We all know who the deviants are, or at least think we know. And also we know, at least in general terms, about deviant behavior.
Deviants are those individuals who refuse to live by the rules that most of us adhere to. These are “bottom people,” whose behavior does not fit into what the majority defines as normal acceptable standards. Illustrative examples are alcoholism, crime, drug addiction as a form of deviant behavior, etc.
However, reality is not always what it seems to be, which is what sociology teaches. The concept of “deviant” cannot be precisely defined.
Everyone knows that human social life is governed by rules or norms. Our life would have fallen into chaos if we had not adhered to the rules defining certain types of behavior as acceptable in various contexts, and others as unacceptable. Organized traffic on the streets and roads would not have been possible if drivers had not abided by the rules. Perhaps some believe that there can be no deviant on the roads, except perhaps for a drunk or extremely careless driver. But if you really think so, then you are deeply mistaken. Deviant behavior is not uncommon here. Most drivers are not only deviants, but they are criminals. Because if a police car is not visible nearby, almost all of them regularly exceed the permissible speed.
As far as we are conformists, so are violators of the rules. We all also create our own rules. Drivers, of course, often violate the law on roads, but in reality, they create their informal rules as opposed to legal ones. If the upper limit of the speed allowed by law on the freeway is 70 miles per hour, then most drivers still try not to exceed 80 miles or a little more, and when driving through the city, they reduce speed.
Convention rules for acceptable and unacceptable traffic violations also vary. So, among the North Europeans who drive their cars along the roads of the south of Italy, sometimes the hair on their heads becomes on end, so the drivers are so careless about any traffic rules. In Brazil, traffic lights and other traffic signs are perceived rather than as a ban, but as a proposal. Motorcyclists in Rio de Janeiro are not stopping to go to the red light if there is no oncoming car. If the main street crosses a secondary one, the driver who is walking along the main one will never stop, let them show traffic signals there. If someone leaves a secondary street, they have to honk or flash their headlights to warn other drivers.
When we begin to study deviant behavior, we need to know what rules people follow and which tend to break. No one violates all the rules, just as no one follows all the rules.
Even individuals who seem to completely break with the norms of a decent society, such as bank robbers, are likely to comply with the rules by which the gangs to which they belong are organized. Some groups with a very dubious reputation have a strict code of conduct for their members; those who violate this code are either punished or expelled.
Deviant behavior and its study is one of the difficult areas of sociology. This science suggests that none of us can be considered normal, as we would like. It also helps to understand that people whose behavior may seem incomprehensible or alienated actually act as rational beings.
Studying theories of deviant behavior, we must turn our attention to social power, as well as to the influence of the class division of society into rich and poor. When we consider deviations from social rules or norms or conformist behavior in accordance with them, we should always ask ourselves: “Whose rules are these?” And the answer is simple: "Social norms very much depend on the division into classes and on the attitude to power."