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Sociology And Deviance: In A Society Of Saints Crime Will Be Found Discuss

Imagine a ‘society of saints’, without crime, a notion put forward by Emile Durkheim a historical theorist who argued that this concept is unattainable within society. Social control is and has been present in all societies, organized groups, and cultures since the beginning of time. There are many historical and modern perspectives, which help draw conclusions on the study of deviance and social control, two concepts that go hand in hand. In discussing the connection between social control and deviance, it will reveal why Durkheim’s notion, that in a ‘society of saints’, crime will be found, is very true.

Deviance is a word that has instinctively bad connotations around it, to know someone that is deviant is to know someone who has acted in an unacceptable manner. However, who are we to judge, in whose eyes makes a particular act deviant, and who makes the rules around deviance? These questions formulate the answer to why a ‘society of saints’ is an unattainable goal (Roach Anleu 2006, p17). Theories to why humans act out in different ways, has been disputed since the 1800’s, and no exact answer is available to this question. With all of the studies that have been performed, no one group has come up with an exact reason to why people behave deviantly, or what permits one person to label an action deviant. There is no exact definition or answer, why deviance exists, or created in societies (Southern Cross University Study Guide, p.10). However, the psychological perspective, biological perspective, and the sociological perspective, may help determine social processes and phenomena’s.

Our societies have changed and evolved since theorist have tried to give reason to why and how people participate in communities and organized groups. Some perspectives have become less relevant, as we become familiar with and accept new terms and concepts. Some theorists believe that the study of deviance has reached the end, and are a concept used for a particular social and...