Social norms and deviant behavior table. Social norms and deviant behavior

By interacting with each other, individuals and social groups enter into relationships that are commonly called social. To regulate these relations, society develops certain rules or norms . Social norms- these are general rules and patterns of behavior in society, which are the result of the conscious activity of people. Social norms develop historically, with the development of society, and are, to one degree or another, mandatory for execution. They determine the mutual obligations of members of society.

There are a number of classifications of social norms. Social norms are divided: according to the method of establishment; on means of security; by origin and implementation, by content. The most significant division of social norms depends on the characteristics of their emergence and implementation. On this basis, five types of social norms are distinguished: 1) customary norms, 2) moral norms, 3) corporate norms, 4) religious norms and 5) legal norms.

Norms of customs become habits as a result of their repeated repetition. A variety of customs are traditions that express the desire of people to preserve certain ideas, values, and forms of behavior. Another type of customs are rituals that regulate people’s behavior in everyday life, in the family, and in the sphere of religion. Moral standards- these are rules of behavior that reflect people’s ideas about good and evil, about justice and injustice, about good and bad. Their implementation is ensured by the strength of public opinion and the convictions of the people themselves. Corporate standards are established by public organizations, social groups: fans, fishermen, firms, parties. Their implementation is ensured by the internal conviction of the members of these organizations. Under religious norms understand the rules of behavior contained in the sacred books or established by the church, ensured by the internal beliefs of people and the activities of the church. Religious norms apply only to believers of a given denomination and are not binding on other people. Legal standards– these are generally binding rules of conduct established or sanctioned by the state, the implementation of which is ensured by the coercive force of the state.

With the development of society, social norms gradually became more complex. Scientists believe that the first type of social norms were prohibitions and taboos that arose in primitive society. At the same time, rituals appeared with their strictly specified form of execution. Rituals accompanied most events in life primitive people: farewell to a hunt or war, taking office as a leader, presenting gifts to the gods. Later, ritual actions began to include rites that had symbolic meaning. Unlike rituals, they pursued the goal of influencing the human psyche. A manifestation of a higher stage of human development were customs that regulated almost all aspects of the life of primitive society.

Religious norms also arose in the primitive era. Initially, the object of religious worship was a real-life fetish object. Then the person began to worship an animal or plant - a totem, seeing in it his ancestor and protector. Totemism gave way to animism, i.e. faith in spirits, the soul and the universal spirituality of nature. Over time, among supernatural beings, people identified the most important - gods. This is how the first polytheistic and then monotheistic religions appeared.

It is impossible to determine the time of the emergence of morality, since it is an integral system and expresses a certain degree of maturity of a person and human society. Obviously, the formation of moral norms went parallel to the development of other social regulators.

With the emergence of the state, the first rules of law appeared. The most recent are corporate standards.

All social norms have common features: these are general rules of conduct; they are designed for repeated use; they act continuously in time; they apply to an indefinite number of persons; they have certain order implementation, i.e. have a procedural characteristic; Each type of social norms has a specific mechanism for implementing regulations, i.e. has a sign of authorization.

Society, in one form or another, monitors compliance with social norms, exercising social control. Society itself monitors the observance of customs, traditions, and moral norms. For example, by controlling her son's behavior, the mother acts on the basis of existing social norms and thereby exercises primary social control. Compliance with legal norms is controlled by the state. Compliance with or violation of social norms involves appropriate sanctions in the form of rewards or punishments. Under social sanction refers to the reaction of society, a social group or the state to the behavior of an individual in a socially significant situation. Sanctions can be positive (rewarding) and negative (punishing); formal (official) and informal (unofficial). Thus, being awarded a diploma is a formal positive sanction, and contempt from comrades is an informal negative one.

Sociologists define deviant (deviant) behavior as a form of disorganization of an individual’s behavior in a group or a certain category of people in society, manifested in non-compliance with public expectations and requirements; deviating from generally accepted social norms. There are positive (positive) and negative (negative) deviant behavior. If the consequences of unusual behavior can be assessed positively (pouring cold water), it is positive and vice versa. Based on the goals and direction of deviant behavior, they distinguish destructive (harmful to the individual - alcoholism, drug addiction) and asocial (harmful to society - violation of rules traffic) types. Behavior that is the opposite of deviant behavior is called conformist or normative, corresponding to social norms. In a narrow sense, deviant behavior refers to deviations that do not entail criminal punishment, i.e. are not illegal. Basic forms deviant (disapproved) behavior: criminality, alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, homosexuality, gambling, mental disorder, suicide.

There are several varieties deviations: 1) cultural and mental; 2) individual and group; 3) primary (one-time pranks, mistakes, eccentric antics) and secondary; 4) culturally approved and culturally condemned. TO types deviant behavior includes: conformity - compliance with cultural goals and means; innovation - agreement with the goals approved by a given culture, but denial of traditional means of achieving them; ritualism – denial of the goals of a given culture with the simultaneous acceptance and use of traditional means of achieving them; Retreatism is the simultaneous denial of goals and means of achieving them approved by society; rebellion, revolt - the desire to replace old goals and means, alienation from prevailing goals and standards, replacing them with new ones. TO reasons Deviant behavior includes physical and mental abnormalities, educational deficiencies, social conflicts, and heredity. Behavior associated with violation of legal norms is called in sociology delinquent, i.e. criminal behavior. A crime is a socially dangerous guilty act that encroaches on law and order and is provided for by criminal law.

