Deviant behavior (deviating behavior, social deviation) is the behavior of a person (group) that contradicts the standards approved in society. It can also be viewed as a combination of actions that differ from the actions of most other people or do not satisfy social expectations.

A deviant is a person who demonstrates traits of unacceptable behavior and often needs the help of specialists (psychiatrists, narcologists, psychotherapists). In certain situations, for example, with severe aggression, developed psychopathy or other serious mental disorder, the individual may be isolated.

Due to the fact that in modern society there is a certain number of people prone to deviations, social control is exercised over them. It means attempts by the environment and relevant structures (medical, law enforcement) to correct and punish the deviant and actions aimed at preventing the development of deviant behavior.

Deviations in behavior can be exhibited by people of different ages. However, in children and adolescents it is easier to notice tendencies towards deviant behavior. As a rule, such individuals cause anxiety and can be “difficult children.” And they must be monitored, appropriate work must be carried out with them in order to prevent the final formation of deviations.

There are many forms (types), motives and approaches within the topic of deviant behavior. The reasons that provoke the development of deviations are based on them. The choice of method of working (correction) with a deviant depends directly on the motives that influence the formation of negative traits and push to “forbidden” actions.

Variants of views (approaches)

Social view . Consideration of deviant behavior is a combination of behaviors and actions that can be dangerous to society.

Gender approach . Deviations are understood as various types of violations of role behavior and attitudes in an individual. In some cases, these also include psychosexual deviations.

Psychological view . Here, deviation from the norm is understood as a conflict within the individual or degradation of the individual. Also taken into account are such points as a tendency to self-destruction, conscious blocking of personal growth, refusal of self-development and self-realization.

Age approach . Relies on the idea of ​​changed behavior that is not appropriate for a person's age. It can manifest itself in actions, hobbies, choice of clothing, and so on.

Psychiatric view . Any form of mental abnormality can be perceived as variants of deviant behavior. However, often within the framework of this view of the problem, a person’s condition is considered, which has not yet developed into a serious mental illness. It may be based on certain personality characteristics (the initial stages of psychopathy), borderline mental states.

Professional approach . Refusal to comply with prescribed rules and regulations of professional or corporate style.

Ethnocultural view . Deviations are considered in the context of the traditions of a particular society (community, community, etc.), taking into account national, racial and other characteristics.

Important : Considering deviant behavior among young people, a tendency towards subcultures, extreme hobbies, food addictions, and so on can also be perceived as a system of actions that deviate from usual standards.

Possible types and forms

Among the types (types) of deviant behavior the following options are distinguished:

Deviant behavior may include hyperabilities (over-talentedness) of children, as well as aesthetic disorders. Unaesthetic behavior refers to disturbances in speech, gaze, and movements.

Any form of deviant behavior originates from types of violation. The most common deviations, especially pronounced in adolescents, include: dependence on alcohol and drugs, smoking, disinhibition of sexual behavior, suicidal tendencies and suicide attempts, aggression, vagrancy, theft, use of obscene language, hobbies that go to extremes. The latter form is characterized by dependence on a hobby (or object), pretentiousness, obsession, and lack of interest in other matters and concerns.

Causes

The main reasons (motives) are considered to be three points.

Personal or social basis . It refers to the personality deformations (personal development) that an individual prone to deviant behavior has. This also includes violations of the will, attitudes, and incorrect values ​​(moral, spiritual).

Deviant behavior that arises on such a basis often develops due to improper upbringing and a disturbed family climate. For children and adolescents who grow up and develop in single-parent families or surrounded by adults who demonstrate deviant behavior, attempts to copy the actions and actions of relatives are typical. The absence of one parent in the family deprives the child of the opportunity to correctly form an understanding of interaction with the other sex. Or it does not make it possible to form a correct idea of ​​what family relationships should be like.

Negative parenting methods and a disturbed family climate can also push children towards petty offenses and addictions in order to “escape” reality. In some cases, an incorrect approach to a child can provoke the development of borderline disorders. People with neuroses, depressive disorders, obsessions, and fears that come from childhood are more prone to self-destruction and suicidal attempts. Moreover, such behavior may appear directly in adolescence, but be perceived as demonstrativeness and a desire to attract attention.

Psychological development. It can be closely related to personal development. The psychological level refers to the presence of pronounced accentuations and character disorders, which can lead to the development of psychopathy or other forms of mental problems.

Biological basis for deviant behavior . Somatic (physical, physiological) diseases, psychosomatics, peculiarities of temperament, innate properties of the nervous system influence the formation of deviant behavior. In delinquent behavior, a factor may be identified minimal brain dysfunction.

Manifestations (symptoms)

The main features by which deviant behavior can be determined include the direct characteristics of one or another type of deviant actions and deeds.

Delinquent behavior is characterized by a blurred understanding of legal orders and norms. It manifests itself in minor and major offenses, accompanied by outbursts of aggression. In parallel with this, there may be attempts at protest, expressed in actions, words or hobbies. Against this background, low social intelligence is often noted, and problems with adaptation are present. Typical symptoms are a craving for quick and easy pleasure, shirking from school and low motivation to work.

A separate typical factor for delinquent behavior in children and adolescents is painful dependence on the mother. At the same time, the mother is perceived as an example of the ideal, even in the event of any negative actions towards the child.

