informal social control

is a self-restraint
exercise because of fear
of what others will think.
INFORMAL SANCTIONS

-Unofficial, often casual

pressures to conform;
-involve reward for
conformity or compliance.
INFORMAL SANCTIONS
-smiles, kiss, an affirmation
-Negative sanctions or informal
sanctions involves penalties for not
conforming.
-These may take the form of ridicule,
exclusion, rejection, or even
expulsion from the group.
FORMAL SANCTIONS
-Official, institutionalized
incentives to conform and
penalties for deviance.
-Needed in large complex
societies.
FORMAL SANCTIONS
-Criminal Justice system is
the most important and visible
institution of social control. -
These may take form of arrest,
pre-trial, sentencing or
imprisonment.
FORMAL SANCTIONS

Members then are

expected to know,
obey, and follow the
rules.
FORMAL SANCTIONS
Failure to conform means
punishment. These may
range from fines,
imprisonment, or death
penalty.