Positivist Theory: Deviant Behavior course

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John Q . Student

Wright State UniversityPositivist Theory : Deviant Behaviour Course

This looks at the Positivist Theory regarding deviant behaviour in general , and the specific subdivision of that , the Anomie Strain Theory

There are a number of theories concerning deviance and behaviour . These include Constructionist , Positivist and Functionalist . Of the three , I prefer the Positivist Theory , for a number of reasons , which I am about to elaborate here

First let 's understand what deviance is . Deviance is

behavior that some people in society find offensive and which excites , or would excite , if it were discovered , disapproval , punishment , condemnation , or hostility Deviance is behavior that is likely to get you into trouble . Deviant behavior is outside the bounds of the group or society . Many times during a day we disagree with people , but we don 't usually label those we disagree with as deviant . Deviance is not simply behavior . It involves a moral judgment . Deviance involves a judgment made by somebody . Actually , any act can be defined as deviant (Long , 2005

The same discussion by Long goes on to elaborate on what the Positivist Theory is . The positivist school of the second half of the 19th century argues that deviant behavior was dictated by forces beyond the control or even the awareness , of individuals . Positivists argued that biological abnormalities provided valid explanations for deviance According to the positivist philosophers , only through scientific inquiry could one understand the forces that drive society

Cesare Lombroso (1836-1909 , a well-known positivist , argued that physical abnormalities that afflict people cause them to pursue deviant (or criminal ) activity . Lombroso argued that criminals were throwbacks to some sort of pre-human . Lombroso (in Kendall , 1998 :191 ) called these criminal types Atavists . He claimed that prisoners had "low foreheads and smaller than normal human cranial capacities (1998 :191 . Lombroso thought that he could predict deviant behavior based on skull and body types (Long , 2005

But a still further breakdown is required - in the positivist theory are a number of sub theories . Let 's concentrate for the purposes of this specifically upon The Anomie-Strain Theory

What exactly is the Anomie Strain Theory , and how does it relate back to the Positivist Theory and theories on deviance in general

Durkheim 's theory of anomie is the basis for strain theory , at least in so far as "anomie " is translated as "deregulation " It should be noted that control theorists also trace their inspiration to Durkheim , and have translated "anomie " as "normlessness " Durkheim 's influence has been extremely broad in criminology and sociology . His view that social forces caused crime was extremely radical at the time (O Connor , 2006

The concept of anomie is most developed in the book , Suicide published in 1897 , although Durkheim 's theory of crime is embedded in his more general theory of modernization (the progression of societies from mechanical to organic solidarity . In mechanical societies , crime is normal (punishing criminals maintains social solidarity through a...