Deviation in psychology. What is it, definition, examples

Have you heard the phrase “Society doesn’t understand me, but neither do I understand it”? Or maybe you think so yourself? Then it is possible that you are a deviant, that is, a person with behavior deviating from generally accepted norms. Read more about this below.

The phenomenon of deviant behavior is not new. This phenomenon has always been present in society, is present and, perhaps, will be present. Deviants, that is, people who do not want or do not have the opportunity to live according to the norms of society, have always been and will be. However, each society has its own framework of behavior and concept of norm, which means that the number of individuals with such behavior may be different, just as the average level of deviation from the social norms of one society may differ from another.

Theories about the phenomenon of deviant behavior are primarily based on the search and assessment of its causes. I invite you to immerse yourself in history and take a tour of the development of society’s attitude towards deviations and understanding the essence of this phenomenon.

The concept of deviation in psychology

From Latin “deviation” is translated as “deviation”. In psychology there is a concept called deviant behavior. It denotes the actions of a person that do not correspond to the norms established in society. All relationships between people are built on etiquette, accepted rules and laws.

Deviation is divided into the following types:

• self-destructive – suicidal tendencies, bad habits;
• asocial – a person completely ignores established rules and traditions;
• delinquent – ​​the individual commits criminal acts;
• psychopathological – this type is associated with mental illnesses;
• paracharacterological – deviations due to improper upbringing.

Deviation is, in psychology, the behavior of an individual, which can manifest itself in both positive and negative ways. If a person goes against the foundations of society, but with the goal of changing something for the better, transforming, this is a positive manifestation. But, if actions are associated with illegal methods, unwillingness to adapt to the rules of society, this is a negative example of deviation.

Existing problems

The problem with deviation is that many do not understand its scale. Who among us has not at least once done something that would be condemned by society? Psychologists say that every person has his own “skeletons in the closet,” but they are carefully guarded from prying eyes in order to avoid condemnation. The only question is how dangerous they are. Someone regularly steals strawberries from a neighbor's summer cottage, or smokes in the entrance, or plays music at full volume after 11 p.m. in an apartment building. And someone beats his wife, steals millions from public accounts, distributes drugs. All these are examples from life, but feel for yourself how different they are in their consequences.

The second problem of society associated with deviants is asymmetrical control over them. We often hear about famous people violating social and moral norms. But they usually go unpunished. Although when a simple person commits the same act, the matter is not limited to just condemnation.

Origin of name. The term "deviant" comes from the Latin word "deviatio", which translates as "deviation".

Deviation concepts

Based on the reasons causing deviations, theories of deviant behavior are distinguished.

Biological theories

The essence of the biological theory is that all deviant actions are a consequence of the inclinations with which a person is born. The individual does not know how to restrain his needs. He strives to satisfy them contrary to all the rules.

Lombroso

The Italian doctor Lombroso adhered to the biological theory of deviance. For many years he studied criminals in prisons. The doctor concluded that more than 1/3 of the prisoners acquired a tendency towards deviant behavior from birth. This is inherent in them by nature.

Such criminals share the same characteristics:

• aggression, anger;
• underdevelopment;
• inability to improve.

These people have a specific appearance. They have long arms, a flat nose, slightly depressed, and a disordered jaw structure.

Sheldon

The theory of the American psychologist Sheldon is biological.

He argued that people's actions can be predicted by their body type:

• thin people with a fragile physique are prone to nervousness and increased sensitivity;
• strong and slender individuals are more prone to deviant behavior than others. They are active, restless;
• People with moderate obesity are sociable and know how to get along well with others.

But in practice, Sheldon’s theory often does not work, since among criminals with deviant behavior there are often people of different builds.

Gove

Author Walter Gove's biological theory is based on age and gender. Gove identifies the greatest propensity for deviant behavior among young people aged 18 to 24 years. He puts teenagers over 13 years old in second place.

There are separate studies on the basis of which statements have been made about the propensity for deviant behavior due to genetic characteristics.

For example:

• adopted children during puberty begin to behave in a manner similar to their biological parents;
• men who have an additional chromosome Y are characterized by an increased degree of deviation.

The biological theory is not accepted by most psychologists. Its opponents only agree that behavior can be influenced by the type of nervous system.

Social psychological theories

The basis of socio-psychological theory is that society itself is to blame for human behavior. It provokes him to break the rules.

Durkheim

Durkgain's theory of anomie is based on the fact that people who find themselves in a state of disorganization begin to behave inappropriately.

This can be observed during crises, during wars, coups and changes in power.

Merton

The author of the adaptation theory, American sociologist Robert Metron, said that deviation is influenced not only by society, but also by the person’s very reaction to ongoing social changes.

Becker

American economist Gary Stanley Bakker developed a socio-psychological theory of stigma and labeling. Bakker describes in his works the process of labeling the lower strata of society.

It is generally accepted that people with deviant behavior are found among drug addicts, alcoholics and gypsies. But even among this category of people there may be those who do not break the law and adhere to the general rules of behavior. And the label often causes them to act against the norm.

Psychological theories

Deviation is a behavior in psychology that takes its foundations from the human psyche.

Existential-humanistic

The authors of this theory say that the reason for a person’s deviant behavior is disappointment in oneself. This may be a loss of meaning in life, suppression of spirituality, low self-esteem and a tendency to self-deprecation.

Psychodynamic

This theory is based on Freudian psychoanalysis. Deviant actions arise in a person due to a conflict between the conscious and unconscious. Most often, the cause of violations is the lack of a close relationship with the mother.

