Deviance is the behavior and the standards of expectations of a group or society. It is also behavior that is considered dangerous, threatening or offensive. The people that are deviant are often labeled to be weirdos, oddballs, or creeps. In the United States, people with tattoos, drug addicts, alcoholics, and compulsive gamblers are all considered deviant. Sociologists believe that everybody is deviant from time to time. They believe each person will violate a social norm in certain situations. People are considered deviant if they don’t stand for the national anthem at a sports event, dress casually to a fancy restaurant, or skip classes. One category of deviance is Crime. Crime is a violation of norms that have been formally enacted into a law. Another category of deviance is humorous. Deviance is relative, what is deviant in one group or society may not be deviant in another group or society.In the movie Sleepers the boys, Shakes, Michael, John, and Tommy were all perfect examples of deviant people. You can see why the boys are deviant through Travis Hirschis’ Social Bond Theory. This theory states that there are four bonds which let an individual decide whether or not they will be deviant. The four bonds are Commitment, Attachment, Involvement and Belief. Commitment says that before a deviant act is committed a person always weighs their costs and rewards. By doing this they are calculating their possible losses. If their stake in conforming is high then there is a low chance of deviance. If a person has nothing to lose then the deviance is more likely. Attachment is the emotional tie to those who conform and are non-deviant. If a person has affectionate and strong emotional ties, chances of deviance decrease. If a person has weak ties and non affectionate relationships deviance is increased. Involvement is the amount of time or energy you spend on legit conventional activities. Belief is whether or not a person b...
