Community Response to Deviance - Essay Example

Community Response to Deviance Community organization contains rules and regulations that require enforcement. Every community develops way in which dwellers can be able to live by the existing rules thus to enable uniformity and ensure objectives and goals are attained. On the other hand, deviance is part of human nature the reason behind the creation of rules and regulation. The community approach to deviance may be successful or fail to control undesired human behavior. In an argument by Erikson the existence of deviance is only instigated by the existence and rules from which the behavior of a person can be determined whether they are desirable or desirable (307). For this reason, different have different methods of perceiving wrong from right making their responses varying. Grattet asserts that response to deviance is also influenced by the extent at which the people agree the rules and regulation (200). The author further asserts that approach to response to deviance may be created from a leadership standpoint or from a democratic approach where the view of the people is considered and incorporated (Grattet 200). Regardless of the approach, deviance is never inevitable since it defines the value of the community (Erikson 309). The paper will describe approaches at which different communities respond to deviance based on Erikson. In addition, the success of different approaches used would be determined in regards to minimizing deviance and shaping their values. Anderson describes deviance as a way of expression by which human beings show their dissatisfaction towards an existing rule (67). Considering that different people have different views and perceptions deviance is a way of life. For this reason, institutions and communities develop a form of a blueprint that describes uniformity required among all people. A person may feel obliged to adhere to existing rules, but another person may feel existing rules are not friendly. For this reason, rules are created to ensure the value of the community are instilled and protected. In an argument by Dupret the existence of deviance allows a community to define its values (121). For instance, a community may value family purity and without deviance in regards to the value the community may not be able to prove their value family purity. If a person breaks the value the community has the opportunity to punish the culprit and set an example to the rest of population. On numerous occasions, punishment works based on the approach used. Approaches to solve deviance are meant to govern and manage the actions of people. In an argument by Erikson resolving deviance enables a community to establish more compact approaches that may enable value sustenance in the long term (309). In an example, if an approach to resolve conflict does not prove to be less effective, a community may not be able to know unless an act of deviance is committed and it has to measure the effectiveness of the punishment. From this argument, deviance and responding to deviance enables a community to shape its value and it is inevitable to experience deviance in a social setting (Charon 77). Examples of Community Approaches to Deviance When growing up the first experience of compact rules and regulations is first experienced in school. Education institutions are provided with the responsibility of shaping the behavior and character of children. However, deviance in schools is a common occurrence and addressing deviance is a common strategy aimed at increasing the ability by students to abide by the existing rules. In my experience, I went to school around my neighborhood where cycling to school was the best and preferred means of transport. At first, the school administration did not have a problem with the form of transport and parents were provided with a cheaper transportation option other than pay for the school bus. However, an accident led to the injury and almost near death experiences to one of the cycling students an event that led to the decision to stop the mode of transport. The decision was not welcomed by either by the students or the parents. For this reason, a huge number of students did not abide to the exiting rule. To enforce the regulation the school issued a warning to suspend students cycling to school. Regardless of the warning, the custom did not stop. A more effective mode of approach to this deviance was required. The school realized that the only way to approach the problem was to involve parents in implementing the decision. A meeting between parents and the board of the school resulted to a more reasonable solution that considered all parties. It was decided that cycling to school was to be allowed if a student only uses designated cycling routes and wears protective gear. In addition, the age was also used to limit the ability of students to cycle to school. Students below the 5th grade were required to use the school bus or personal means of moor transport. The approach to address deviance in my institution was not effective at first considering the inability of the strategy to address the needs of all involved stakeholders. Griffin points out that approaches to address deviance have a higher probability of functioning if the approach views the problem from the leadership and subjects’ point of view (56). This enables people to try and readjust to the new rules without much distortion of their comfort (Macionis & Gerber 98; Steiner & Wooldredge 89). In the occasion where deviance is rampant a response becomes more difficult to address considering that punishment would require adjusting the mentality of the majority of the people which is a difficult task. For this reason, analogue is mostly preferred in generating a response to a form of deviance widely spread in a community or organization. Works Cited Anderson, Tammy. Understanding Deviance: Connecting Classical and Contemporary Perspectives. Boston: Routledge. 2014. Print. Charon, James. Symbolic Interactionism: An Introduction, an Interpretation, Integration. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. 2007. Print. Dupret, Baudouin. Adjudication in Action: An Ethnomethodology of Law, Morality and Justice. New York: Ashgate Publishing. 2013. Print. Erikson, Kai. Note on the Sociology of Deviance. New York: American Sociological Association. 1960. Print. http://www.soc.umn.edu/~uggen/Erikson_SP_63.pdf Grattet, Ryken. Societal Reactions to Deviance. Annual Review of Sociology, 37, (2011): 185-204. Griffin, Em. A first look at communication theory. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2012. Print. Macionis, John. & Gerber, Linda. Sociology. Toronto: Pearson. 2010. Print. Steiner, Benjamin. & Wooldredge, John. "The relevance of inmate race/ethnicity versus population composition for understanding prison rule violations. Punishment and Society, 11, (2009):459–489. Read More