Write short notes on conformity and deviance.
Answers
What do the words "conformity" and "deviance" mean to most people? If we took a survey and asked a group of people if the term "conformist" has positive or negative connotations, most of them would probably answer that it has negative connotations. Their response to the term "deviant" would probably be the same. Both "conformity" and "deviance" seem to have negative connotations in our society.
Why do people associate negative stereotypes with these terms? For instance, the word "conformist" perhaps conjures in their minds the image of a stereotypic "corporate man." They can see him wearing his brown suit and never questioning his superiors. In contrast, their minds may jump to another extreme when they hear the term "deviant." They may imagine a sociopathic criminal who never gives a second thought about the pain of victims, for
example. These connotations and images are unfair generalizations.
Deviance” is a concept that describes an non-conformity to social norms, values and civic expectations, while the “deviant” is someone whose behaviour (notably, not attitudes or beliefs) departs from established moral standards. ... As such, “deviance” is a socially constructed phenomenon.