Deviance

10 Pages 2437 Words

true even though there are large amount of people within the society using drugs recreationally. However, if the society were to legalize it, such as was done with alcohol, it would be sanctioned and therefore not be judged as deviant among the mass majority. A look at deviance through various perspectives will help shed light on different angles that relate to the concept.
Functionalism is a perspective advocated by such famous sociologists as Merton and Durkheim, viewing deviance as a clarification of moral boundaries, affirmation of norms, and promoter of social unity and social change. Merton’s strain theory states that members of a society are socialized to desire certain goals, but many people are unable to achieve these goals in socially acceptable or legitimate ways. Sociologists, Cloward and Ohlin, address illegitimate opportunity structures and state that when legitimate means to achieving goals are not accessible to some members of society, the seek out illegitimate opportunity structures as a way of achieving goals (Turner, 1996).
Durkheim has examined the area of religion to look at moral interpretations of social organisms. In other words, while people who practice religions or philosophies believe they are doing so because it is the true religion, Durkheim sees the religion as fulfilling a social function. Durkheim observed that a believer is stronger and feels within himself a force that can endure things that are put forth in life (Jones, 1986). Durkheim saw religious beliefs as away to a way to dodge being labeled deviant. Durkheim was also aligned with William James who suggested that religious beliefs rested upon real experiences (1986). Durkheim also believed that religion was necessary. It is difficult for a society to live through “transition” and “moral mediocrity” as he has described in some of his work (1986). Even in Suicide his theory stated that religious people are less prone to parti...