To protect its interests, society uses various means of social control. Social control- a special mechanism for maintaining public order, including two main elements (means of control) - norms and sanctions. Social control is exercised by the state, as well as by any social group through group social pressure, coercion, and also through socialization.

Social control through group pressure is carried out by condemning individual group members, behavior, appearance or whose views do not correspond to the standards established in this group. The range of sanctions varies from reprimands to expulsion from the group. Group pressure is also exercised depending on the characteristics and status of the individual and the characteristics of the group. Social control through coercion is carried out formally (by establishing laws and punishments), as well as through informal group control. Social control through socialization is carried out as the individual’s unconscious fulfillment of his usual role.

The following groups of social sanctions are distinguished: 1) formal positive (public approval from official organizations); 2) informal positive (friendly praise, compliments, applause, fame, honor, respect); 3) formal negative (punishments provided for by laws, government decrees, administrative instructions); 4) informal negative (remark, ridicule, censure).

An important means of control is self-control, i.e. managing one’s behavior under the influence of the social environment or one’s own biological mechanisms - drives, emotional impulses, addictions. Associated with the concept of self-control is the concept of conscience.

Detailed solution Paragraph § 14 in social studies for 11th grade students, authors L.N. Bogolyubov, N.I. Gorodetskaya, L.F. Ivanova 2014

Question 1. Is it true that the activities of each person are controlled by society? Is it good or bad? Are there rules of conduct for everyone? What kind of person can become a criminal? What are the dangers of alcohol and drugs?

Yes, this is good because society helps a person not to stray from the right path, not to make mistakes.

Social norms are general rules and patterns of behavior that have developed in society as a result of long-term practical activities people, during which optimal standards and models of correct behavior were developed.

Social norms determine what a person should do, how he should do it, and finally, what he should be like.

The personality of a criminal differs from the personality of a law-abiding person in that it is a social danger; it is characterized by criminal needs and motivation, emotional-volitional deformations and negative social interests.

Alcohol does not solve problems, but on the contrary makes them even worse. In a state of intoxication, a person commits inappropriate actions and is impaired normal operation many organs (including the brain), which leads to its gradual degradation, relationships with other people are also destroyed. And if you don't stop in time, it ultimately leads to death.

Questions and tasks for the document

Question 1. Give your own examples of universal, racial, class, group norms.

Universal ones: raising children, helping the sick and the elderly, and biblical ones (thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery).

Racial: let’s say the Caucasian race has general democratic values (equality before the law, elections of the head of state, freedom and value of the individual), while the Mongoloid race usually has a dictatorship of the head of the state or the ruling party, the value is not personal, but collective benefit.

Class: Courchevel for the oligarchs, Turkey and Egypt for the middle class and a village for the poor.

Group: for students - study and, accordingly, everything connected with it, for athletes - training, for the military - exercises or combat operations.

Question 2. To what level of community can the norms be attributed: “don’t steal”, “before the New Year we go to the bathhouse together”, “separate education for blacks and whites”, “solidarity of workers of all countries”?

1. Universal.

2. Intragroup.

3. International

4. Group.

Question 3. What does a higher or lower level of norms mean? Why really high level Do the authors place natural human rights?

A higher level of social norms are those norms that play the greatest role in society and the violation of which leads to significant negative consequences for the individual and society as a whole.

Lower level of social norms - violation of which does not cause much harm to society and therefore informal social control is quite sufficient.

Question 4. Why is the most decisive government action necessary in the event of a violation of higher-level norms?

Because if high-level norms are violated, the consequences can be much more serious.

Question 5. How does social control manifest itself in the event of a violation of a lower level of social norms? Why?

It is expressed in informal pressure from society on the offender. Public censure, ostracism, etc. Because the norms of the lower level, although not written down as law, the implementation of these norms as a whole is socially justified in the environment.

Question 6. How can we explain that a more democratic society involves a shift in emphasis from external social control to internal self-control?

Self-control is the subject’s awareness and assessment of his own actions. Self-control is closely intertwined with the concepts of conscience and morality. Internal self-control is characteristic of societies with a high moral component, i.e. with conscience. A democratic society advocates weakening external control, relying on internal self-control, which results in an increase in deviance (deviation from generally accepted norms) of the social environment.

SELF-TEST QUESTIONS

Question 1: Give examples of each type of social norm.

Main types of social norms:

1. Rules of law are generally binding, formally defined rules of behavior that are established or sanctioned, and are also protected by the state. (Laws of the Criminal Code, AK).

2. Norms of morality (morality) - rules of behavior that have developed in society, express people’s ideas about good and evil, justice and injustice, duty, honor, dignity. The effect of these norms is ensured by internal conviction, public opinion, and measures of social influence. (We must respect elders and help the disabled).