Addictive behavior can manifest itself both independently and adjacent to the above type of deviant behavior. It is characterized by painful addictions of various types. At the same time, addictions can manifest themselves both at the physiological level and at the psychological level. Dependent people often tolerate loneliness extremely poorly, easily succumb to outside influence, are vulnerable and experience a feeling of helplessness.

Psychopathological behavior is characterized by the characteristics of one or another mental disorder. Both main signs and “products of the disease” may appear here. Examples of “disease products”: delusions, hallucinations, illusions, overvalued ideas.

The destructive form of deviant behavior shows itself through aggression directed inward or outward. Some manifestations of delinquent behavior (vandalism, violence), as well as various forms of addiction, as well as suicidal tendencies, may be typical for this form.

Examples of destructive deviant behavior may also include an excessive passion for piercing and scarring, deliberate self-mutilation by a deviant, eating disorders, taking out anger on surrounding people and animals, and destroying the creativity of others.

Pathocharacterological behavior is manifested by disorders of personal development and character. Psychopathy and other character disorders are typical for him.

In addition to specific signs of deviant behavior that are relevant for one form or another, general points can also be identified.

Possible symptoms

Positive symptoms of deviant behavior are characterized by giftedness and hyperabilities. Moreover, such individuals may be in especially dire need of socio-psychological patronage. And under unfavorable conditions created by the environment, gifted children can develop neurotic states, disorders in mental or physical development, and a “victim complex.”

Deviant behavior in children, youth or adults can manifest itself as several signs, or be expressed by individual associative actions. Even with the slightest suspicion and a one-time occurrence of an act deviating from the norm, social control must be exercised over such individuals, and corrective work must be carried out. This will prevent the development of deviant behavior in the future.

Control and correction

Depending on the motives for which a person has a tendency to deviant behavior, methods for correcting the condition are selected. Along with social or psychotherapeutic (psychological) effects, drug therapy can be used with an emphasis on the mental or physiological state. If there is a threat externally or internally, people who are characterized by deviant behavior may be isolated. Relevant institutions (prisons, colonies, psychiatric hospitals), as well as closed educational institutions for difficult children and adolescents, are used as isolation.

In some cases, when deviant behavior is caused by a biological component (health problems), breathing exercises, relaxation options, and yoga may be justified. For various forms of addiction, 12-step programs based on anonymous group work are often used.

Medication approach

The use of medications for deviant behavior is justified in cases of mental and physical disorders. For somatic diseases, constant therapy with medications is required, which are selected based on the patient’s condition. Some medications are used to relieve “withdrawal syndrome” when correcting addictive behavior.

If borderline mental states appear against the background of disorders, then a course of appropriate medications (sedatives, tranquilizers, antidepressants, psychostimulants, etc.) may be prescribed. Such medications help reduce anxiety and restlessness, smooth out the manifestations of accentuations or psychopathy, and relieve a number of other symptoms. Drug therapy is mandatory for serious mental disorders.

Psychotherapeutic approach

It is quite possible to correct deviant behavior with the help of psychotherapy. In most cases, psychological work is carried out with the deviant’s immediate environment.

The main options for psychotherapeutic influence are cognitive behavioral therapy, humanistic psychotherapy, and art therapy. Psychological correction is aimed at transforming behavior, ideas and values. It can be structured as a certain kind of “training in correct behavior.” And include learning how to conduct a constructive dialogue, getting rid of internal defense mechanisms, developing personality traits, and helping with adaptation.

Psychotherapeutic work can be carried out both individually and in the form of group work. Communication trainings, classes on the topic of personal growth and self-development, and trainings aimed at combating negative attitudes, phobias, complexes, and unstable self-esteem are considered in demand.

Deviant behavior of children or adults, even at the initial stages, requires attention and socio-psychological control and correction. It is not difficult for relevant specialists to identify one or another form of deviant behavior and select effective methods of therapy. Often, a person, especially a child or teenager, is unable to cope with the changes that arise on their own. That is why it is so important to provide support from friends and family, and to carry out work by psychologists and psychotherapists. This will prevent the development of pathology and deterioration in a person’s standard of living.

In the modern world, the problem of deviant behavior is particularly acute. Economic inequality, mass globalization, free access to information, the development of democracy, as well as social phenomena often cause negative reactions among teenagers. Young people rebel against injustice, established or imposed moral principles. Often this protest develops into particularly dangerous forms that harm not only the young “revolutionary”, but also the entire society.

Deviations from norms of behavior

The boundaries of what is permitted have long been outlined by humanity in the process of its development. Deviant behavior, examples of which can be observed in all layers of society, is a deviation from generally accepted norms, customs, foundations and traditions. It is non-standard and does not meet the expectations of the surrounding world or group of people. It is clear that there is no absolutely ideal society: often its members make exceptions to the rules, circumvent the canons, and do not fulfill assigned tasks. But this reaction does not have an aggressive or destructive color; rather, it is filled with elements of cunning, laziness, greed and others of the individual. If such a person causes damage to himself and other people, it is insignificant and easily correctable.

