Deviance

Deviance is such an interesting topic, mainly because of the frequency to which it is misinterpreted. When used in an everyday context, deviance has such a negative connotation. However, that isn't always true. Deviance merely means to deviate (or stray away) from societal norms. Thus, positive deviance can exist as well. I'd like to take a moment to examine each.

Negative deviance is the more commonly recognized form of deviance. Laziness, apathy towards work, and a prediliction towards drugs and alcohol are all things that society today considers to be deviant behavior. You aren't supposed to do these things, and so society frowns upon those who do. However, it isn't necessarily true (though not necessarily false either) that these things are inherently bad. It is just the fact that society views them as bad that makes them bad; but societies views change often. A century ago, premarital-sex was something only harlots participated in, and sex was such a taboo topic that no one dared talk about it. Nowadays, sex is so prevalent in society through our media, and premarital-sex is so commonplace that it has actually become deviant behavior to abstain from sex!

Equally as interesting as Negative deviance is Positive deviance. Positive deviance is doing something good for society that isn't often done. Thus it is still deviating from societal norms, but in a positive way. A good example of this is the fact that whenever my family is eating in a city and have leftovers, we always like to try to give them to homeless people, this way they receive a nice meal that they wouldn't get otherwise. While this is by no means a bad thing, it is not a frequent occurance either, and thus society views it as deviant. It is important to remember positive deviance when talking about deviance, so that one doesnt come to the misconception that all deviance is bad.