this is my final. there are many like it, but this one is mine.

[pen_is_good]

deviant behavior final exam. one essay question. 17 pages.  i cant feel my eyes. hopefully they are in a better place.

There are several ways of looking at society. The functionalist perspective sees society almost as an organism, with individual parts each having a purpose that contributes to the whole. Conflict theory sees society as a struggle between the producers and consumers, with those who deviate only doing so in a response to their place in the structure of society. When looking at this deviant behavior through the third major stance on society, the interactionist perspective, deviance is generally seen as a set of labels that are placed on people and their reactions to these labels. Those studying deviance through the interactionist perspective tend to look at these labels and their consequences rather than the actual behavior itself. Society’s reactions to a behavior in a negative way are what make it deviant in the first place, so this practice is logical. But how and why do people begin to deviate from the norms of society? How are they able to continue? There are several ways of looking at this and several steps in becoming a deviant. When looking at specific deviant aspects of society there are ways of figuring this out. When observing the practices of deviants, through the interactionist perspective an interesting way of studying deviance as a whole is presented. 
            When looking at deviance in body image, you must first look at the societal norm for this subject. While America is one of the most overweight countries in the world, the media attempts to promote a slimmer-than-average person as the social norm. They have no imperfections, and are at the same time able to eat McDonalds every day. These contradicting messages in the media make people’s bodies a reoccurring subject of deviance. The norm that is portrayed is one that can cause people to try very unhealthy methods of weight loss in order to feel accepted for how they look. At the same time that this is happening, others seemingly rebel against what society has considered the social norm in the past. Tattoos have gained mainstream acceptance since the early 90’s. Before then they were commonly seen as a deviant behavior. While tattoos are still a form of deviance they are much more acceptable than they were in the past. Also, they are not seen to be nearly as deviant as being obese. Because of the dangers that people place themselves in attempts to look more socially acceptable, body image throughout society is without a doubt one of the more important topics when it comes to deviance.
            When a person attempts to lose weight and are successful they are often complimented and praised for their good work. This is rarely the case when a person gains weight. This reaction to a person when their weight changes helps to define the deviance surrounding obesity, or non-skinniness in general. An interactionist would look at the negative reactions to a person’s heaviness as consequences therefore making obesity deviant. The positive reactions to thinness are rewards, and people strive for these. In attempts to get skinny, many develop eating disorders. Two of these, anorexia and bulimia are particularly dangerous. With anorexia, a 20-25 percent loss of initial body weight happens. This comes from self-starvation which is occasionally used in combination with excessive exercise. Anorexia-nervosa(it’s technical name) has a mortality rate of 6 to 20%. Bulimia denotes regular binge-eating followed by vomiting or laxative abuse. People who develop these disorders often begin to suffer from depression, obsessive-compulsivity, and anxiety. It is estimated that bulimia affects 13% of college students, a population where bulimia is considered an epidemic. Especially at risk are woman who have more pressure placed on them by society for their appearance. But how does this happen? There are several stages that a person goes through when developing one of these disorders. First, a person who develops them is usually one who has dieted in the past. This entails their conformist mentality. Often with bulimics and anorexics they fail to keep lowered weights after dieting. These disorders seemed like quick fixes for their problem, and they are often praised at first for keeping their weight lowered. It is after this that many felt empowered by their skinniness. They receive compliments from friends and family and until it is noticeable that their disease is a problem because of emaciation (which rarely occurs with bulimia), they continue on with their unhealthy practices with no negative reactions. Once approached about their problem after it becomes noticed, many anorexics will deny the label. They do not feel that they have a problem at first and continue to lose weight. Bulimics often feel that while their routine is unhealthy, it is worth the risk. It is after this that these people go through secondary deviance. This is when the labels of bulimic and anorexic are internalized, and identities of these people begin to be affected. After the roles are internalized many of these people completely alter their way of life to fit around their behaviors. Because of these labels, bulimics and anorexics tend to live fulfilling a new set of roles. Bulimics tend to begin hiding evidence of their behaviors. Because their physical appearance is often unchanging, the disorder is able to continue if it is done in secret. Anorexics often believed that it was better to be that than be fat. Friends and family who confront them are often unable to help with the person’s problem, and it persists. People often begin treating bulimics and anorexics solely based on these labels, and this further continues the label. They are often ostracized for these behaviors, and usually the best method for them to receive help is through self-help groups. Bulimia and anorexia are very dangerous disorders than can be very easy to get. The process of becoming one is almost built into society, especially with the individual interactions people have with their friends and family. These interactions help to maintain the person’s disorder. Because of this it is not surprising how often these disorders are seen and it is apparent how much of a problem that it is in today’s society.