Deviant behavior is a completely different matter. Examples from life indicate that it has the most negative impact not only on the psyche and person, but also on his socialization. And the saddest thing is that other individuals may suffer from it. Deviant behavior has its own direction:

• Selfish goals. Actions the purpose of which is to obtain material gain: theft, robbery, speculation, theft, fraud.
• Aggressive manifestations. These are actions directed against an individual: sexual, physical and moral violence.
• Socially passive orientation. Withdrawal from a full life in society, lack of interest in current events: vagrancy, drunkenness, suicide.

Behavioral deviations can be classified according to a number of factors: depending on the form of the violation (etiquette, morality, law); motivations (selfish, aggressive, pessimistic); performer (individual, group of people, organization).

Types of deviant behavior

Sabotage can be divided into two large groups of violations. Each of them is fundamentally different, since they are based on diametrically opposed incentive elements:

1. Mental disorder, that is, the presence of a congenital or acquired pathology in a teenager. The problem of deviant behavior is most often observed in people suffering from schizophrenia, asthenia, imbecility, mental retardation and other disorders of consciousness. This group can also include individuals with an accentuated character, when some deviations in behavior are still within the normal range, but almost border on pathology. Such individuals can also be given a certain diagnosis, but often they do not undergo the necessary treatment, since they can live a full life without detecting any peculiarities in their psyche.

2. Antisocial behavior. People prone to negative actions are completely mentally healthy. The rebellion they commit has a lot of different reasons: from “there is simply nothing to do” to an attempt to turn all the foundations of society upside down due to the injustice of the distribution of material wealth in it. If the offenses committed by these people do not cause much harm to the world around them, then correction of deviant behavior occurs through punishment in accordance with the norms of labor or administrative law. Police officers often assign corrective labor to violators or charge them a fine; in an enterprise, institution or office, such individuals face a reprimand, disciplinary action or dismissal. If the crime is classified as criminal, then more severe punishments are applied to the offender, for example, arrest or imprisonment for one or another line.

Whatever the starting points of deviant behavior, it must be suppressed in any case, and preventive, therapeutic or punitive measures must be applied to the person who committed the offense.

Accentuation

We should talk about it in detail, since this feature is most often observed in minors in adolescence. Accentuation, as already mentioned, is a minor deviation from the norm of behavior. In this case, adolescents have a clearly expressed one character trait, most often negative, which becomes problematic in communicating with others. For example, he may openly be rude to teachers and parents, refuse to do homework, ignore adults’ requests for help, and so on. There may be several reasons for this: a complex school curriculum, difficulties of adolescence, the influence of puberty. If we add to them personal troubles or stress experienced due to problems in the family, then we get a real deviant, ready to take revenge on everyone.

It happens that a child’s protest takes place not in an active, but in a passive form. This behavioral reaction is called depression, and minors carefully hide it from adults. It can develop due to imaginary physical deficiencies that children attribute to themselves. Also, a teenager may experience the so-called when he unjustifiably takes responsibility for important or tragic events. This is also deviant behavior. Examples include the following: feelings of guilt after the loss of a loved one, the death of a pet, or the serious illness of a best friend.

Reasons for deviant behavior

We have already named them in part. Sociologists identify three main primary sources, thanks to which the social behavior of a teenager goes beyond the bounds of decency:

1. Social inequality. A child encounters this phenomenon even in elementary school: classmates dress better than him, they have more pocket money, and so on. The minor feels poor and disadvantaged. He cannot fully demonstrate his capabilities and talents due to the lack of material wealth. Even self-realization is sometimes difficult when there is no money at your disposal with which you can buy books, atlases, and encyclopedias. The teenager is angry at the whole world, but primarily at his parents. Even if they try their best, the deviant does not understand that a person’s desires do not always coincide with his capabilities.
2. Moral and ethical factor. It is expressed in the low spiritual development of society, apathy towards science and art. The child observes the decline of morals among people: many of them, for example, consider trafficking in bodies and labor, mass alcoholism and prostitution to be an ordinary event.
3. Environment, society. Representatives of the latter not only ignore deviants, but often even treat them favorably. Nowadays, people feel sorry for them, blaming everything on their upbringing and living in dysfunctional families, and they forget that personality is formed primarily not by parents, but by the person himself. There are many individuals who grew up in an unfavorable environment, but managed to cultivate inner strength and fortitude, and therefore reached certain heights in life and became normal members of society.

The characteristics of deviant behavior are marked by the complete absence of strong qualities in adolescents or their being in a “sleeping” state. Instead of self-education, they choose an easier, but dangerous road, which gives them deceptive oblivion in the form of alcohol or drug intoxication or imaginary self-affirmation, manifested in the form of violence.

Typology

Types of behavior that run counter to the normal way of life were also identified by the American sociologist Robert King Merton, known for his research on the problem. His typology is based on the concept of deviation as a gap between revered moral values ​​and methods for achieving them:

1. Innovation. People accept the goals of society, understand them, but deny normal ways of achieving them (prostitutes, creators of financial pyramids, blackmailers, great scientists).
2. Ritualism. The goals of society are ignored, and the method of achieving them becomes absurd. An example is a bureaucrat who requires hundreds of document forms to be filled out in detail. At the same time, he forgets about the main thing: why the papers were signed.
3. Retreatism is an escape from reality. The individual abandons goals and all ways to achieve them (drug addict, homeless person).
4. Riot. Denial of moral principles, desire to remake them, replace them with more perfect and progressive ones (revolutionary).

