THE IMPORTANT OF SOCIAL DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL
Social deviance is a concept used in the social science to represent all social actions or in some case
words and image – that transgress socially accepted behavioral norms and ethical standards. Social
deviance is a far broader term than crime. The latter is restricted to actions or signs that exist beyond
boundaries set by law, whilst the former incorporates crime but also includes any legal action, word or
image deemed unacceptable. The disciplines of sociology and criminology share a long history of dealing
with the concept of social deviance, a history that, roughly speaking, moved through the layered phases
of classicism, positivism/ pluralism, and radicalism.
Before these disciplines become established, the concept was the preserve of theologies, philosophers
and legal theorists. The classical phase came into being when protestant and Enlightenment thinking
distinguished crime from broader religious concept of sin. As it developed from these historical
watersheds, classical liberal thought, with it growing faith in the rationalized legal system as the product
of the new ‘like minds’ of universal reason, tended to conflate deviance with the legal category of crime.
Deviant is behavior that violates social norms and arouses negative social reactions. Some behavior is
considered so harmful that governments enact written laws that ban the behavior. Crime is behavior that
violates these laws and is certainly an important type of deviance that concerns many American.
The fact that both deviance and crime arouse negative social reactions reminds us that every society
needs to ensure that its members generally obey social norms in their daily interaction. Although
deviance is normal in the regard it remains true that some people are more likely than others to commit
it. It is also true that some locations within a given society have higher rates of deviance than other
locations; for example, U.S. cities have higher rates of violent crime than do rural areas. Still, Durkheim’s
monastery example raises an important point about the relativity of deviance; whether a behavior is
considered deviant depends on the circumstances in which the behavior occurs and not on the behavior
itself. Although talking might be considered deviant in a monastery, it would certainly be considered very
normal elsewhere. If an assailant, say a young male, murders someone, he faces arrest, possible
execution.
Social control society is a collectivity of groups and individuals. It exists for the welfare and
advancement of the whole. The mutuality, on which it depends, is possible to sustain by adjustment of
varied and contradictory interests. The structure pattern continues to exist because of its inbuilt
mechanism and sanction system.
Social control which implies the social intercourse is regulated in accordance with established and
recognized standards, is comprehensive, omnipotent and effective to stimulate order, discipline and
mutuality; and to discourage, and if need be, to punished the deviance. The aim of social order, parsons
has well said, is ‘’nipping deviant tendencies in the bud’’. If that be not done, social orders would cease
to exist; the law of the brute would prevail. The world would be that ‘brutish’ and ‘nasty’ state will
prevail in society. The term, ‘social control’ is widely used in sociology to refers to the social processes by
which the behavior of individuals or groups is regulated. Since all societies have norms and values
governing conduct [a society without some such norms and values is inconceivable], all equally have
some mechanism for ensuring conformity to those norms and for dealing with deviance. Social control is
consequent a pervasive feature of society, of interest to a broad range of sociology having differing
theoretical persuasions and substantive interests, and not just to sociologists of deviance. Some
theorists, such as Emile Durkheim refer to this form of control as regulation. Sociologists identify two
basic forms of social controls; a] Internalization of norms and values. b] External sanctions, which can be
either positive {rewards} or negative {punishment}.
Social control is necessary for an orderly social life. The society has to regulate and pattern individual
behavior to maintain normative social order. Without social control the organization of the society is
about to get disturbed. If the individual is effectively socialized, he confirms to the accepted ways from
force of habit as well as from his desire of being accepted an approved by other persons. Family is one of
the most important agencies of social control. Every child learns from her/ his immediate environment,
which is first provided by the family. Etiquettes, habits and attitudes are first learned from the immediate
role models {e.g. parents, siblings, kin groups, etc.}. The family socializes the child into the norms, values,
traditions and customs of the group.