Tattoos and the people who wear them have gone through many changes since they were first seen. In the past, people with tattoos were seen as deviants. While this is a misconception, it is not completely unfounded. Tattoos are and were in the past especially common among gang members and convicts. What is not realized is that they are also found on scores of other people. In the past criminals were marked or branded for their crimes, identifying them as troublemakers. This helped lead to tattoo’s being deemed deviant. Since the 1990’s tattoos have seen a push into mainstream culture. Board meetings and classrooms both see tattoos along with jail cells and motorcycles. The reasons people get tattoos vary, just like the people who get them. Many people feel that it is a sign of liberation, or freedom. “No one else had one, as far as I know…it was a way of setting yourself apart from the crowd.” Many tattooed feel that they don’t fit in with their peers, especially in high school and college, and they will get them to separate themselves. Women especially feel this, and have seen a huge change in which of them gets tattoos. In the past especially, women were not generally tattooed unless they were deviant in other ways. The change of types of tattoos has also helped to swing the culture surrounding them. More colors are offered now, and tattoos have taken a much more artistic turn. While they were always a form of expression, they are now better able to do so with more talented artists with more sophisticated equipment. Because of this, and the people who now get tattoos, the stereotype that existed surrounding tattoos and those who wear them is slipping away. Since the 1990’s the tattoo culture has shifted completely and will continue to do so. While many people still apply a stigma to those who have them, tattoos are without a doubt becoming more acceptable. For those that don’t, it can and does cause problems for them. The stereotype exists with many, and until it is gone completely, the growing number of people with tattoos will experience stigmatization for what they feel is a form of expression. For those that do have them, there are several ways that they see and deal with the stigma involved with their body modifications. First, most tattooees spend a great amount of time and thought on the decision to get tattooed. Tattooists who were interviewed were cited as being skeptical because of the expected reactions by friends, family, and society in general. After getting the tattoo, they either received the stigma they expected by these people or did not. If they are not condemned by friends or family they are often done so by strangers. Many reported their belief in the deviance of those who looked down on them for their tattoos. “If someone wants to treat me differently because of the tattoo I would have on my ankle that is a pretty shitty person. It would not be someone that I would want to deal with anyway.” This helps to neutralize the deviance surrounding their tattoo, at least in the tattooee’s mind. With friends and family they will often try to sway their opinions. They do this by simply talking to them, and many seem to commit to standard norms even more heartily after getting a tattoo, seemingly in order to counteract their tattoo’s deviance. More often than not getting a tattoo results in a person becoming having more conventional tendencies than before. Conservative motives for getting tattoos are extremely common and after telling friends and family a person’s tattoo is generally a less heated subject. With more conventional and conservative behaviors being seen by people who get tattoos it is obvious where the trend is going. Tattoos are seen as less and less deviant every day. Those who get them are the ones causing this through their attempts to neutralize the deviance involved by adhering to these more conservative and conforming behaviors.
Certain types of substance abuse and simple consumption are behaviors that are commonly seen as deviant by mainstream society. However those who act in this way are often not so discouraged in this and are easily led into these behaviors through their interactions with others and certain institutions. Especially in college settings, substance abuse is seen considerably less deviant by the population. One college student at UNC-Charlotte who shall remain nameless reported that he could not think of one person that he interacts with regularly in social situations who does not drink at least every once in a while. The abuse and simple use of certain substances causes many different reactions depending on who the interaction is with and what the substance is. The future of the nation is currently enrolled in college and this is the residence and training ground for a great amount of America’s substance abusing population.
