Causes of deviant behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Causes of deviant behavior - Essay Example For example, if a person enters their church scantly clad, they are being deviant because they are going against the norm. Their attire might be right to them, and it might be right for hanging out with friends, but it is not right in the eyes of those in the church. The people in a person’s life can offer the same influence. Peer pressure can cause a person to become deviant as they try to fit in with a certain group of people. They may also take on the beliefs and characteristics of friends or family members simply by being subjected to them for so long. A street gang is an example of how people can influence someone else to act out deviantly; in this case, the individual would conform against social norms out of fear of being punished by the other gang members. Despite the cause of deviant behavior, it is believed that people become deviant because they â€Å"have goals and needs that are not being met by society (Adler, 2008).† Therefore, when they are influenced by environments or people that go against social norms, they adapt the behavior for themselves since abiding by social norms was not doing them any good.