Behavioral

Violation of behavioral norms can be observed as a consequence of the influence of the environment on a person. If from childhood a child was severely punished for deviant actions, then in the future he will avoid committing them, remembering the consequences.

Cognitive

Deviant behavior, according to the theory of American psychotherapist Aaron Beck and psychologist Albert Ellis, is based on maladaptive thought patterns that cause inappropriate actions.

Deviance (sociology)

Deviant actions can be an assertion of individuality and identity and therefore a rebellion against the group norms of the dominant culture and in favor of a subculture. In society, the behavior of an individual or group determines how the deviant creates norms. [5]

There are three broad sociological classes that describe deviant behavior, namely structural functionalism, symbolic interaction and conflict theory.

Structural-functionalist understanding of deviation

Structural-functionalism

Structural functionalists are concerned with how various factors in society combine and interact to form a unified whole. Most notably, the works of Emile Durkheim and Robert Merton contributed to the formation of the ideals of functionalism. [6]

Durkheim's normative theory of suicide

Emile Durkheim argued that deviance from the norm is in fact a normal and necessary part of social organization. [1] He would name four important functions of deviation:

1. “Deviance affirms cultural values ​​and norms. Any definition of virtue is based on the opposite idea of ​​vice: there cannot be good without evil and justice without crime.” [1]
2. Deviance defines moral boundaries, people learn good from evil by defining people as deviant.
3. A serious form of deviation forces people to unite and equally oppose it.
4. Deviance pushes the moral boundaries of society, which in turn leads to social change.

When social deviance is committed, the collective conscience is insulted. Durkheim (1897) describes collective consciousness as a set of social norms followed by members of a society. [6] Without collective consciousness there would be no absolute morality in institutions or groups.

Social integration is attachment to groups and institutions, while social regulation is adherence to the norms and values ​​of society. Durkheim's theory attributes social deviance to the extremes of social integration and social regulation. He named four different types of suicide based on the relationship between social integration and social regulation:[6]

1. Altruistic
   suicide occurs when a person is too socially integrated.
2. Egoistic
   suicide occurs when a person is not very socially integrated.
3. Anomic
   suicide occurs when there is very little social regulation due to feelings of purposelessness or despair.
4. Fatalistic
   suicide occurs when a person experiences too much social regulation.

Merton's Strain Theory

Robert K. Merton discussed deviance in terms of ends and means as part of his strain/anomie theory. While Durkheim argues that anomie is a confusion of social norms, Merton goes further and argues that anomie is a state in which social goals and the legitimate means of achieving them do not coincide. He postulated that the individual's response to society's expectations and the means by which the individual pursued those goals were useful in understanding deviance. In particular, he viewed collective action as motivated by tension, stress, or disappointment in a group of people, arising from a discrepancy between goals

society and the widely used
means
to achieve these goals. Unusual collective behavior (riots, riots, etc.) is often thought to be imposed on economic explanations and causes through tension. These two dimensions define adaptation to society according to cultural goals, which are society's ideas of an ideal life, and institutional means, which are the legitimate means by which an individual can pursue cultural goals. [7]

Merton described 5 types of deviance in terms of acceptance or rejection of social goals and institutional means of achieving them: [1]

1. Innovation
   is a response to the tension caused by our culture's emphasis on wealth and the lack of opportunities to get rich, which causes people to become "innovators" by stealing and selling drugs. Innovators accept society's goals but reject socially acceptable ways of achieving them. (for example: monetary success is achieved through crime). Merton argues that innovators are essentially those who have been socialized into a worldview similar to conformists, but who have been deprived of the opportunities necessary to legitimately achieve society's goals.
2. Conformists
   accept the goals of society and socially acceptable ways to achieve them (for example: monetary success is achieved through hard work). Merton argues that conformists are primarily middle-class people in middle-class jobs who were able to access opportunities in society, such as better education, to achieve monetary success through hard work.
3. Ritualism
   refers to the failure to achieve a cultural goal, thus accepting rules, to the extent that the people in question lose sight of their larger goals in order to feel respectable. Ritualists reject the goals of society but accept the institutionalized means of society. Ritualists most often engage in dead-end, repetitive work where they fail to achieve society's goals, but still adhere to society's means of achievement and social norms.
4. Retreatism
   is a rejection of both cultural goals and means, allowing a person to “fall out.” Retreatists reject the goals of society and the legitimate means of achieving them. Merton considers them to be true perverts, since they commit deviant acts to achieve something that does not always correspond to the values ​​of society.
5. Rebellion
   is somewhat similar to apostasy because the people in question also reject both cultural ends and means, but they take one step further toward a "counterculture" that supports other social orders that already exist (rule breaking). Rebels reject society's goals and legitimate means of achieving them, and instead create new goals and means to replace society's goals, creating not only new goals to achieve, but also new ways to achieve those goals that other rebels will find acceptable.

