Deviance of Body Decorations - Essay Example

Deviance of Body decorations Body decorations have been prevalent for centuries. In the olden times people, mostly tribal, used them to symbolize something or someone; however body decorations such as tattooing and body piercing are much in vogue today .For most of these modification enthusiasts the body has become a canvas. A canvas on which they are free to express their thoughts, desires and depressions, a canvas which gives them the much needed sense of belonging, a canvas that inspires creativity and a canvas which touches their inner spirituality. The truth is that body decoration in any form symbolizes something different to every individual. There are several reasons that researchers believe motivate people to get tattoos or piercings. Decorations and modifications are mostly done to enhance beauty, define individualism, express creativity, encounter sexual stimulation, prove endurance etc and sometimes these are done for no specific reasons at all (Wohlrab et al, 2007,p92). Today in mainstream America body modifications have become fairly prevalent however today “are no statistically signi?cant differences between those who are pierced or not, or among those with any escalating number of piercings, with respect to any measure of legal deviance “ (Koch et al,2010,p158) which shows that body modifications do not always imply deviant acts. According to studies conducted on individuals with tattoos and piercing it was seen that men and women with these modification have high suicide attempts thereby establishing the fact that body modification may also be cry for help (Jancin,2005, p33). There are many sociological theories to understand why an individual opts for a body modification which is permanent in nature. From a sociological viewpoint intentional body modification might be an indication of deviant behavior in individuals. Extensive sociological analysis of deviant behavior among the population since the same social behaviors which give rise to socially acceptable behavior also gives rise to deviant or socially unacceptable behavior. It has been seen that deviance and control are intimately linked “through an extensive web of functional interrelationships, with various other elements of a sociocultural complex (Schur,1969, p309). When it comes to explaining or defining deviance or deviant behavior there are two different schools of thought namely positivist and Constructivist. The positivist approach assumes three things- absolutism, objectivism and determinism. According to this perspective Defiant behavior is real i.e. the behavior itself has some qualities that demarcates it from the normal. Furthermore the individual also portrays certain characteristics which are slightly or highly different from conventional. Therefore the positivist sees deviant behavior as a characteristic of the person himself. Again according to positivists deviant behavior is something almost physical which may be studied directly. Positivists also believe that deviant behavior is a phenomenon that is often caused by causes or reasons which are far out of reach and control of the individual (Thio et al,2013,p5). The constructionist perspective is starkly different from that of the positivist. A relativist view is held by the constructionist i.e. they are not characteristics but a simply believed to be so. According to them deviant behavior is a label which arises from the people’s minds. For constructionists deviance is a subjective matter. It is supposed o be felt, understood, though about and reflected upon. As compared to the Positivist’s objective approach Constructionist do not presume deviant behavior to be immoral, illegal or unpleasant. Lastly it is the Constructionists who believe that deviance or deviant behavior is a personal act or a voluntary act which merely depends on an individuals’ will. This is again different from the Positivist perspective because according to the positivist certain factors causing deviance are out of control and therefore humans are often controlled by them to perform unconventional activities while according to Constructionist a person is not a robot who merely acts when instigated because every person has a choice and a will power. There are several theories in both the train of thoughts that have been put forward to understand the act of deviance. A positivist Approach- Anomie-strain theory Robert Merton developed the strain theory which later became popular as the anomie theory. This theory attributes deviance to the phenomenon called anomie. Societies urge individuals to be ambitious but fail to provide the opportunities needed by the individuals to succeed. The anomie theory was further reconstructed by Cowen and Cloward and Ohlin. The theory describes that individuals from especially those hailing from the lower rungs of society are more likely to indulge in deviant behavior because society first urges and instills high ambition in them but does not provide them with the means to achieve their highly set goals. It confirms the point that society itself produces deviant individuals. In societies and culture where certain individuals fail or are prevented from attaining their ambition they employ illegitimate methods to do the same. These same