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States.The percentage of youth aged 12-17 indicating experiencing a great risk of smoking marijuana once a month remained unchanged between 1999 and 2000 (37.2% in 1999 and 37.7% in 2000). The risk of using cocaine is estimated to be more than 104 times greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have never tried it. Smoking marijuana can injure or destroy lung tissue. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50-70% more of some cancer causing chemicals than does tobacco smoke. Reaction time for motor skills, such as driving, is reduced by 41% after smoking one joint and is reduced 63% after smoking two joints. There have been over 7,000 published scientific and medical studies documenting the damage that marijuana poses. Not one study has shown marijuana to be safe (GDCADA).Despite this, as stated before: marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. In an article on this subject by Howard Becker, he outlines the ways that a person begins and continues to use the drug. First, a person tries the drug. It was commonly reported that no effect was felt the first time that the drug was used. Through repeated smoking sessions, a person learns to “get high.” Many report that people do not smoke right and techniques are learned including deep inhaling and keeping the smoke in the lungs. Users learned to do this either through observation(which was often the case in attempts to not seem new to the drug) or by the referrals of other users. After the effect of the drug is felt for the first time, often a person does not realize that it is happening. This commonly results in a person not continuing to use the drug. Typically, however, users do feel the effects of the drug after a few attempts at getting high. It takes another person telling them that they are being affected sometimes, and in most cases a person who gets high realizes it soon thereafter. After this realization a user will then want to reproduce the effect which is generally pleasurable. If it is not, then a user will either not continue the drug use or redefine his feelings of the drug’s effect. Through repeated use, a person will often change his opinion on the drug because of more pleasurable experiences with it. This is often done through the interactions with more experienced users who show them how they enjoy the drug. This is done in a number of ways. They will often tell a person the negative effects aren’t as bad as they seem while praising the pleasurable effects. After a person learns to like the drug, they continue to use. They are taught guidelines for using such as moderation of its use. Through repeated sessions, a person will learn what causes negative effects if they occur (usually over-indulgence is the cause). However, for a person to be a continuing user they must perceive the effects as pleasurable and the drug as a means of obtaining these effects. Then, a person will become a marijuana user. These steps are all based on interactions with others, so therefore a person cannot theoretically become a user by themselves. Like society through reproduction and socialization, the marijuana smoking population is seen to have its own form of recruitment and membership retention plan and surely has it’s own set of norms and guidelines. Much like other deviant groups, you are not born a member or join the group instantly. You must become a part of the group through learned processes and behaviors.
When looking at alcohol policies at college campuses it becomes apparent quickly why there is such a prevalence of alcohol abuse in this setting. Many Residential Assistants(RA) claim that most freshman drink. They find evidence throughout dormitories and hear about it through residence. They have heard of and seen residents drinking irresponsibly, resulting in different alcohol-related accidents and incidents including assaults and cases of alcohol poisoning. The RA is a college’s first line of defense against underage drinking and alcohol abuse. An RA will live on a floor with other students, and make rounds throughout the building when they are scheduled to do so.  They are former residents, and often reported lackluster enforcement of the school’s alcohol policy when they themselves drank as freshman.  It was also reported that one RA would protect residents from punishment by warning them of other RA’s that were on patrol. After experiences as freshman, RA’s will often develop their own idea about drinking in dorms. After becoming the RA, they will use this idea in how they work. All residents are informed of the college’s alcohol policy the first week of school. At the University studied by Earl Rubington in his article “The Enforcement of College Alcohol Policy” this is done first by the Residence Director (RD) who is the overseer of all the RA’s. Then the RA’s have meetings with their residents when they tell them of their alcohol policy. Occasionally this is not done, when RA’s either don’t care or feel the RD has said what needs to be said. Other RA’s will tell residents to not drink in the dorms if they are going to, or tell them to not let it be known in any way by the RA that they are. An RA will have a different relationship with the students on his floor than with those on others. This causes floors that have more drinkers than others when one RA is slack about enforcing the school’s alcohol policy. These floors causes more work for other RA’s and this affects the