Symbolic interaction

Symbolic interaction refers to patterns of communication, interpretation, and adaptation between people. Both the verbal and nonverbal responses that the listener then conveys are similarly constructed in anticipation of how the original speaker will respond. The ongoing process is similar to a game of charades, only this is a full-fledged conversation. [8]

The term "symbolic interactionism" has come to be used to refer to a relatively distinctive approach to the study of human life and human behavior. [9] With symbolic interactionism, reality is viewed as social, evolved interaction with others. Most proponents of symbolic interaction believe that physical reality does exist in accordance with an individual's social definitions, and that social definitions do develop in part or in relation to something "real". Thus, people do not respond to this reality directly, but to the social understanding of reality. Consequently, people exist in three realities: physical objective reality, social reality and unique reality. The unique is described as a third reality created from social reality, a private interpretation of reality that is shown to a person by others. [10] Both individuals and society cannot be separated far from each other for two reasons. One is that they are both created through social interaction, and the second is that one cannot be understood in terms of the other. Behavior is determined not by environmental forces such as drives or instincts, but rather by the reflexive, socially understood meaning of both internal and external stimuli that are currently presented. [eleven]

Herbert Bloomer (1969) formulated three basic premises of perspective:[9]

1. “People act towards things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things”;
2. “The meaning of such things stems from the social interaction of a person with others and society”; and
3. “These meanings are processed and modified by the process of interpretation used by a person in interacting with the things he/she encounters”;

Sutherland Differential Association

In his theory of differential association, Edwin Sutherland argued that criminals learn criminal and deviant behavior and that deviance is not an inherent part of a particular person's nature. When significant others exhibit deviant and/or criminal behavior, criminal behavior will be learned as a result of such exposure. [12] He argues that criminal behavior is learned in the same way as all other behaviors, meaning that the acquisition of criminal knowledge is not unique compared to the learning of other behaviors.

Sutherland outlined some very basic points of his theory, including the idea that learning occurs through interaction between individuals and groups using the transmission of symbols and ideas. When symbols and ideas about deviance are much more favorable than unfavorable, a person will tend to view deviance favorably and will engage in more of these behaviors.

Criminal behavior (motives and technical knowledge), like any other behavior, is learned. One example of this would be gang activity in urban areas. Sutherland would feel that since a particular person's key influential peers are in the gang environment, it is through interaction with them that a person can become involved in crime. [12]

Neutralization theory

Grishay Sykes and David Matza's neutralization theory explains how deviants justify their deviant behavior by providing alternative definitions of their actions and by providing explanations, to themselves and others, for lack of guilt for actions in specific situations.

There are five types of neutralization: [13]

1. Disclaimer
   : The deviant believes that he/she has been helplessly pushed into deviance, and that under the same circumstances, any other person will resort to similar actions;
2. Harm Denial
   : The deviant believes that the action did not harm other people or society, and thus the deviance is not morally wrong;
3. Victim Denial: The deviant believes that people who were deviated deserved the results due to the victim's lack of virtue or morality;
4. Condemning the Judgmental
   : The deviant believes that those in charge of law enforcement or victims tend to be equally deviant or otherwise corrupt, and as a result are hypocrites who must be opposed; and
5. Appeal to higher loyalties
   : the deviant believes that there are loyalties and values ​​that go beyond the law; morality, friendship, income or tradition may be more important to the deviant than legal boundaries.

Labeling theory

Frank Tannenbaum and Howard S. Becker created and developed labeling theory, which is a key aspect of symbolic interactionism and is often referred to as Tannenbaum's "dramatization of evil." Becker believed that “social groups create deviance by establishing rules, the violation of which constitutes deviance.”

Labeling is a process of social reaction by a “social audience” in which people stereotype others by judging and accordingly defining (labeling) someone's behavior as deviant or different. It has been characterized as "the invention, selection, manipulation of beliefs that determine behavior in a negative way, and the selection of people into these categories." [14]

Thus, labeling theory proposes that deviance is caused by the labeling of a deviant as morally deficient, the deviant's internalization of the label, and finally the deviant's behavior in accordance with that particular label (i.e., an individual labeled as a "deviant" will act accordingly). Over time, the "deviant" acquires the traits that constitute deviance by committing such deviances as fit the label (so that the audience has the power not to label them and has the power to stop the deviance before it ever happens by not labeling them) . In other words, individual and societal preoccupation with the label causes the deviant individual to follow the self-fulfilling prophecy of conforming to the assigned label. [1]

This theory, largely symbolic interactionist, also contains elements of conflict theory, as the dominant group has the right to decide what is deviant and acceptable and enjoys the power behind the labeling process. An example of this is the prison system, which labels people convicted of theft, causing them to see themselves as inherently thieves and incapable of change. "From this point of view," writes Howard S. Becker: [15]

Deviation from the norm is not

the quality of an action performed by a person, but rather a consequence of the application of other rules and sanctions to the “violator”.
A deviant is someone to whom a label has been successfully applied; Deviant behavior is behavior that people label as such. [ page required
]

In other words, “behavior becomes deviant or criminal only when it is defined and intervened as such by specific people in a specific situation.” [16] It is important to note the important fact that society does not always label correctly, often falsely identifying and misrepresenting people as deviants, or ascribing to them characteristics that they do not have. From a legal perspective, people are often wrongly accused, but many must live with the resulting stigma (or condemnation) for the rest of their lives.

Likewise, society often employs double standards, with certain sections of society receiving favoritism. Certain behavior in one group is considered completely acceptable or can be easily overlooked, but in another group the same people consider it disgusting.

Medicalization of deviance, transformation of moral and legal deviations into a state of health

- an important shift that changed society's views on deviance. [1] : 204 Labeling theory helps explain this shift, as behavior that was previously assessed morally is now transformed into an objective clinical diagnosis. For example, drug addicts are considered “sick” rather than “bad.” [1] : 204

Primary and secondary deviation

Edwin Lemert developed the idea of ​​primary and secondary deviation as a way to explain the marking process. Primary deviation is any general deviation before the deviant is designated as such in a particular way. Secondary deviance is any action that occurs after primary deviance as a reaction to an individual's institutional identification as deviant. [1]

When an actor commits a crime (primary deviance), no matter how minor, the institution imposes social sanctions on him. However, punishment does not necessarily stop the crime, so the subject may commit the same basic deviation again, causing an even harsher response from institutions. At this point, the actor will begin to resent the institution, while the institution brings increasingly harsh repression. Eventually, the entire community will brand the actor as deviant and the actor will not be able to bear it, but will eventually accept his role as a criminal and commit criminal acts consistent with the role of a criminal.

