Definition of Deviance
Deviance is any behavioral conduct which is centrally to societal expectations, and as such deserves condemnation by the members of a society; the family, corporate, industrial, academic, religious, ethical, political, environmental, international society etcetera. Behavioral misconducts that warrant condemnation are looked into by the sociological field of criminal justice. Deviant crimes are multi-faceted and appear in varied forms in every sector of our social welfare, some of the commonly acknowledged elemental misconducts are; prostitution, robbery, lying, alcoholism etcetera (Friedrichs, 2002, p. 1).
The complexity of this discipline of societal deliquesces can be ascribed to the wide range of varied societal practices evident in each race, culture, institution or region. That is, what one society considers as socially unethical may be ethical to another section of the society (Friedrichs, 2002, p. 1). For instance, while female genital mutilation is unheard-of in the United States of America, it is an ethically acclaimed practice in the better part of the African scenario.
Considering elite deviance as a typical exemplification of moral and social deliquesces, one notices that individuals of high social, economic and political standing repress and exploit the under privileged in the society. This is plainly evident in the political arena where political patronage and the associated injustices is the order of the day, in a bid to retain power (Friedrichs, 2002, p. 1). Federal institutions are mostly characterized by complex bureaucratic constraints and little transparency on the part of the elite managerial offices, rendering public institutions a easy prey for fraud and embezzlement of federal funds.
Differential Association Perspective on Deviance
Differential association theory endeavors to demystify the socio-environmental impact on the acquisition, retention and transfer of deviant practices in a society. This theory postulates that the social interactive environment is the main determinant factor of sustainable societal norms- both the positive and the negative (Cliffnotes, 2009, p. 1).
That is, through interaction with the members of a certain social subset, one gets to conform or violate certain societal norms.
For instance, peer pressure on young ones may drive them towards forming a juvenile gang cocoon, which proves to be a conducive breeding ground for violent criminals, robbers and countercultural practices (Cliffnotes, 2009, p. 1). Thus, the innocent young ones learn to acquire conformity to the norms and practices of the gang cocoon.
According to control theory, both intra-personal and inter-personal checks and balances are opposed to deviant practices. Therefore, more often than not, out of curiosity; individuals tend to be inclined towards defiant tendencies (Cliffnotes, 2009, p. 1).This is a natural and spontaneous occurrence as people try to discover and develop a proper self image in the community as one strikes a balance between realizing the integrity of his/her conscience and the societal expectations.
The conflict perspective on the other hand, establishes and analyzes the social correlation between social deliquesces, social institutions and social agents. Although this theory does not explain the causes of deviance, it however, embraces a holistic approach to deviant practices in the sense that, it does not focus on violent crimes only, but it also probes the political and bureaucratic practices of the wealthy and the elite of the society- even to the extent of exposing exploitive international treaties which are far from perfect as the west relates with third world countries (Cliffnotes, 2009, p. 1).
Remedy measures for containing the occurrence of elite deviance
From the international outlook, the exploitation of under-developed nations by developed countries and multi-national corporations is being monitored by international organizations- such as the United Nations, International Criminal Court, Transparency organizations etcetera, with an aim of upholding justice and fairness in all international relations, treaties and enterprises (Simon, 1993, p. 1).
At the regional arena, political patronage, corruption, violation of human rights and exploitation of the poor can be minimized by a continuous, steady and persistent implementation of constitutional policies and laws, strengthening public institutions with anti-graft units for social fairness and by educating the electorate to refine the political system (Simon, 1993, p. 1). As such, the pivotal role played by the media in educating the public of its electoral power in instituting reforms at the political arena should not be overlooked, but rather upheld through tentative legislation of media freedom policies.
The establishment of capital markets authority has proved to be an essential instrument for maintaining proper checks and balances for monopolistic companies and in regulating price tags thus ensuring that consumers are cushioned against unaccounted commodity price inflations (Simon, 1993, p. 1). Both public and private quality assurance organizations ensure that only those commodities which meet the threshold consumer satisfaction/safe standard are authorized to enter the market- this checks industrial and manufacturing companies against corporate deviance (Simon, 1993, p. 1).
The establishment of criminology as a field of sociology has also proved to be an indispensable tool for unearthing the various forms of societal deviant dispositions whereby sociological specialists employ it in aiding draw the necessary criminal justice policies, recommendations, and laws which upon implementation ensure a harmonious, just and productive society.
Works Cited
CliffsNotes. (2009). Theories of Deviance. Web.
Friedrichs, D. (2002). Occupational Crime, Occupational Deviance and Workplace Crime. Web.
Simon, D. (1993). The Organization of Corporate Crime: Dynamics of Antitrust Violation. Web.