Sexual Deviance refers to behaviors that involve individuals looking for erotic fulfillment through means that are considered odd, unusual, or improper to most people in the community. Sexual defiance also refers to behaviors that have sexual aspect to it and is seen as a contravention of prevailing societal norms or expectations and confines of practice for a particular cultural set. Sexual deviance also refers to abnormal sexual expression from incest, fetishism, sexual sadomasochism, pedophilia (sex with children), bestiality (sex with animals), sex with dead bodies, couples who are swingers, cross-dressing, and rape; it is the deviation from the expected behavior by the society. In general, sexual behavior that is not entirely consensual by all personnel concerned is measured as defiant ( Hester& Walters, 2016)
Are these behaviors deviant? Why or why not?
For behaviors to be seen as deviant, it must violate normative regulations, understandings, and expectations in the society and violate the accepted norms. The activity has to be less useful or desirable and not just frequent. Behavior is considered deviant if it departs from normative morals of social arrangement.
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In viewing human actions, it is important to look at the history and structure of the personality. On the one hand, the history and structure of the social system in which it occurs should be considered. This is necessary for situations where there are persistent deviant behaviors and mental illnesses. It is also essential to differentiate what the individual has done and how the public defines and categorize him. To have same sex relationship does not necessarily mean that a person is homosexual. Defiant behaviors may or may not be visible to the public, and if visible, it may not necessarily be attributed as deviant (Laws, 2016).
There should be a clear distinction between violating normative roles and being termed socially deviant. It is important to note that normative rules vary widely from one social setting to another. No behavior is deviant in itself only if it violates the norms of the social system. This means the sociology of deviant behavior is not concerned with the general study of the act but rather with the question “How do we explain the occurrence of these and other practices in circumstances where they are interdicted or disvalued by normative rules?” The judgment of deviance in everyday life considers the collective membership of the actor.
When defining deviance, the society must state the system of reference. The same behavior may be non-deviant and deviant, depending on different systems in which the actor is caught up. However, for any system, who is to define what is deviant? What is right or wrong as per the system? It is not satisfactory to base the rules on those that are institutionalized; in fact, the criteria of institutionalization varies.
What makes these people do this kind of acts? Are they mentally ill?
Everyone has a perception on deviance. Some argue that the society needs deviance so that they form the basis of checks and balance. Others uphold the fact that deviance disrupts harmony in the society and should be done away with. In the society, different groups exist those who stick to norms, beliefs, and values of the society and those that is deviant to those standards. There are also control groups that are present in society (Laws, 2016). Different theories have been put forward to explain this.
From the functionalist theory, people deviate from norms of the society because of association and their social realities, which are different from social norms. This social twist causes them to diverge from accepted standards, norms, and values that govern contemporary society. Differential association theory puts forward the idea that all behaviors are learned. Furthermore, the theory states that if the person engaging in deviant acts is young and is in a healthy relationship with the deviant teacher, then there is a high chance that the learner will be abnormal.
Control theory puts forward the question “why do most of us avoid committing deviant behaviors?” According to the theory, a social control mechanism shapes rational behavior in our culture; certain norms bind the community to keep us from committing deviance. Therefore, attachment, involvement, belief, and commitment form the primary mechanism of social bonds among individuals (Laws, 2016).
The structural theory explains that deviance arises due to social strains and the way the society is structured. Some do not understand how to handle the stress, and it overwhelms them to the point where they deviate in a bid to manage the strain. In most cases, deviance is due to their feeling of meaningless due to lack of understanding of how those norms will affect them.
Another theory that explains why people choose to act the way they act is the labeling method. This theory attempts to explain deviance as a process where people define others as deviant. It states that someone in a position of influence has the authority to make others in the society deviant. Arguably, people who commit different acts of deviance do not see themselves as deviant even though their behavior do not conform to social norms.
Engaging in deviant sexual acts with some people is normal depending on the setting and the type of offense. For instance, couples who are swingers (couples who are in an open relationship can allow their partners to engage in sex with another couple with their permission), view the act as normal. They consider it a source of excitement and adventure. Some couples enjoy watching other couples and learning from the scenes; most of them get their egos boosted, increased self-esteem and by extension reduces bedroom pressure. As long as the participants are happy, they see nothing wrong with the setup. However, if other family members discover the relationship, it may cause a lot of turmoil, and it is viewed as a wild kind of lifestyle (Olver et al. 2016).
Some defiant acts are punishable by law. A person got engaging in acts such as bestiality, pedophilia, can be prosecuted in a court of law and may be jailed, fined or sentenced to serve the community. Most communities frown upon disproportionate sexual promiscuity because it increases the risk of disease transmission. Religious institutions have made the understanding natural and have intensified the fear of disobedience. In Islam, pre-marital sex is prohibited but in most societies, there is no exhibit of the prohibition of such acts, but education on dangers is given, and individuals left to make their decision. Other forms of sexual deviance such as homosexuality were first seen negatively by the society. However, as the society progressed, the perception changed and is now becoming an accepted form of relationship in the society ( Hester& Walters, 2016)
In conclusion, sexual deviance varies depending on the settings and the surrounding paradigms. In some context, the act may not be considered an act of sexual deviance while in others; it is seen on the contrary. Some of these acts are punishable by law while others have grown to be accepted by the society. Therefore, social deviance must be charged according to the setup and the surrounding environment. It should also be remembered that everyone has freedom of choice, to choose how they handle their lives.
References
Hester, H., & Walters, C. (2016). Fat sex: New directions in theory and activism . Routledge.
Laws, D. R. (2016). Early Historical Treatment of Social Deviance. In Social Control of Sex Offenders (pp. 23-36). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Olver, M. E., Neumann, C. S., Kingston, D. A., Nicholaichuk, T. P., & Wong, S. C. (2016). Construct Validity of the Violence Risk Scale–Sexual Offender Version Instrument in a Multisite Sample of Treated Sexual Offenders. Assessment , 1073191116643819.