Primary and secondary deviance is what causes people to become more serious criminals. Primary deviance is the time when a person is labeled as a deviant due to a confession or report. A secondary deviation is a deviation before and after a primary deviation. Retrospective labeling occurs when a deviant recognizes his actions as deviant prior to the initial deviance, while prospective labeling occurs when a deviant recognizes future actions as deviance. Steps to become a criminal:

1. Primary deviation;
2. Social fines;
3. Secondary deviation;
4. More severe penalties;
5. Further deviation with resentment and hostility towards the punishers;
6. The community labels the deviant as a criminal;
7. The threshold of tolerance has been passed;
8. Increased deviant behavior due to stigmatization of punishments; and finally,
9. Taking on the role of a deviant or criminal figure.

Broken windows theory

The broken windows theory states that an increase in minor crimes such as graffiti will eventually lead to and contribute to an increase in more serious crimes. This suggests that greater control of minor forms of deviance will lead to a reduction in serious crime. The theory has been tested in various settings, including New York City in the 1990s. Compared to the national average at the time, the campaign resulted in a 28 percent drop in violent crime. Critics of the theory question the direct causality of the police and statistical changes that occurred. [17]

Control theory

Control theory proposes that weak ties between the individual and society allow people to deviate. In contrast, strong bonds are expensive. According to Travis Hirschi, this theory asks why people refrain from deviant or criminal behavior, not why people engage in deviant or criminal behavior. Control theory developed when norms emerge to restrain deviant behavior. Without this “control,” deviant behavior would occur more often. This leads to conformity and groups. People will conform to a group when they believe they have more to gain from conformity than from deviance. If a strong connection is achieved, the probability of deviation will be less than if a weak connection occurs. Hirschi argued that a person follows norms because he is attached to society. Connection consists of four positively correlated factors: opportunity, attachment, belief, and participation. [1] : 204 When any of these bonds are weakened or broken, the person is more likely to act contrary. Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi founded their theory of self-control in 1990. He stated that acts of violence and fraud are committed for personal gain and self-control. A deviant act is based on the self-control of the offender.

Deterrence theory is considered by researchers such as Walter K. Recklessly as part of control theory because it also revolves around the thoughts that stop people from committing crimes. Reckless examined unfinished approaches to explain the causes of delinquency and crime. He acknowledged that social disorganization is included in the study of delinquency and crime in social deviance, which led him to argue that most of those who live in unstable areas tend to have no criminal tendencies compared to those who live in average areas. class. This statement opens up more possible approaches to social disorganization and argues that already implemented theories need a deeper connection to further explore the ideas of crime and delinquency. These observations led Reckless to ask questions such as: Why do some people overcome shaky (social) control and others do not? Why do rare cases in a well-integrated society violate the boundaries of tight control?” Reckless argued that the relationship between self-control and social control is partly responsible for the development of criminal thoughts. Social disorganization was not related to a specific environment, but was instead implicated in the deterioration of individuals' social control. Deterrence theory is the idea that everyone has mental and social safeguards that protect a person from committing deviant acts. Deterrence depends on a person's ability to separate internal and external controls of normative behavior. [18]

More recent control theorists such as Robert Crutchfield view the theory in a new light, suggesting that labor market experiences not only influence the attitudes and "stakes" of individual workers, but may also influence the development of their children's views of conformity and promote engagement in the process. . delinquency. This is an ongoing study because it found a significant relationship between parental labor market participation and children's delinquency, but did not empirically demonstrate the mediating role of parental or child attitudes. [ citation needed

] In a study conducted by Tim Wadsworth, the link between parental employment and child delinquency, previously proposed by Crutchfield (1993), was demonstrated empirically for the first time. The results of this study supported the idea that the relationship between socioeconomic status and delinquency could be better understood by carefully examining the quality of employment and its role as an informal social control. [19]

Conflict theory

In sociology, conflict theory states that a society or organization functions in such a way that each individual participant and his groups struggle to maximize their benefits, which inevitably contributes to social changes such as political changes and revolutions. Deviant behavior is actions that do not correspond to social institutions and cause deviations. The ability of an institution to change norms, wealth, or status comes into conflict with the individual. The legal rights of poor people can be ignored, the middle class is also acceptable; they side with the elites over the poor, believing that they can rise to the top by maintaining the status quo. Conflict theory is based on the idea that the main causes of crime are the social and economic forces operating in society. However, this explains white collar crime less well.

This theory also states that power determines crime. The question arises: for whom does this theory work? In this theory, laws are instruments of oppression: harsh for the powerless and less harsh for the powerful.

Karl Marx

Marx did not write about deviant behavior, but he did write about alienation among the proletariat, and between the proletariat and the finished product, which causes conflict and therefore deviant behavior.

Many Marxist theorists have used the theory of the capitalist state in their arguments. For example, Steven Spitzer used the theory of bourgeois control over social garbage and social dynamite; and George Roush famously provided an analysis of various penalties related to social capacity and infrastructure for labor. He suggested that throughout history, as more labor is required, the severity of punishments decreases and tolerance for deviant behavior increases. Jock Young, another Marxist writer, introduced the idea that the modern world frowned upon diversity but was not afraid of social conflict. However, the late modern world is very tolerant of diversity. [1] However, he is extremely afraid of social conflict, which is an explanation for the political correctness movement. Late modern society readily accepts differences, but labels those it does not want as deviant and mercilessly punishes and persecutes them.