Merton's types of behavior show us that deviation is not always negative. After all, there is nothing wrong with the actions of a revolutionary, he is simply trying to create better conditions for life. As for a great scientist, he is considered, on the contrary, to be a respected and revered person who has small oddities or eccentricities.

Alcoholism and drug addiction

These two forms of deviant behavior among adolescents are more common than others. Alcoholism is the excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors, which threatens their physical and mental health and causes pathological addiction and dependence. There are many reasons: genetic predisposition, congenital syndrome, individual personality traits, unfavorable environment, curiosity. Deviant behavior, examples of which are demonstrated by schoolchildren who drink alcohol, becomes a consequence of a low level of development, lack of demand in the team, and lack of self-confidence. In order to fish a child out of a dangerous company and quickly save him from the negative influence of alcohol, it is necessary to find the victim an exciting activity, as well as normal friends who will set an example of self-affirmation through other means. The society also came up with legal measures to prevent minors from getting drunk: for persons under 18 years of age, a fine for parents if their son or daughter appears drunk. In addition, teaching children to drink alcohol is considered a crime, which is punishable by articles of administrative and criminal law.

Drug addiction is another deviation from the norm. It implies the systematic use of mind-stupefying substances that cause deep and irreversible disturbances of mental and physical functions. A teenager becomes dependent on pills, injections and powders due to neglect from society. Often, minors use drugs to express themselves or satisfy their curiosity. Addiction to them often prompts a teenager to take a criminal path in order to illegally obtain money to purchase the potion. Children caught in such bondage should be treated in special institutions. Quitting drugs on your own is often impossible.

Prostitution and homosexuality

Deviant behavior, examples of which are shown by girls who provide sexual services for payment or without it, is also not a rare phenomenon. The main reason is the desire to earn money and improve their financial situation on their own, if parents are not able to provide all the whims dictated by fashion and the “beautiful life” promoted by the media. If we add to this the low level of culture of a teenager and his social promiscuity, dysfunction in the family and the indifference of adults, the path to the panel becomes a kind of salvation for the child, an opportunity to hide from difficulties and vicissitudes of fate. In order to reduce the level of prostitution among minors to a minimum, it is recommended to develop special sex education programs and improve the culture of the population.

As for homosexuality, in most cases it is an innate predisposition. Having discovered that he is not like everyone else, the teenager becomes depressed, begins to take large quantities of medications and alcoholic drinks, and suffers from neuroses and mental disorders. Such a minor needs qualified assistance from a specialist. If he was drawn into homosexuality through deception or coercion, then the guilty persons face imprisonment. By the way, sexual perversion is also deviant behavior. Examples from life show that teenagers become interested in sadomasochism, group intimacy and other unnatural things.

Suicide and delinquency

The intention to take one's own life or try to intimidate others in this way are also features of deviant behavior. The most dangerous age for young people is 16-19 years old: at this time, disappointment in life usually sets in due to a failed first love, the inability to find a job or continue education. Social status, conflicts with society and stress are also powerful impetus for suicide. For people with suicidal tendencies, psychological help services and helplines are organized. Preventive work is also important: raising a child to be a cheerful optimist, demonstrating by example that life is wonderful, and the black stripes that are found in almost everyone only add variety and tart zest to it.

Offenses are a form that is directed against citizens, society, and the way of life. Teenagers have different motivations: from ordinary mischief to unmotivated aggression. In order to protect the growing generation from the influence of the criminal world, it is necessary to conduct lessons on relevant topics in schools. Parents, for their part, are obliged to explain that breaking the law is bad, harming or hurting others is unacceptable, and deviant behavior is punishable in any case.

Help

How can we pull teenagers out of the asocial abyss in which they are mired? Sociologists say: firstly, a special government program will help. The deviant behavior of children must be taken under control; this is the task of specialists. Favorable conditions must also be created for the opening of rehabilitation centers of various directions, in which experienced specialists could rid young people of addictions and direct their energy into productive and useful channels for society.

Secondly, invaluable help will be provided by hotlines operating in every city, nationwide helplines and regional family consultations with psychologists.

Thirdly, the study of the adaptation environment of adolescents should not stop for a day. Deviant behavior of schoolchildren requires constant adjustment, which must take place in full cooperation with the juvenile affairs inspectorate, doctors, police officers, and representatives of the guardianship authorities. If necessary, such children must be removed from the family if the cause of the deviation is precisely the influence of the parents.

Prevention of deviant behavior

For this purpose, experts have developed the following measures:

1. Conducting educational and developmental programs and courses in schools. The lectures are aimed at educating teenagers and instilling in them a sustainable aversion to drugs, alcohol, etc.

2. Promotion of sports and a healthy lifestyle. Prohibition of advertising of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages.

3. Organization of interesting and educational leisure for young people. Working with children with deviant behavior requires the development of a pastime scenario that would correspond to modern trends and fashion trends.

4. Caring for the material security of children.

Prevention of deviant behavior should cover all segments of the population, regardless of their social status, religion, level of education and other factors. The main task is to establish a trusting relationship between the teenager and his parents. Only then can you be sure that if a problem arises, the student will turn to his mother or father for help, and not to a dubious group of friends.

Friendly relationships in the family are the guarantee that you will never encounter deviant behavior from your son or daughter. You need to take care that problems do not arise in the future from a very young age. Pay attention to your child: give him love and tenderness, do not swear in his presence, talk to your child on various topics, share your feelings and emotions, listen to the heir and listen to his opinion. Become a faithful, devoted and reliable companion for your child.