situation have given birth to gangs who find their success within the gang and acceptance among the gang members itself. The theory of Anomie-strain can be extended to obtain a clear understanding as to why individuals adopt tattooing or piercings on their bodies. Firstly, according to the theory failed individuals adopt deviant behavior and often body modifications make them feel like they have achieved something. Again, many of these deviant behavior individuals join gangs which are active and commit serious crimes. Crime is nothing but a deviant behavior which breaks the law of the state and is illegal in all aspects A sense of achievement flourishes among the gang members since they have failed in doing something in their lives by legal means, hence they somehow see the gang’s achievement as their personal achievement. Most of these gangs have tattoos or piercings to show their gang affiliations. Some gangs even get tattoos to show their rank or crimes that they commit. However, not all tattooing or piercing indicate criminal deviance. Individuals often become frustrated and modify their bodies to boost confidence since the tattoo or the piercing is a constant reminder of the goal that has been set. A Constructionist Approach-Labeling theory The theory of labeling or being labeled is of immense importance in the field of sociology. Charles Cooley was the first to use the concept to describe the phenomenon of people looking at themselves through perceptions of others in the society. Frank Tannenbaum’s approach towards the labeling theory is based on his studies of juvenile participation in street gangs where the society tags the juveniles as delinquent individuals. According to the labeling theory school of thought, “being labeled deviant can produce negative consequences for the individual so labeled.” In simpler words labeling of an individual by his or her surroundings or by the society influences the self-identity of an individual. If an individual is labeled or tagged deviant, the individual starts picturing himself and his behavior as deviant. This way he continues with his deviant behavior. Labeling is also known as stigmatization wherein “one condition or aspect of an individual is attributionally linked to some pervasive dimension of the target person's identity” (Byrne, 2001, p281). This labeling theory can be easily related to body modifications since the latter is already tagged as deviant behavior which acts as a reinforcement for behaving differently. Often people have a number of issues for getting a tattoo, piercing or other forms of body modifications however since these things are looked upon by society as deviance the person bearing these is automatically tagged as a “deviant.” The tag itself is unfair. However, such labeling and tagging is often taken personally and an individual becomes more and more deviant in their behavior. This if often the reason we see a person heavily tattooed or pierced at a number of places altogether. Yet another connection can be drawn between the labeling theory and deviant behavior. An individual is tagged deviant for some other reason which is a negative consequence and the deviant continues to engage in more deviant activities and often gets body modifications done in an attempt to declare their deviance. The labeling theory does not only stand for the labeled but also includes the labeler himself who through the act of labeling enhances his or her social order. Moreover there is proof that mere tagging or labeling does not induce deviant behavior among individuals. A person who is tagged may or may not indulge in deviant activities. The entire process of being tagged and consequent engagement in more deviant activities depends on whether the individual accepts his/her tag, since this acceptance itself acts as a reinforment. A person being tagged or stigmatized by society has an option to either accept that stigma or not consider it all. If the person has the will he or she may or may not give in to the tagging and engage in deviant behavior. Therefore deviant behavior is something that is not conventional, is often a violation social norm and is often looked down upon by society. There are several reasons that initiate, accelerate and helps continue deviance among individuals. The acts of Tattooing or piercing are deviant behavior to some extent but either of them have several sociological and personal implications. REFERENCE Byrne, Peter. "Psychiatric stigma." The British Journal of Psychiatry 178 (2001): 281-284. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. . Jancin, Bruce. "Body Modification: Personal Art or Cry for Help?" Mental Health 312 Aug. 2005: 33-35. Print. Koch, Jerome R., et al. "Body art, deviance, and American college students." The Social Science Journal 47 (2010): 151-161. Web. . Schur, Edwin M. "Reactions to Deviance: A Critical Assessment." American Journal of Sociology 79.3 (1969): 309-322. Print. Thio, Alex, Jimmy D. Taylor, and Martin D. Schwartz. Deviant Behavior. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print. Wohlrab, Silke, Jutta Stahl, and Peter M. Kappeler. "Modifying the body: Motivations for getting tattooed and pierced." Body Image 4 (2007): 87-95. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. . Read More