Michel Foucault

Michel Foucault believed that torture had gradually disappeared from modern society due to the diffusion of power; There was no longer any need for the state's wrath against a deviant person. Rather, the modern state is praised for its fairness and dispersal of power, which, instead of controlling each individual, controls the masses.

He also suggested that institutions control people through discipline. For example, the modern prison (more precisely, a panopticon) is a template for these institutions because it controls its prisoners through the impeccable application of discipline.

Foucault theorizes that, in a sense, postmodern society is characterized by a lack of free will on the part of individuals. Institutions of knowledge, norms and values ​​are simply created to classify people and control them.

Biological theories of deviation

Praveen Attri argues that genetic causes are largely responsible for social deviance. The Italian school of criminology argues that biological factors can contribute to crime and deviance. Cesare Lombroso was one of the first to research and develop the theory of biological variation, which states that some people are genetically predisposed to criminal behavior. He believed that criminals were the product of earlier genetic forms. The main influence on his research was Charles Darwin and his Theory of Evolution. Lombroso theorized that humans were born criminals, or in other words, less evolved humans who were biologically more connected to our more primitive and animalistic urges. From his research, Lombroso took Darwin's theory and himself looked at primitive times in relation to deviant behavior. He found that the skeletons he studied mostly had low foreheads and prominent jaws. These characteristics were reminiscent of primitive creatures such as Homo Neanderthalensis

. He stated that little can be done to treat born criminals because their characteristics are biologically inherited. Over time, most of his research was refuted. His research was refuted by Pearson and Charles Goring. They found that Lombroso had not examined enough skeletons for his research to be thorough enough. When Pearson and Hering examined the skeletons themselves, they tested much more and found that bone structure had nothing to do with deviant behavior. A statistical study published by Charles Hering on this subject is called "The English Convict".

Other theories

The classical school of criminology stems from the work of Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham. Beccaria adopted a utilitarian view of society along with the social contract theory of the state. He argued that the role of the state is to maximize utility for the greatest number of people and minimize those actions that harm society. He argued that deviants commit deviant acts (which are harmful to society) because of the utility they provide to the individual. If the state were to weigh the pain of punishment against the benefit of various deviant behaviors, the deviant would no longer have an incentive to commit deviant acts. (Note that Beccaria advocated fair

punishment; since increasing the severity of punishments without taking into account the logical measurement of utility will lead to an increase in the degree of social harm when it reaches a certain point.)

Classification

There is no single typology of the phenomenon, since the problem of deviation is studied by psychologists, doctors, criminologists, and sociologists. Each area has its own aspects of behavior, so different classifications have been developed.

Merton classification

The first classification appeared in 1938. Its author was the American sociologist Merton. According to his theory, types of deviation are distinguished based on the ways in which an individual adapts to the world around him. The sociologist describes 5 types of behavior. Of these, only 1 is considered normal, the rest he classifies as deviations.

These types are:

Korolenko's typology

Russian psychiatrist Korolenko has developed his own classification of deviant behavior.

It is divided into:

• non-standard - an individual violates generally accepted rules that go beyond the boundaries of social stereotypes, but at the same time have a positive impact on social development;
• destructive – this type of behavior can be externally destructive, based on a violation of social rules, and internally destructive, characterized by a violation of personality. In the first case, a person often becomes a drug addict and is characterized by consciously committing a crime.

Korolenko further divides intra-destructive behavior into: suicide, fanaticism, narcissism and autism.

Mendelevich

Russian narcologist and psychiatrist Mendeleevich identified the following types of deviant behavior:

• hyperpowers;
• psychopathological;
• addictive – escape from reality;
• pathocharacterological.

Mendeleevich closely connects the concept of deviation with deliquence - an unlawful act that harms others.

Zmanovskaya

Psychologist-analyst Zmanovskaya offers the following types for classification:

• antisocial - criminal acts dangerous to other members of society;
• immoral - actions aimed at displaying aggression, theft, gambling;
• self-destructive - this includes suicide and fanaticism.

In the latter case, danger arises even for the individual himself.

General classification

Deviation is a phenomenon in psychology that is usually divided into negative and positive. The manifestation of deviation in a negative form is dangerous for members of society and, in certain cases, for the individual himself.

It occurs in the following forms:

• committing a criminal offense;
• inclinations towards terrorism;
• vagrancy;
• prostitution;
• drug addiction;
• theft;
• extremism;
• suicide.

A positive form of deviation is aimed at the benefit of society. But deviations from norms and rules will be noticeable in behavior.

These include:

• genius;
• workaholism;
• self-sacrifice.

A number of psychologists do not accept the form of positive deviance. They believe that even if actions benefit society, they are negative for the individual himself.

Age characteristics

Deviation is not diagnosed in children under 5 years of age. As a rule, it manifests itself most clearly in school, especially in adolescence.

For younger schoolchildren

Psychologists classify deviations of primary school age as:

• inability to nonverbal communication;
• difficulties in establishing interpersonal contacts with peers;
• speech disorders;
• delayed mental, physical or mental development;
• pathological lying;
• masturbation;
• kleptomania;
• sucking fingers and other objects.

With timely identification of signs of deviation in primary schoolchildren, treatment of existing diseases and correction of mental disorders provides favorable prognoses.

In teenagers

For teachers and parents, deviant teenagers become a real disaster. The situation is aggravated by the onset of puberty and the age crisis. Deviations can have dangerous consequences both for others and for the child himself.