Concept of deviant behavior

By deviant (from the Latin deviatio - deviation) behavior in modern sociology is meant, on the one hand, an act, the actions of a person that do not correspond to officially established or actually established norms or standards in a given society, and on the other hand, a social phenomenon expressed in mass forms human activities that do not correspond to officially established or actually established norms or standards in a given society.

The starting point for understanding deviant behavior is the concept of a social norm, which is understood as a limit, a measure of what is permissible (permissible or obligatory) in the behavior or activities of people, ensuring the preservation of the social system. Deviations from social norms can be:

positive, aimed at overcoming outdated norms or standards and associated with social creativity, contributing to qualitative changes in the social system;

negative- dysfunctional, disorganizing the social system and leading to its destruction, leading to deviant behavior.

Deviant behavior is a kind of social choice: when the goals of social behavior are incommensurate with the real possibilities of achieving them, individuals can use other means to achieve their goals. For example, some individuals, in pursuit of illusory success, wealth or power, choose socially prohibited and sometimes illegal means and become either delinquents or criminals. Another type of deviation from norms is open disobedience and protest, demonstrative rejection of the values ​​and standards accepted in society, characteristic of revolutionaries, terrorists, religious extremists and other similar groups of people actively fighting against the society within which they are located.

In all these cases, deviation is the result of the inability or unwillingness of individuals to adapt to society and its requirements, in other words, it indicates a complete or relative failure of socialization.

Deviant behavior is divided into five types:

Delinquent

Addictive

Pathocharacterological

Psychopathological

Based on hyperpowers

1) Delinquent behavior - deviant behavior in its extreme manifestations, representing a conditionally punishable act. The differences between delinquent behavior and criminal behavior are rooted in the severity of the offenses; this behavior can manifest itself in mischief and a desire to have fun. A teenager, “for company” and out of curiosity, can throw heavy objects from the balcony at passers-by, receiving satisfaction from the accuracy of hitting the “victim”. The basis of delinquent behavior is mental infantilism.

2) The addictive type is the desire to escape from reality by artificially changing one’s mental state by taking certain substances or by constantly fixating attention on certain types of activities in order to develop and maintain intense emotions. They see life as uninteresting and monotonous. Their activity and tolerance to the difficulties of everyday life are reduced; there is a hidden inferiority complex, dependence, anxiety; desire to tell lies; blame others.

3) Pathocharacterological type of deviant behavior is understood as behavior caused by pathological changes in character formed in the process of upbringing. These include so-called personality disorders. Many people have an inflated level of aspirations, tendencies towards dominance and power, stubbornness, resentment, intolerance to opposition, a tendency to self-inflict and search for reasons to discharge affective behavior.

4) The psychopathological type of deviant behavior is based on psychological symptoms and syndromes that are manifestations of certain mental disorders and diseases. A variation of this type is self-destructive behavior. Aggression is directed towards oneself, inside the person himself. Autodestruction manifests itself in the form of suicidal behavior, drug addiction, and alcoholism.

5) Type of deviant behavior based on hyperabilities

This is a special type of deviant behavior that goes beyond the usual, a person’s abilities significantly and significantly exceed the average abilities

Forms of deviant behavior

Deviant behavior is relative because it is measured only by the cultural norms of a given group. For example, criminals consider extortion to be a normal way of earning money, but the majority of the population considers such behavior deviant. This also applies to certain types of social behavior: in some societies they are considered deviant, in others not. All the variety of forms of deviant behavior can be divided into three groups: actual deviant, delinquent and criminal (criminal).

The main forms of deviant behavior in a broad sense include Ya. I. Gilinsky and V. S. Afanasyev:

1) drunkenness and alcoholism;

2) drug addiction;

3) crime;

4) suicide;

5) prostitution;

6) homosexuality.

In a narrow sense, deviant behavior refers to such deviations that do not entail either criminal or even administrative punishment, in other words, are not illegal. The totality of unlawful acts, or crimes, has received a special name in sociology - delinquent behavior. Both meanings - broad and narrow - are used equally in sociology.

Merton

One of the typologies of deviant behavior recognized in modern sociology, developed by R. Merton in line with the idea of ​​deviance as a result of anomie, i.e. the process of destruction of the basic elements of culture, primarily in terms of ethical standards.

Merton's typology of deviant behavior is based on the idea of ​​deviance as a gap between cultural goals and socially approved ways of achieving them. In accordance with this, he identifies four possible types of deviation:

innovation, which presupposes agreement with the goals of society and the rejection of generally accepted methods of achieving them (“innovators” include prostitutes, blackmailers, creators of “financial pyramids”, great scientists);

ritualism associated with the denial of the goals of a given society and the absurd exaggeration of the importance of ways to achieve them, for example, a bureaucrat demands that each document be carefully filled out, double checked, filed in four copies, but the main thing is forgotten - the goal;

retreatism (or escape from reality), expressed in the rejection of both socially approved goals and methods of achieving them (drunks, drug addicts, homeless people, etc.);

a rebellion that denies both goals and methods, but strives to replace them with new ones (revolutionaries striving for a radical breakdown of all social relations).

