Essay on the Factors Facilitating Deviance – Social deviance refers to the non-conformity to or violating of the norms of the group. The violation of norms is not evenly spread in a population. In the same way, all the norms are not violated. What we normally observe in society is that some particular norm is violated or some particular persons violate a given norm, or both. H.M. Johnson had listed a few factors that facilitate deviance among which the following may be noted:
1. Faulty socialisation:
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Socialisation is the process by which the individual learns to conform to the norms of the group. When he fails to conform to the norms systematically he becomes a social deviant. Socialising agents often fail to inculcate in the new born person the strong morals.
Sometimes socialising agents themselves may directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, consciously or half-consciously encourage such deviant behaviour of the new members. Parsons has pointed out that deviance proneness is more potential in the lower classes mainly because of failure in socialisation.
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2. Weak Sanctions:
Sanctions refer to the rewards or punishments used to establish social control or to enforce norms in a society. If the positive sanctions (rewards) for conformity and the negative sanctions (punishments) for deviance are weak, the individual may simply neglect them.
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3. Poor Enforcement:
Even though the sanctions are stronger they are often not enforced effectively due to the too small enforcement staff. Because of this the validity of the norm is weakened. For example, it is not possible for a handful of traffic police staff to enforce traffic rules on all vehicle riders. The result is, many ignore and some even openly violate traffic rules.
4. Ease of Rationalisation:
The violators of norms try to soothe or satisfy their conscience by inventing some plausible rationalisations. Such people have constructed an intricate system of ‘ego defense’ which they use to brush aside the reactions and comments of other people.
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“They are picking on me; I could not help myself; I did not do it for myself; They asked for it; It is a deal; It is all a matter of luck”—These expressions or slogans reflect the attitudes of such violators.
Example:
Police constables may rationalise their regular habit of taking (‘mamul’) bribes by saying that they are paid very low salary. Jobs are often secured with bribes under the pretext of inevitability. During the
Second World War some women offered themselves as bedmates to the soldiers with the belief that the young men going off to war and possibly to death deserved the comfort of sexual relations.
5. Unjust or Corrupt Enforcement:
People may lose respect for law and norms when they have no faith in law enforcement agency or authority. It is known that police corruption and illegal violence damage very much respect for the law in the areas affected by such practices.
It is also observed that in some instances police maintain ‘informal relations’ or secret understandings with the violators. As a result, such relations condone the activities which the police are supposed to suppress.
6. Ambivalence of the Agents of Social Control:
Ambivalence refers to the co-existence in one person of opposing emotional attitudes towards the same object. For example, a person may consider woman not only as an object of respect, but also as an object of love, particularly of sexual love.
A doctor with such ambivalent attitude may inflict sexual crime on young and beautiful female patients. Policemen, teachers, parents, business superiors, all may have such complex personalities with unconscious deviant tendencies. These tendencies may lead them unconsciously to encourage certain kinds of deviation rather than to counteract it.
7. Sub-cultural Support of Deviance:
Different groups have different ideas of permissible behaviour. The range of acts that would be approved by the working class people differs from that which would be approved by the middle class people. What is non-conforming in the outside world becomes conforming in the group.
For example, the frustrated children of the working class flock together in little gangs. The subculture of this gang may emphasise malice and negativism. The gang may even reward delinquent behaviour for it represents an attack on the values of the respectable middle class.
8. Sentiments of Loyalty to Deviant Groups:
When once a person is involved in a deviant group he is obliged to co-operate with other members. He will find it difficult to ‘betray’ his co- members and suffer their disapproval and rejection. He is forced to approve of the behaviour even if he no longer believes in their activities. As Parsons has remarked, deviant groups deal harshly with disloyal members. Because, such members not only pose a threat of exposure to enforcement agencies but also a threat to the stability of the group. The defection of one member may tempt other members to go away from the group. Defection destroys the very solidarity that made the deviant group strong and satisfying in the beginning.
9. Indefinite Range of Norms:
Some norms relating to some values are not probably specified. For example, the scope of patriotism and freedom (political values) is not clearly defined. Hence, some even defend their deviant behaviour in the name of patriotism and freedom. Thus, one may use harsh language against another in the name of freedom.
10. Secrecy of Violations:
Some susceptible persons are more prone to commit deviant acts if they are assured that such acts are not going to be made public. For example, sex crimes and illegal abortions very often take place because of the confidence on the part of the actors that their behaviour would remain secret.