Crime patterns Essay

Short Answer Questions: 1) What do sociologists mean when they describe deviance as being relative? Provide an example of a deviant behavior and identify how it is relative. Deviance is relative because of a number of factors. These factors include: location, age, social status, and individual societies that do not conform to social norms. Deviance deals with situations in everyday life and that is what makes deviance relative to sociologists. An example of this type of behavior is â€Å"A person speaking loudly during a church service would probably be considered deviant, whereas a person speaking loudly at a party would not. Society generally regards taking the life of another person to be a deviant act, but during wartime, killing another person is not considered deviant† (Sparknotes.com, 2014). This is relative because it is relating to the persons involved in the situation and their surroundings. 2) What are deviant places, and how are they associated with deviant acts? Deviant places are places that sustain deviant acts. These could be old buildings, poverty-stricken neighborhoods, or largely-populated areas. These places create certain stresses and could cause these behaviors. For example areas with a lot of poverty are usually areas with the highest crime rate. This stress leads to stealing, drugs, etc. , 3) Sociologists detail the importance of contextual and social patterns for deviant acts such as abuse, murder, and rape. Choose from abuse, murder, and rape, and then detail an important social pattern or variation. 4) Compare and contrast two different types of suicide, providing an example of each. Essay: What are the fundamental differences between the biological, psychological, and sociological theories of deviance? Choose a sociological theory from your readings and provide a summary of its important ideas and concepts. Then choose a deviant act and utilize the theory to explain why people engage in such behaviors.