Deviant Behaviour

Deviant Behavior offers an engaging and wide-ranging discussion of deviant behavior, beliefs, and conditions. It examines how the society defines, labels, and reacts to whatever, and whoever, falls under this stigmatizing process—thereby providing a distinctly sociological approach to the phenomenon. The central focus in defining what and who is deviant is the audience—members of the influential social collectivities that determine the outcome of this process. The discussion in this volume encompasses both the explanatory (or positivist) approach and the constructionist (or labeling) perspectives, thereby lending a broad and inclusive vista on deviance. The central chapters in the book explore specific instances or forms of deviance, including crime, substance abuse, and mental disorder, all of which share the quality that they and their actors, believers, or bearers may be judged by these influential parties in a negative or derogatory fashion. And throughout Deviant Behavior, the author emphasizes that, to the sociologist, the term "deviant" is completely non-pejorative; no implication of inferiority or inherent stigma is implied; what the author emphasizes is that specific members of the society—social circles or collectivities—define and treat certain parties in a derogatory fashion; the sociologist does not share in this stigmatizing process but observes and describes it.

What makes behavior deviant, and who gets to decide what deviance is? Deviant Behavior seeks to answer these questions and more. This compelling new text covers the social forces that shape deviance, the motivations and consequences of deviant behaviors, and how our definition of deviance changes over time. Authors John A. Humphrey and Frank Schmalleger discuss a wide range of deviant behaviors—from criminal acts to extreme forms of everyday behavior—and provide students the necessary foundation to understand the impact of globalization on traditional and emerging forms of deviance. Readers will explore deviance in the modern world using a systematic application of social and criminological theories to a range of deviant behaviors to help them better understand themselves, others, and society. Included with this title: The password-protected Instructor Resource Site (formally known as SAGE Edge) offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides.

Deviant behavior is not a subject that you study in school and then file away. It is a study of life and is ever changing. Defining the concept of deviant behavior is one of the most difficult tasks to overcome when studying the subject. Sociologists probably disagree more over the meaning of deviant behavior than any other subject. Deviant Behavio

A comprehensive set of readings examining the full range of concerns in the field of deviant behaviour. All the selections are relatively recent and have not appeared in other anthologies.

This book, first published in 1973, explores the manner in which conceptions of deviancy arise and shows how the attitudes of non-deviants, of society and of authority, are as instrumental in forming these conceptions as the actions of the deviants themselves. Chapters include discussions on the definition of deviants and deviancy and the enforcement of the law, alongside a detailed introduction. This title will be of particular value to students and scholars with an interest in criminology and the sociology and psychology of deviancy.

A comprehensive, integrative and accessible overview of the contemporary body of knowledge in the field of social deviance in the 21st century.

Using the framework of interest group conflict, this text combines a balanced, comprehensive overview of the field of deviance with first-hand expertise in the workings of the criminal justice system. Deviant Behavior, Seventh Edition, surveys a wide range of topics, from explanations regarding crime and criminal behavior, measurement of crime, violent crime and organizational deviance, to sexual behavior, mental health, and substance abuse. This new edition continues its tradition of applying time-tested, sociological theory to developing social concepts and emerging issues.