relationship between the RAs. When making rounds, an RA will experience most of his confrontations with underage drinking. Many report that they do not like getting people in trouble and some will simply dispose of alcohol that is present. If a person does receive punishment by an RA, they often become upset with them for doing so. These interactions show how an RA would feel about writing a person up for drinking underage. Many times and RA will then develop his own way of dealing with these encounters. Rubington reported three types of style: Strict (meaning they adhere to the rules completely), moderate, and lenient. A strict RA will see every case as the university does and act accordingly. A lenient RA will usually not do this and try to solve problems in his own way. Restoring order to situations is an important part of the job for an RA, and they can better do this by having good relationships with residents. When an RA is on patrol, they will not only have encounters with residents they live on the hall with it is with others as well. Many times an RA who is lenient with his neighboring residents will be strict when it comes to those on other floors. Many report not wanting to cause trouble with the relationship they have with someone they are going to be living with for a year. It is reported that over the course of an RA’s residency in a dorm, they typically would be more lenient as time went on. Often RAs become apathetic to alcohol abuse, and often they become mentally and physically exhausted of the job. This causes even more leniency in RAs when their co-workers are not working as they should. The costs of punishing residents include strained relationships and loss of time. With other RAs doing less over time the costs of punishing residents increases when they are one of the few adhering to the rules. This it causes the average RA to be less and less attentive to university policy as a school year progresses. This conflict in role helps to realize why there is such a problem with underage-drinking on college campuses. When looking at University policy, the employment of Residential Assistants, and the relationship they have with residents that they are in charge of it becomes clear how so many college-students are able to get away with drinking underage. 
The abuse of prescription drugs is a dangerous practice that often leads to injury, dependence, and death. This is why the drugs in question require a prescription. One portion of the drug-abusing population is able to obtain prescription drugs with almost no trouble at all, let alone a prescription. While almost anyone else would be forced to have a medical reason for obtaining a prescription drug, these people have access to every prescription drug on the planet. They aren’t doctors, who would also have this privilege. They are the distributors of relief: pharmacists. For whatever is bothering someone, they have comfort. But what about the pharmacists themselves? Many of them attempt to self-medicate and use drugs to fix their own problems, without the consultation of a doctor. They never used recreationally, but many became addicted through their efforts of self-treatment. This happens in several ways at first. Because the practice is illegal, most perform it in secret. However, many pharmacists reported being introduced to self-medication through a peer, such as a co-worker or classmate at pharmaceutical school. Often they will be referred to the practice of self-medication, only to find it works and use it again. Thus begins the process of addiction. Many believe that self-medication helps them perform better at work, giving users a type of justification for their actions. Once they begin using, it is extremely common for it to continue. After a tolerance for the drugs they have been using builds, the pharmacists are required to take higher quantities to achieve the same healing affects. Most do not see it coming, and it usually takes place over several years. Sometimes it can happen very fast. Often pharmacists will convince themselves they need treatment for ailments that do not exist. While many of these pharmacists enter into their addiction with seemingly innocent intentions, others begin their drug-abuse with the intent of having fun. It is important to note that many of these users chose their careers with the full intention and purpose of gaining access to these drugs. Along with them there are others who began using after experimentation in high-school and college with prescription and street drugs(marijuana, cocaine, etc.) Many pharmacists reported that during college it was socially acceptable to abuse both kinds of drugs. Many pharmacy-based fraternities were havens for drug-abusers. Drugs are easily accessible in pharmacy school, and their theft is common. For both recreational and therapeutic users, there are several common links. Neither usually had heard warnings about what they would get themselves into. A lack of definition surrounding this practice leads many to believe that it is harmless.  They almost always believe that because they practice pharmacy, they know what they are doing. Their job tells them they do. Their schooling tells them they do. Why wouldn’t they believe it to be true? This is what leads to the problem that many pharmacists who are drug-addicts face.  The acceptability of prescription drug use by pharmacists’ peers and it’s prevalence among the group in general is another reason that many follow a road to dependence. 
