One of the laws of our existence is that the social norms that are developed during it, by which people are guided in everyday life, provide society with a certain stability and predictability. Nevertheless, it often happens that individuals go beyond these norms and rules, which should be guided constantly. This type of social behavior is characterized by the concept of "deviant behavior." Often in socio-psychological content, the concept of deviant behavior is also used to denote this type of behavior. In the most simplified sense, deviant behavior is one that does not correspond to existing traditions, norms and patterns adopted in this particular society at a given historical time.
The most common forms in which deviant behavior is manifested are phenomena such as suicide, alcoholism, drug addiction, crime, prostitution and some others. When analyzing these phenomena, some sociologists distinguish deviant and delinquent behavior in their content and forms of manifestation . Such an individual’s social behavior is considered delinquent, in which he violates not only moral and ethical standards, but also the principles of legal behavior, and it already falls under the jurisdiction of legal norms. The distinction is based on the fact that deviant behavior is relative, as it is part of the moral values of a particular group of people or communities. Delinquent is an absolute category, because it concerns the norms within which all people live at a given time and which are fixed in the form of legislative acts.
For a long time, scientists have tried to describe and explain the causes and sources of the formation of deviant behavior. Therefore, quite a lot of diverse concepts and theories have been formed in which an attempt is made to reveal the essence of the problem. However, it should be recognized that to date there is no single view on this problem. All currently known types of deviant behavior are described from various points of view, grouped into some general approaches to the interpretation of the causes of deviation.
Let's consider some of them.
The biological approach is that all people are different in their natural disposition. These differences determine the predisposition of each individual person to a particular type of behavior in society. There are teachings (e.g. Lambroso) that claim that a biological predisposition not only to deviation, but also to delinquency is reflected in the external appearance of the individual. In this case, all forms of deviation are considered as congenital forms of behavior.
Psychological theories explain deviant behavior as a result of a special combination of psychological properties, character traits. This is understood in such a way that a special structure is formed from the entire complex of social qualities of the personality, in which antisocial attitudes dominate and, as a result, the orientation of the personality is formed. With the psychological approach, there is recognition that some of these attitudes are of a genetic nature, and part is formed by the social environment itself, the environment that exerts a predominant influence on this individual.
Sociological concepts argue that the causes of deviant behavior lie entirely in society and consist in its decisive influence on the formation of personality attitudes and its behavior. It is recognized that deviation is an abnormal state of society that occurs after the collapse of a previously existing value system.
Common to all approaches is the allocation in the process of deviation of the primary and secondary stages. On the primary, the individual does not sporadically fit into social standards, and since the surrounding society does not form its attitude to such behavior, the actor does not recognize himself as a deviant. In the course of secondary deviation, on the basis of a public assessment of the individual’s behavior, he begins to realize his deviance, and society begins to relate to him accordingly.
Both deviation and delinquency can be individual and collective.
According to some scientists, the modern world is such that it is not possible to avoid the existence of deviant behavior among some people, therefore it is necessary to set the task not to eliminate it, but to minimize the negative consequences.