Psychologists include the most common deviations of adolescence:

• uncontrolled aggression and even cruelty;
• uncontrollability;
• dromomania - regular running away and leaving home without warning when the teenager does not come to spend the night;
• pyromania - tendency to set fires;
• too impulsive reactions to what is happening;
• anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders;
• infantilism - actions, actions and whims of a small child that are abnormal for a teenager;
• hyperdynamia - excessive motor disinhibition, pathological restlessness;
• initiation into the use of prohibited substances.

Often teenagers prone to deviation become participants in extremist groups and informal communities. The involvement of such minors in criminal activity is especially dangerous. The consequences can be the most undesirable: from imprisonment to suicide and drug addiction.

As statistics show, deviant teenagers, in the absence of the necessary help and support from others, are characterized by inappropriate reactions even after growing up. Therefore, it is at this age that correction and prevention are so important.

Classification of social deviation

The manifestation of deviation in social terms is divided into the following groups.

Addictive deviance

This is a regular escape from problems, it is expressed in pathological dependence.

Addictiveness can manifest itself in the form of:

• computer addiction;
• alcoholism, drug addiction;
• nymphomania;
• religious fanaticism;
• anorexia.

In turn, addictive deviance is divided into destructive, neutral and socially useful.

Immoral deviance

In this group, psychologists include behavior that violates moral and ethical standards. The person’s actions are not dangerous, but they are contrary to the rules.

Immoral behavior includes:

• humiliation of people;
• increased aggression;
• refusal to study or work;
• promiscuity.

In some classifications, the immoral category is classified as socially neutral.

Delinquent deviance

Abnormal or delinquent behavior manifests itself in 2 forms:

• Pre-criminogenic type - a person violates legal norms, actions manifest themselves in the form of vandalism, hooliganism, fights, beatings, insults.
• Criminal – a person violates criminal norms. This includes murder, fraud, theft, and robbery.

Such individuals pose a serious threat to society.

Types of deviant behavior

Social norms and deviant behavior in combination with each other provide an understanding of several types of deviant behavior (depending on the direction of behavior patterns and manifestations in the social environment):

1. Antisocial. This behavior reflects a person’s tendency to commit actions that threaten successful interpersonal relationships: by violating moral norms that are recognized by all members of a particular microsociety, a person with deviation destroys the established order of interpersonal interaction. All this is accompanied by multiple manifestations: aggression, sexual deviations, gambling addiction, dependency, vagrancy, etc.
2. Antisocial, another name for it is delinquent. Deviant and delinquent behavior are often completely identified, although delinquent behavioral cliches concern narrower issues - they have as their “subject” violations of legal norms, which leads to a threat to social order and disruption of the well-being of people around them. These can be a variety of actions (or lack thereof) directly or indirectly prohibited by current legislative (regulatory) acts.
3. Autodestructive. It manifests itself in behavior that threatens the integrity of the individual, the possibilities of his development and normal existence in society. This type of behavior is expressed in different ways: through suicidal tendencies, food and chemical addictions, activities with a significant threat to life, as well as autistic/victim/fanatical behavior patterns.

Forms of deviant behavior are systematized based on social manifestations:

• negatively colored (all kinds of addictions - alcohol, chemical; criminal and destructive behavior);
• positively colored (social creativity, altruistic self-sacrifice);
• socially neutral (vagrancy, begging).

Depending on the content of behavioral manifestations of deviations, they are divided into types:

1. Dependent behavior. The object of desire (dependence on it) can be various objects:

• psychoactive and chemical drugs (alcohol, tobacco, toxic and medicinal substances, drugs),
• games (activating gambling behavior),
• sexual satisfaction,
• Internet resources,
• religion,
• shopping, etc.

1. Aggressive behavior. It is expressed in motivated destructive behavior causing damage to inanimate objects/objects and physical/mental suffering to animate objects (people, animals).
2. Victive behavior. Due to a number of personal characteristics (passivity, unwillingness to be responsible for oneself, to defend one’s principles, cowardice, lack of independence and an attitude of subordination), a person is characterized by victim behavior patterns.
3. Suicidal tendencies and suicides. Suicidal behavior is a type of deviant behavior that involves a demonstration or actual attempt at suicide. These behavioral patterns are considered:

• with internal manifestation (thoughts about suicide, reluctance to live in current circumstances, fantasies about one’s own death, plans and intentions regarding suicide);
• with external manifestation (suicide attempts, actual suicide).

1. Running away from home and vagrancy. The individual is prone to chaotic and constant changes of place of residence, continuous movement from one territory to another. They have to ensure their existence by begging for alms, stealing, etc.
2. Illegal behavior. Various manifestations in terms of offenses. The most obvious examples are theft, fraud, extortion, robbery and hooliganism, vandalism. Beginning in adolescence as an attempt to assert oneself, this behavior is then consolidated as a way of building interaction with society.
3. Sexual behavior disorder. Manifests itself in the form of abnormal forms of sexual activity (early sexual activity, promiscuity, satisfaction of sexual desire in a perverted form).

Manifestations of deviation

In psychology and pedagogy, the following signs are used to determine deviant behavior:

• violation by a person of all generally accepted social norms;
• causing harm not only to others, but also to oneself;
• repeated repetition of actions directed against society;
• social maladjustment;
• destructive personality orientation.

In practice, in life, deviant behavior is not limited to the presented characteristics.

It also includes:

• uncontrollability;
• aggressiveness;
• secrecy;
• tendency to cruelty;
• deliberate violation of rules, restrictions and laws;
• sudden changes in mood.