Merton considers the only type of non-deviant behavior to be conformal, expressed in agreement with the goals and means of achieving them. Merton's typology focuses on the fact that deviation is not a product of an absolutely negative attitude towards generally accepted norms and standards. For example, a thief does not reject a socially approved goal - material well-being; he can strive for it with the same zeal as a young man concerned about his career. The bureaucrat does not abandon the generally accepted rules of work, but he follows them too literally, reaching the point of absurdity. At the same time, both the thief and the bureaucrat are deviants.

Some causes of deviant behavior are not social in nature, but biopsychic. For example, a tendency towards alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental disorders can be transmitted from parents to children. In the sociology of deviant behavior, there are several directions that explain the reasons for its occurrence. Thus, Merton, using the concept of “anomie” (a state of society in which old norms and values ​​no longer correspond to real relations, and new ones have not yet been established), considered the cause of deviant behavior to be the inconsistency of the goals put forward by society and the means that it offers for their achievements. Within the framework of the direction based on conflict theory, it is argued that social patterns of behavior are deviant if they are based on the norms of another culture. For example, a criminal is considered as a bearer of a certain subculture that is in conflict with the dominant type of culture in a given society. A number of modern domestic sociologists believe that the sources of deviation are social inequality in society, differences in the ability to satisfy the needs of different social groups.

There are relationships between various forms of deviant behavior, with one negative phenomenon strengthening the other. For example, alcoholism contributes to increased hooliganism.

Marginalization is one of the causes of deviance. The main sign of marginalization is the breakdown of social ties, and in the “classical” version, economic and social ties are broken first, and then spiritual ones. A characteristic feature of the social behavior of marginalized people is a decrease in the level of social expectations and social needs. The consequence of marginalization is the primitivization of certain segments of society, manifested in production, everyday life, and spiritual life.

Another group of causes of deviant behavior is associated with the spread of various kinds of social pathologies, in particular the increase in mental illness, alcoholism, drug addiction, and the deterioration of the genetic fund of the population.

Vagrancy and begging, which represent a special way of life (refusal to participate in socially useful work, focusing only on unearned income), have recently become widespread among various types of social deviations. The social danger of social deviations of this kind is that tramps and beggars often act as intermediaries in the distribution of drugs, commit thefts and other crimes.

Deviant behavior in modern society has some characteristics. This behavior is increasingly becoming risky and rational. The main difference between deviants who consciously take risks and adventurers is their reliance on professionalism, faith not in fate and chance, but in knowledge and conscious choice. Deviant risk behavior contributes to self-actualization, self-realization and self-affirmation of the individual.

Often deviant behavior is associated with addiction, i.e. with the desire to avoid internal socio-psychological discomfort, to change one’s socio-psychological state, characterized by internal struggle, intrapersonal conflict. Therefore, the deviant path is chosen primarily by those who do not have a legal opportunity for self-realization in the conditions of the existing social hierarchy, whose individuality is suppressed and personal aspirations are blocked. Such people cannot make a career or change their social status using legitimate channels of social mobility, due to which they consider generally accepted norms of order unnatural and unfair.

If one or another type of deviation acquires a stable character and becomes the norm of behavior for many, society is obliged to reconsider the principles that stimulate deviant behavior, or to reassess social norms. Otherwise, behavior that was considered deviant may become normal.

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Deviant behavior is various forms of negative behavior of individuals, deviations from principles, norms of morality and law. The main forms of deviant behavior include delinquency, including crime, drunkenness, drug addiction, prostitution, and suicide.

Let's consider different types of social deviations:

1. Cultural and mental disorders. Sociologists are primarily interested in cultural deviations, that is, deviations of a given social community from cultural norms. Psychologists are interested in mental deviations from the norms of personal organization: psychoses, neuroses, and so on. People often try to associate cultural deviations with mental ones. For example, sexual deviations, alcoholism, drug addiction and many other deviations in social behavior are associated with personal disorganization, in other words, with mental disorders. However, personal disorganization is far from the only cause of deviant behavior. Typically, mentally abnormal individuals fully comply with all the rules and norms accepted in society, and, conversely, individuals who are mentally completely normal are characterized by very serious deviations. The question of why this happens interests both sociologists and psychologists.

2. Individual and group deviations.

• individual, when an individual rejects the norms of his subculture;
• group, considered as conformal behavior of a member of a deviant group in relation to its subculture (for example, teenagers from difficult families who spend most of their lives in basements). “Basement life” seems normal to them; they have their own “basement” moral code, their own laws and cultural complexes. In this case, there is a group deviation from the dominant culture, since adolescents live in accordance with the norms of their own subculture)

3. Primary and secondary deviations. Under primary Deviation refers to deviant behavior of an individual, which generally corresponds to cultural norms accepted in society. For him and for those around him, deviation looks like just a little prank, eccentricity, or at worst a mistake. Secondary deviation is a deviation from existing norms in a group, which is socially defined as deviant.