Human sexuality has been the subject of endless discussion, debate, and fascination for thousands of years. After all that time, sexuality has reached the point that it is at currently. After being pushed behind closed doors before the latter half of the 20th century, it once again resurfaced with as much mainstream attention as ever. Today sexuality is referred to in almost every aspect of life. You can’t walk down the street without seeing a woman’s cleavage on an advertisement or turn on the television without being told that you’re not the only one with herpes, and that’s ok. At the same time, you cannot look someone from head to toe without them thinking you are a pervert. But what makes this so? In the past human sexuality has been completely open. In ancient times pedophilia was a normal practice for aristocracy. The sex-manual Kama Sutra is a collection that is older than the Bible. Why are we now seemingly unable to free about our sexuality? People are persecuted every day for being to prudish, to slutty, to gay, to straight, to everything. It seems as if no one can be right. However, there is a common opinion on several deviant behaviors. The people that practice them are able to do so and continue to do so in a number of ways.
            One of the more controversial sexual behaviors of our time is that which is practiced by nudists. Nudist camps are made up of people who have a deviant set of norms. They believe that nudity and sexuality are unrelated. The human body is a natural thing that should not have to be covered. They further believe that being nude is pleasurable and is good for a person’s health. These are the basic principles of an average camp. But who believes this? What would cause them to look into joining? According to a study of couples who attended nudist camps, it was reported that 78% of the time, females were not as interested in making a visit to a nudist colony as their male partners were. Females express more concern over experiencing the nudist lifestyle, and usually are convinced by people close to them to do so. Men are more often attracted through the media which also enforces the general assumption that women should stay clothed, except when you are trying to sell something. Once a couple makes a trip, they often begin to feel less nervous about the situation than they did before. Forty-six percent of the couples reported not feeling nervous at all after first arriving at the camp. An additional thirty percent reported this same feeling after less than three hours. After a couple was to make a decision to become a nudist, it was found to be a very easy task. Asked if they had doubts after becoming nudists, seventy-seven percent reported not having any. Some of the reasons for the couple to become nudists included freedom, family cohesion, and the opportunity for relationships with others (who are also nudists). Being nudist allows a family or couple to experience freedom from the social norm of being clothed, brings the couple or family closer together (or at the very least, offers activity for the family/couple to do together), and offers relationships with other nudists. Once a member, however, most nudists reported being more socially withdrawn outside of the nudist colonies. To many members, this does not seem to be a problem. The benefits of being a nudist outweigh the drawback of social exclusion. It is as if nudists have formed their own secret society with its own set of rules and norms. Once a member, a person is generally expected to adhere to a set of rules that are taught in different ways, including directly. Many camps enforce non-alcoholic policies. This is to limit the negative consequences that members could experience through their or others’ over-consumption. A person can be banned from many camps for bringing beer in. Along with not being allowed alcohol, many camps do not allow you to relieve yourself in privacy. This is to promote the non-importance of being nude around the opposite sex. In addition to these, there are several other rules and standards that are occasionally officially enforced by the camp and almost always frowned upon by members either way. First, there is no staring. This can be interpreted as attraction and is seen as immoral according to the nudist way of life. There are also norms involving sex talk and the telling of sexually oriented jokes. “I’ve never heard anyone swear or tell a dirty joke out there,” said one member. “It is usually expected that members of a nudist camp not talk about sex,” stated the owner of a nudist camp. In fact, it seems that the norm in these camps full of people completely naked is to avoid sexuality at all. Sexuality and nudity are two completely different things, according to the nudist set of morals. The two should stay separated as much as possible in a camp, as well. Accentuation of the body including the shaving of pubic areas and certain piercings are also deemed deviant. These norms help to keep nudist camps nude and following the morals that have been spoken of. The naked body is seen to a regular member as nothing interesting. Enforcement of completely non-sexual behavior and the general mentality of most regular members help to keep those who do not belong out. If a person does not adhere to the norms that are in place they can be kicked out or ostracized to the point that they will leave. For example, one nudist told of seeing a man who got an erection while at the camp. He was reported to the owner and forced to leave. Just as in mainstream society, women are expected to try to keep their legs un-spread whenever possible and there were several accounts of woman who spread their legs being spoken badly about or told to change their position. This also shows how some norms of the non-nudist culture are intertwined with nudist. Women were reported to be especially wary of people staring, and were less likely to stare back. This is common in the outside world, as well. It can be argued that while the nudist mentality is deviant its rules and standards are shaped through interactions with those in the outside world who would not be accepted as a member because of, usually, their ideas about sexuality. This illustrates the strong ties that even some of the most deviant groups have with society.