Not all manifestations can be detected immediately. Often a person does not outwardly reveal himself. He may have a good job, many friends, in public he will be quiet and correct, but when he goes beyond his environment, he begins to commit illegal actions. For example, participate in gangs, attack people.

Important! Psychologists do not classify eccentricity as deviant behavior. If it is characterized by the oddities of the individual, then it does not harm either the person himself or the society around him.

Aggression

One of the manifestations of deviant behavior is aggression. This is a hostile manifestation that indicates internal tension. The person is not interested in the needs of others. He concentrates only on achieving his own goals. He doesn't care about the opinions of others.

Uncontrollability

The individual's behavior will be aimed only at maintaining his interests. He does not listen to the opinions of others.

It is impossible to predict the actions he will take. Such people have a very cool character that cannot be contained.

Unpredictable mood swings

People with deviant behavior are prone to frequent mood changes without reason. They can turn from a cheerful person into a furious and cruel person in one minute. Such changes are caused by internal tension and serious nervous exhaustion.

Desire for inconspicuousness

The individual withdraws into himself; he does not share his emotions and ideas with others. This behavior can cause degradation.

Causal factors of deviation

Deviation is a psychological phenomenon that is characteristic of any society. But the percentage of such people will vary depending on the state of society itself, the economic and moral aspects. Psychologists identify more than 200 factors that cause deviation.

The primary reasons include:

• financial crisis in society;
• the close environment in which a person develops. For example, a child lives in a dysfunctional family where the parents use drugs or alcohol. Since childhood, he takes negative behavior for granted;
• influence of society, perception of habits from friends;
• heredity;
• rejection of moral and moral standards;
• mental disorders;
• feeling of impunity.

In psychology, individuals often have a misunderstanding of the combination of social norms. He cannot build a competent behavior strategy without help. As a result of its action, deviation is observed.

Prevention

In many ways, prevention methods will depend on age. For example, for younger schoolchildren, conversations with the school psychologist, teachers and parents will be sufficient. In adolescence, this will no longer be enough - more serious measures will be required. It is important to instill in children moral values, rules of behavior in society, respect and observance of laws, and socialization skills. Such preventive work must be carried out constantly.

Sample prevention program

The goal is to create favorable conditions for the formation of knowledge and skills about social norms through the instillation of attitudes and skills of correct and responsible behavior.

Tasks:

• generalize knowledge about good and bad habits;
• maintain positive self-esteem;
• teach you to take responsibility for your own behavior and possible violations;
• develop adequate, effective skills of proper communication;
• develop the ability to provide assistance in difficult times;
• instill the rules of sanitary and hygienic culture;
• to form communicative, social and personal competences;
• develop the emotional sphere.

Age: teenagers 10-17 years old.

Implementation timeframe: 1 time per week for one academic semester (18 weeks).

I block of lessons

II block of classes

III block of classes

IV block of classes

Deviant behavior in children

The main reason for the emergence of deviant behavior lies in the theory of violation of personal socialization. If a child is raised in a normal family, he develops rules of behavior, social interest, and the perception of norms as the only true and correct ones.

If children see around them immoral behavior and parental conflicts, they develop a negative attitude towards society from birth. There is no orientation towards the future, a constant feeling of anxiety and restlessness develops.

Deviant behavior in adolescents and ways to resolve it

Among the cases of deviant behavior, the bulk occurs in adolescence. This is due to the psychological peculiarities of personality development. During this period, adolescents experience adolescence, the most difficult and responsible stage. They still do not know how to correctly assess problems, react sharply to difficulties, and cannot adequately approach their solution.

To resolve the situation, prevention of deviant behavior is used.

It is based on a set of measures that include:

• improvement of the social development situation;
• creation of favorable conditions;
• identification of negative factors.

For younger schoolchildren, the most effective methods are individual conversations with a psychologist and educational work.

Various psychotherapeutic techniques are selected for adolescents. They include group trainings, the use of visual materials, and role-playing games. Psychologists actively involve parents in their work. In especially severe cases, sedative medication is prescribed.

Diagnosis of deviant behavior

Psychology of deviations in a child, teenager (signs of deviations):

• school maladjustment;
• low level of socialization;
• asociality;
• psychophysical retardation;
• inadequate self-esteem;
• desire to imitate.

Inadequate self-esteem as a sign of deviation.

Characteristics of deviant behavior in preschool children:

• aggression (biting, pinching, pushing);
• whims;
• manipulation;
• self-harm.

Children with deviations come from dysfunctional families. But we are not only talking about alcoholics, drug addicts or single-parent families (the latter is not a determining factor at all). Families where parents are constantly absent from work or are busy with their lives, as well as families where the child is cared for by a nanny, and overprotective families are also at risk. Only one style of parenting is considered favorable - democratic. In other cases, there is a risk of developing negative deviations.

General diagnostic methods

To identify deviant behavior in minors, as well as determine the level and dynamics of deviations, the psychologist uses the following methods:

• conversation, observation during the conversation (identifying negative factors, opportunities for self-realization, studying the characteristics of the client, his lifestyle);
• environmental survey (identifying the client’s image in the eyes of other people);
• surveys, tests, other methods for studying personality (identifying temperament, accentuations, anxiety, etc.);
• highly specialized techniques for identifying deviations and propensities for them;
• projective tests to identify subconscious anxieties, phobias, and psychotraumas.

Conversation to identify deviations.

Tests and questionnaires

In the process of diagnosing deviant behavior in adolescents and adults, several groups of tests are used: general personality, projective, to identify relationships in the family, to identify individual personality indicators and deviations.