4. Culturally Approved Deviances. Deviant behavior is always assessed from the point of view of the culture accepted in a given society. It is necessary to highlight the necessary qualities and modes of behavior that can lead to socially approved deviations:

• special inclinations. They allow you to demonstrate unique qualities in very narrow, specific areas of activity.
• supermotivation. Many sociologists believe that intense motivation often serves as compensation for deprivations or experiences experienced in childhood or adolescence. For example, there is an opinion that Napoleon was highly motivated to achieve success and power as a result of the loneliness he experienced in childhood, or Niccolo Paganini constantly strived for fame and honor as a result of the poverty and ridicule of his peers endured in childhood;
• personal qualities- personality traits and character traits that help achieve personal elevation;
• Lucky case. Great achievements are not only a pronounced talent and desire, but also their manifestation in a certain place and at a certain time.

5. Culturally condemned deviance . Most societies support and reward social deviance in the form of extraordinary achievements and activities aimed at developing the generally accepted values ​​of the culture. Violation of moral norms and laws in society has always been strictly condemned and punished.

Introduction

The reforms of the 90s still continue to echo loudly in our society. There are many reasons for this: from the ineffective social policy of the state itself to the degradation of universal human values ​​of the entire society, again due to the fault of the state.

Unexpectedly for all of us, the once forgotten problem of homelessness and child crime has returned. More precisely, it existed before, but not on such a scale when children without a warrior with living parents go hungry and commit crimes for a piece of bread. This is one category, while the other, on the contrary, strives to break away to the fullest from the excess of material wealth, forgetting about its status.

Thus, there is an urgent need for some kind of organization of social assistance and support for this category of people, regardless of their age. Most often, the most vulnerable segments of the population need this very help, but I repeat, the “elite” is already demanding social protection, albeit not to the same extent as the “lower classes.”

Today, everyone is dealing with the problem of deviant behavior: both the state and society, although each of these social institutions sees this problem differently. Among the scientific community, much attention was paid to the problem of deviant behavior of young people by E.I. Kholostova; Pavlenok P.D., Vasilkova Yu.V., Zmanovskaya E.V. and others. All of them raise the issue of protecting categories of people, both from society and from the state, and the rehabilitation of their social status.

Relevance social work with people with deviant behavior is determined by the current state of youth crime, the involvement of an increasing number of minors in antisocial groups.

Purpose of the study : to study the problem of social work with individuals and groups of deviant behavior.

Object of study: people and groups of deviant behavior.

Subject of study: social work with individuals and groups of deviant behavior.

Research objectives :

analysis of scientific and methodological literature on this issue;

study the causes of deviation;

reveal the main forms of deviant behavior;

consider the theoretical foundations of social work with individuals and groups of deviant behavior.

Research methods : analysis of scientific literature; comparative analysis.

Coursework structure : the work consists of an introduction, three paragraphs, a conclusion, and a list of references.

Causes of deviant behavior

Before considering the main causes of deviant behavior, it is necessary to dwell on the definition of the concept of “deviant behavior”.

According to the definition of V.I. Kurbatov, deviant behavior is understood as a certain way of behavior, thinking, and action of a person that does not correspond to the norms and values ​​of a given society. Thus, deviant behavior is a deviation from generally accepted norms. Why do these same deviations occur? The answer to this question is both simple and complex. Simple because you can shift all the blame and responsibility for what is happening to the state; complex - since society itself currently allows the manifestation of deviation. But, nevertheless, the main reasons can still be named (7, 338).

The basis of deviant behavior is, first of all, social inequality. This is reflected in the low, sometimes miserable standard of living of the majority of the population and primarily young people; in the stratification of society into rich and poor; in the difficulties that young people face when trying to self-realize and gain public recognition; in limiting socially acceptable ways for young women and men to earn high incomes. The purely Russian “grimaces of the market economy” have a heavy impact on the standard of living: unemployment, inflationary pressure, corruption and official lies of the “tops” and the growing social tension of the “bottoms”.

The moral and ethical factor of deviant behavior is expressed in the low moral level of society, lack of spirituality, the psychology of materialism and alienation of the individual. In conditions when the economic life of society resembles not a market, but a bazaar, where everything is bought and sold, trade in labor power, abilities, and even bodies becomes an ordinary event.

Moral and ethical degradation and decline in morals are expressed in mass alcoholism and vagrancy, the spread of drug addiction and “venal love,” an explosion of violence and crime (4, 29).

An environment that is neutral or supportive of deviant behavior. Young deviants - alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes - most come from dysfunctional families in which one or both parents drink. As a rule, the group of deviants is led by an “authority” who has recently returned from the “zone.” Such an environment has its own idea of ​​norms of behavior.

The famous sociologist R. Merton, the author of the theory of “double failure,” believes that if a young person cannot satisfy his needs either in legal creative activity or in active illegal activity, then he compensates for these shortcomings with activities that lead him to self-destruction as an individual . In conditions where some young people do not. has opportunities for decent professional or personal self-expression, “retreat” into alcoholism, drug addiction or primitive sex becomes a kind of compensatory means (1, 17).

Unfavorable living conditions and upbringing in the family, problems of mastering knowledge and related failures in studies, inability to build relationships with the environment and conflict situations arising on this basis, various psychophysical deviations in health, as a rule, lead to a crisis of spirit, loss of the meaning of existence .

We can say that problems of deviant behavior are created artificially, and this would be correct, since it is the state that is responsible for the socio-economic protection of the population. But the tolerant attitude of society itself towards problems can nullify all attempts to correct the situation. The above parameters do not exhaust the causes of deviant behavior.

