Deviant Behavior Paper

Deviant Behavior in US society There are quite a bit of different types of deviant behaviors inside and outside of the United States. Most of these behaviors are considered to be non-criminal and some others are criminal. The type of deviant behavior I chose was that of homosexuality. I chose this topic because at one time it was not considered to be one of the “norms of society,” and now in some ways it is. Homosexuality is considered a deviant behavior in U.S. society because back somewhat twenty to thirty years ago, if not longer it was not part of the normal status to be a homosexual and the topic was kept quiet for a long time. According to my sociological imagination (www.wordpress.com, Jenn Lena 3/23/10 wordpress.com), “the stigma is the result of the fact that society treats homosexual behavior as being deviant, or against the norms of society.” This article also states that deviancy is divided into two separate categories. Those are “primary deviance and secondary deviance.” You may ask what the difference between the two categories is, and truly there aren’t any. They basically state that people who act in a way which is outside to societies “norm” than those person/persons are being deviant. Another way homosexual behavior might be considered deviant is through cultural beliefs. I read up on a case study about homosexual behavior is morally wrong. The main reason why the lifestyle is deviant is because it goes against the “social normality” of things. The case study briefly states that homosexuality and some other bad behaviors due to biblical beliefs are wrong in the eyes of God and all have the same type of punishment (Professor Burton M. Leiser. See Liberty, Justice, and Morals (2nd edition) (Macmillan, 1979)). One main type of punishment for this behavior would be that of disownment from family and friends, banishment from any type of social gathering or event. Some might consider AIDS as another form of punishment for such sexual behaviors. It is a type of death sentence. Structural-Functional Approach is the theory that “deviance is universal” (The Basics, Eleventh Edition, by John J. Macionis. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.) Basically, I think this theory is saying that no matter what society says or does that homosexuality will continue to exist and hopefully people in the U.S. will learn how to except them. Really and truly this behavior is not going to go anywhere, it will always be classified as deviant behavior, so why not learn to adjust and get along? Symbolic-Interaction Approach is the theory that “deviance is variable: Any act may or may not be labeled deviant.” (The Basics,

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