Functionalism Theory Of Deviance Essay

In earlier decades, smoking cigarettes or cigars would have been acceptable in society. They were a “treat” and used to celebrate accomplishments. In nowadays world though, most people realized that smoking is not good for ones health due to the negative health consequences. This shift in thinking of a society changes norms. Another change of norms i:n society is the concept of marrying young. In earlier decades, people tended to get married at a younger age and start their families earlier. Couples would move in together and not feel judged by others on this decision, though frowned upon nowadays to get married young and have kids at a young age. This gradual shift in thinking has changed how society works because people adhere to different …show more content…
Therefore, individuals should not label others with either of these terms, especially if they do not know the differences. With this information stated, there is further research that may explain deviant behavior using theoretical traditions. These major theoretical theories include functionalism and labeling theory. When looking at the functionalism theory of deviance Anderson and Taylor (2006) stated that “functionalism is a theoretical perspective that interprets all parts of society, including those that may seem dysfunctional, as contributing to the stability and continuance of the whole” (p.171). One can interpret this statement that deviance is the dysfunctional component of society and that it is necessary to keep society stable and well rounded. The textbook goes on to agree with this, explaining that although deviance may seem dysfunctional in a society, it is actually a major part of keeping society functional. Deviance provides social cohesion in the way that it shows a difference between behaviors looked at as normal. This clarity between normal and deviant actions gives people as Anderson and Taylor (2006) stated: “heightened sense of social order” (p. 166). Deviance is needed in a society to keep it functioning and to create a sense of order for individuals, according to the functionalist