            It is the social norm for a man to fall in love with a woman and vice versa. The societal norm is for marriage to take place when two people are in love. Laws are in place banning homosexual marriage. The idea that homosexuality is deviant is enforced through the media, as well. One of the most controversial movies of all time was Brokeback Mountain, the story of how a homosexual couple discovers their feelings for each other and come to terms with them. Homosexuals and lesbians both are reported to experience significant identity problems when first trying to come to terms with their sexual preference. The same is true for bisexuals, who do not have such a well defined identity given to them by society as homosexuals and lesbians do. When they begin to realize their sexual feelings and adopt them, there are stages that they go through in becoming bisexual. At first, they experience confusion. Many feel that if they are attracted to a new sex that they would deny their original attraction or that it was never there to begin with. This causes a lot of confusion for these people. If they are not aware of the label of bisexual, which many aren’t, than they feel they are simply confused in their sexual identity and unable to pick one sex to be attracted to. This leads to the next step of finding out the label of bisexual. Many do this on their own when they realize that their feelings for both sexes are too strong to be either homosexual or heterosexual. They are then often encouraged to accept this label and embrace their new sexual identity. The next step involves the person settling into their label and living the bisexual lifestyle. This can take years, and even after bisexuals often experience confusion and anomie. For those who attempt to start relationships with members of sexes they have never been with before, it is hard for them to start relationships because they do not know how. Many experience hardships with the relationships that they were a part of previous to their new bisexual identity. Bisexual is a difficult thing to become, it can take years for a person to assume this identity and come to terms with it.
            One of the most timeless and descriptive parts of society is that of music. It has been said that music is the language of the soul. It is self-expression through sound, and often it is expressed in deviant ways. The 80’s and early 90’s, for example, saw instances of major disapproval of rap by different social agents. The use of “Parental Advisory” stickers on music that contains material that could be considered sexually explicit or overly offensive by members of society could be seen as a result of this. It was and is commonly believed that rap music promotes gang-culture and other deviant behaviors. The placement of “Parental Advisory” stickers on music is done when a musical production is deemed by the distributing record company to be potentially offensive to portions of society. The use of these stickers has resulted in two theories: the “forbidden fruit” and the “tainted fruit” theories. The first believes that because the record company has placed this label on a potentially offensive CD, it will draw more attention and actually cause the music to be more popular. This theory is in turn based on the Reactance Theory, which states that when an individual’s freedom is threatened or taken they will want to regain this freedom (Christenson). Generally this is done by performing the prohibited behavior; in this case, purchasing music that is defined as deviant. According to this theory censorship of a particular musical production by placing a literal label on it deeming it deviant would result in a greater desire to purchase it. In contrast, the tainted fruit theory states the opposite. This theory states that if there is a negative label placed on a CD, than it would push away potential listeners. This theory is supported by the fact that most early adolescents are made uncomfortable by sexual imagery in music, one of the major causes for a CD to receive a Parental Advisory label (Christenson). This theory is also supported by the very notion of social norms: society says something is not right and whoever goes against this is in turn not right. The use of a Parental Advisory label with deviant music is a fitting metaphor for the very idea surrounding deviance in music, and deviance in general. Interactionists argue that the labels society as a whole administers to its individual parts are what define deviant behavior. The reactions to these labels by individuals and society are what make deviance a problem, not always the deviance itself.

i havent put all the citations in, im saving that for tomororw. this is due at 3. i have an appointment with a 12 pack at the pool right after that.  no exams till tuesday