Deviant behavior has a complex nature, caused by a wide variety of factors that are in complex interaction and mutual influence. Human development, in turn, is determined by the interaction of the following factors: heredity, environment, upbringing, and a person’s own practical activities.

We can identify the main factors that determine the deviant behavior of people of adolescence and youth (7, 245-257):

1. Biological factors are expressed in the existence of unfavorable physiological or anatomical characteristics of the child’s body, which complicate his social adaptation. Moreover, here we are talking, of course, not about special genes that fatally determine deviant behavior, but only about those factors that, along with socio-pedagogical correction, also require medical correction. These include:

Genetic, which are inherited. These may be mental development disorders, hearing and vision defects, physical defects, and damage to the nervous system. Children, as a rule, acquire these lesions during the mother’s pregnancy due to inadequate and unhealthy nutrition, her consumption of alcoholic beverages, and smoking; diseases of the mother (physical and mental injuries during pregnancy, chronic and somatic infectious diseases, traumatic brain and mental injuries, sexually transmitted diseases); the influence of hereditary diseases, and especially heredity aggravated by alcoholism;

Psychophysiological, associated with the influence on the human body of psychophysiological stress, conflict situations, the chemical composition of the environment, new types of energy, leading to various somatic, allergic, toxic diseases;

Physiological, including speech defects, external unattractiveness, shortcomings of a person’s constitutional and somatic makeup, which in most cases cause a negative attitude from others, which leads to a distortion of the person’s system of interpersonal relations among his peers and the team.

2. Psychological factors, which include the presence of psychopathology in the child or accentuation (excessive strengthening) of individual character traits. These deviations are expressed in neuropsychic diseases, psychopathy, neurasthenia, borderline states, which increase the excitability of the nervous system and cause inadequate reactions of the teenager. Children with pronounced psychopathy, which is a deviation from the norms of human mental health, need the help of psychiatrists.

Children with accentuated character traits, which is an extreme version of the mental norm, are extremely vulnerable to various psychological influences and, as a rule, need social and medical rehabilitation along with educational measures.

At each period of a child’s development, certain mental qualities, personality traits and character are formed. A teenager experiences two processes of mental development: either alienation from the social environment where he lives, or inclusion.

A person’s egocentric position with a demonstration of disdain for existing norms and the rights of another person leads to “negative leadership”, the imposition of a system of “enslavement” on physically weaker peers, bravado of criminal behavior, justification of one’s actions by external circumstances, low: responsibility for one’s behavior.

3. Socio-pedagogical factors - expressed in defects in school, family or public education, which are based on gender, age and individual characteristics of the development of children, leading to deviations in the early socialization of the child during childhood with the accumulation of negative experiences; in persistent school failure of a child with a severance of connections with school (pedagogical neglect), leading to the unformation of the adolescent’s cognitive motives, interests and school skills. Such children, as a rule, are initially poorly prepared for school, have a negative attitude towards homework, and express indifference to school grades, which indicates their educational maladjustment.

An important factor in deviations in the psychosocial development of a child is family dysfunction.

Children are subjected to cruel treatment in the family, on the street, at school, orphanages, hospitals and other children's institutions. Children who are subjected to such actions are deprived of the sense of security necessary for their normal development. This leads to the child realizing that he is bad, unnecessary, unloved. Any type of child abuse leads to a wide variety of consequences, but they are united by one thing - damage to the child’s health or danger to his life and social adaptation.

The type of reaction of children and adolescents to abuse depends on the age of the child, his personality traits, and social experience. Along with mental reactions (fear, sleep disturbance, appetite, etc.), various forms of behavioral disturbances are observed: increased aggressiveness, pronounced pugnacity, cruelty or lack of self-confidence, timidity, impaired communication with peers, decreased self-esteem. Children and adolescents who have been subjected to sexual violence (or assault) are also characterized by a violation of sexual behavior: a violation of gender-role identification, fear of any kind of manifestation of sexuality, etc. It seems important that the majority of children who experienced abuse (violence) by adults in childhood , tend to reproduce it, already acting in the role of a rapist and torturer.

An analysis of the family and its impact on the psychosocial development of the child shows that in a large group of children the conditions of their early socialization are violated. Some of them are in stressful situations with the risk of physical or mental violence, leading to various forms of deviation; others are involved in criminal activity with the formation of stable forms of delinquent or criminal behavior.

Socio-economic factors include social inequality; stratification of society into rich and poor; impoverishment of a significant mass of the population, limitation of socially acceptable ways of earning a decent income; unemployment; inflation and, as a consequence, social tension. But this factor was discussed in more detail a little higher.

Moral and ethical factors manifest themselves, on the one hand, in the low moral level of modern society, the destruction of values, primarily spiritual, in the establishment of the psychology of “materialism”, the decline of morals; on the other hand, in the neutral attitude of society towards manifestations of deviant behavior. It is not surprising that the consequence of society’s indifference, for example, to the problems of childhood alcoholism or prostitution, is the child’s neglect of family, school, state, idleness, vagrancy, the formation of youth gangs, aggressive attitude towards other people, the use of alcohol, drugs, theft, fights, murders, suicide attempts.

Thus, deviant behavior appears as a normal reaction to conditions that are abnormal for a child or group of adolescents (social microsocial) in which they find themselves, and at the same time. As a language of communication with society, when other socially acceptable methods of communication have exhausted themselves or are unavailable.