Personality tests:

• Eysenck technique (suitable for children, adults);
• Pathocharacterological diagnostic questionnaire (for adolescents 14-18 years old);
• Minnesota Multifactorial Personality Inventory (for persons 16 years and older);
• Leonhard-Schmishek test (detection of teenage accentuations).

When working with young children, you can use art therapy and projective techniques.

Projective techniques:

• Sondi test (for children over 10 years old, adults);
• Rosenzweig test (a modification has been developed for children from 4 to 13 years old, a modification for children from 15 years old and adults, both modifications are suitable for adolescents 12–15 years old).

Tests to identify family relationships:

• Varga test (questionnaire for parents to identify their attitude towards their child);
• Shafer test (questionnaire for children and adolescents to identify their attitude towards their parents).

The Spielberger Scale test is suitable for studying anxiety in adults; the Phillips test is suitable for identifying childhood anxiety; and other methods for identifying school maladjustment.

To identify motives, goals, hidden desires, you can use the Rorschach test, the method of unfinished letters or unfinished sentences. These techniques are suitable for all ages.

The questionnaire “Deviant Behavior” (authors: M.Yu. Kolosnitsyna, E.A. Kadatskaya) helps to identify which deviations one is prone to. In addition to the deviations themselves, destructive character traits are identified that hinder the development of personality. These traits need to be worked on. Another technique that allows you to determine the tendency to deviate and establish its type is “Methodology for diagnosing a tendency to deviant behavior” (author – R.V. Ovcharova).

Types and examples of deviation

Social disorders are divided into the following types:

• primary and secondary deviation;
• cultural anomalies;
• deviations of a group and individual nature;
• culturally rejected and approved violations.

The last type includes behavior that can be directed both for the benefit and harm of society. For example, a person is a workaholic, he works 20 hours a day, trying to do as much as possible for society. But at the same time, he harms himself, since he spends a lot of time at work and gets little rest.

Forms of deviant actions

In psychology, there are 2 forms of deviant behavior: positive and destructive.

1 includes:

• success in creativity;
• participation in charity;
• self-sacrifice;
• scientific achievements;
• increased diligence in school or work.

The behavior is considered a deviation from the norm, but at the same time it is positive.

Negative deviant behavior is divided into 3 forms:

• unconscious - a person cannot understand why his actions are condemned by society and considered a deviation;
• aberrant - a person understands the unacceptability of actions, so he commits them secretly;
• nonconformist – a person realizes that his actions go beyond the generally accepted, but consciously continues to carry them out.

In psychology, predeviant syndrome is distinguished. It consists of exhibiting signs that lead to negative behavior. The syndrome is expressed in conflicts with others and aggressiveness.

Reasons and background

Psychologists began to study the causes and prerequisites for the formation of deviations in order to develop effective methods to combat them. Factors causing behavioral abnormalities are:

• genetic predisposition;
• age (deviations often occur in adolescents, accompanying the process of formation of elements of an individual’s self-awareness);
• low intellectual potential of the individual;
• presence of character accentuations;
• unfavorable level of economic development of the region in which the person lives;
• awareness of social inequality;
• a person’s material difficulties;
• political instability in the country;
• raising a child in an antisocial environment;
• mistakes of family education;
• low level of development of the moral foundations of the individual;
• a person’s dubious social environment, copying incorrect patterns of behavior under group pressure;
• difficulties in personal socialization;
• stress;
• pathological processes in the nervous system and brain;
• psychosomatic disorders;
• interests and inclinations of the individual, peculiarities of perception;
• open propaganda of sexual liberation in the media;
• inconsistency of social norms, which leads to the difficulty of choosing the only correct model of behavior;
• a person’s lack of opportunities to meet their needs;
• a sense of permissiveness and confidence in impunity;
• learned helplessness, the habit of shifting responsibility for one’s life to others;
• desire to become famous on the Internet;
• adolescent desire to gain recognition from members of the reference group;
• a teenager’s desire to look like an adult;
• desire to make the world a better place.

Consequences

Not only the individual himself, but also the entire society is affected by the consequences of deviant behavior.

They are expressed:

• in relation to the individual – in physical exhaustion, mental disorder, loneliness;
• in relation to society - in the suffering of those close to them, the risk of violence, death from an individual with deviant behavior;
• in relation to society – increasing the level of criminalization.

Deviation is not only a disease that needs to be treated. This is a problem of society, the solution of which must be approached comprehensively. State and public organizations, schools, secondary specialized and higher educational institutions should be connected.

Correction methods

Deviation in behavior must be treated.

Correction methods include:

• drug therapy;
• work with psychologists;
• breathing exercises, yoga.

Medications are prescribed if there are biological reasons that provoke deviation. To relieve increased nervous excitability and calm the patient, tranquilizers are used. When diagnosing a severe form of deviation, treatment may be recommended in a psychiatric clinic.

Psychotherapy

Particular attention in the treatment process is paid to psychotherapeutic methods of behavior correction. The specialist’s task is to discover the cause of deviant behavior and eliminate it.

The following methods of psychotherapy are used:

• group classes;
• individual conversations;
• family therapy;
• art therapy treatment.

The maximum effect can be achieved by combining methods with each other.

Other control methods

To combat deviation, additional methods are used, such as:

• physiotherapy;
• physiotherapy;
• hardening;
• breathing exercises.

To correct the behavior of adolescents and children, sports, hobbies, and tourism are used.

Deviation is a complex phenomenon in psychology that requires attention and control. If left unattended and no measures taken for treatment, a person can pose a threat not only to others, but also to himself.