3. Norms of customs are rules of behavior that, having developed in society as a result of their repeated repetition, are followed by force of habit.

4. Norms public organizations(corporate norms) are rules of behavior that are independently established by public organizations, enshrined in their charters (regulations, etc.), operate within their limits and are protected from violations by them through certain measures of social influence.

Question 2. What is social control?

Social norms constitute one of the elements of the mechanism for regulating relations between the individual and society, which is called social control. The purposeful influence of this system on people's behavior in order to strengthen order and stability is ensured by social control.

Any activity includes a variety of actions, and each person performs them many times, entering into active interaction with the social environment (with society, social communities, public institutions and organizations, the state, other individuals). All these actions, individual actions, and human behavior are under the control of the people, groups, and society around him.

As long as these actions do not violate public order or existing social norms, this control is invisible, as if it does not exist. However, it is worth breaking the rules, deviating from the patterns of behavior accepted in society, and social control manifests itself.

People who reacted to the violation of social norms reflected the attitudes of public consciousness (or public opinion), which supports the order protected by norms. That is why their reaction was to condemn these actions. Expressing dissatisfaction, reprimanding, imposing a fine, punishment imposed by the court - all these are sanctions; Along with social norms, they are an essential element of the mechanism of social control.

Sanctions mean either approval and encouragement or disapproval and punishment aimed at maintaining social norms. In other words, sanctions can be either positive, which are aimed at encouraging, or negative, aimed at stopping undesirable behavior.

Thus, along with control from society, a group, the state, and other people, internal control, or self-control, which is based on norms, customs, and role expectations learned by the individual, is of utmost importance.

Question 3. What is the meaning of self-control?

In the process of self-control, conscience plays an important role, i.e., the feeling and knowledge of what is good and what is bad, what is fair and what is unfair, the subjective consciousness of compliance or non-compliance of one’s own behavior with moral standards. In a person who, in a state of excitement, by mistake or succumbing to temptation, commits a bad act, conscience causes a feeling of guilt, moral worries, a desire to correct the mistake or atone for the guilt.

The ability to exercise self-control is the most valuable quality of a person who independently regulates his behavior in accordance with generally accepted norms. Self-control is one of the most important conditions for a person’s self-realization and his successful interaction with other people.

Question 4. What are the causes of deviant behavior?

Researchers have various points views on this issue.

At the end of the 19th century. a biological explanation for the deviations was put forward: the presence in some people of an innate predisposition to violations of social norms, which is associated with the physical characteristics of the individual, criminal temperament, etc.

For example, cruelty can be the result of a cold, indifferent attitude towards a child on the part of parents, and often the cruelty of adults. Research has shown that low self-esteem in adolescence is further compensated by deviant behavior, with the help of which it is possible to attract attention to oneself and gain approval from those who will evaluate violation of norms as a sign of a strong personality.

The sociological explanation of deviant behavior, the causes of which the famous sociologist E. Durkheim saw as depending on the crisis phenomena occurring in society, has received wide recognition. During crises, radical social changes, in conditions of disorganization of social life (unexpected economic downturns and upswings, decline in business activity, inflation), a person’s life experience ceases to correspond to the ideals embodied in social norms. Social norms are destroyed, people become disorientated, and this contributes to the emergence of deviant behavior.

Some scientists have associated deviant behavior with a conflict between the dominant culture and the culture of a group (subculture) that denies generally accepted norms. In this case, criminal behavior, for example, may be the result of an individual’s primary communication with carriers of criminal norms. The criminal environment creates its own subculture, its own norms, opposing the norms recognized in society. The frequency of contacts with representatives of the criminal community influences the assimilation by a person (especially young people) of the norms of antisocial behavior.

Question 5. What is the social danger of crime?

Organized crime poses the greatest danger to individuals, society, and the state. In the broadest sense of the word, it refers to any group of persons organized on a permanent basis to obtain funds through illegal means.

The danger to the individual lies in the suppression of his rights and freedoms through acts of violence and other means. This is manifested in the destruction of small entrepreneurs who refuse to pay money to receive protection from criminals (racketeering); forcing women and teenagers into prostitution; spreading influence and control, for example, over trade unions; rising costs of goods and services; the possibility of complete suppression of the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens through physical and moral terror.

The danger to society lies in the interception of the rights to own and dispose of the material assets of the entire society by organized criminal communities and corrupt groups of officials (especially in the areas of trade, production and distribution of strategic raw materials, precious metals, production and circulation of weapons); the ability to manipulate significant capital, penetrate into areas of legitimate business and ruin their competitors through price controls; propagation of the ideology of the criminal world, its romanticization, cultivation of mafia and corrupt relations, violence, cruelty, aggressiveness, which creates conditions for “social contamination” by criminal customs and traditions.

The danger of organized crime for the state is manifested in the creation at the regional level of parallel illegal power structures and illegal armed groups; preparation, financing and organization of direct anti-constitutional actions in the form of incitement national hatred, organizing mass riots, conspiracies - with the aim of seizing power; promoting crimes such as banditry and smuggling; penetration of political parties and the state apparatus by corruption; a desire to weaken federal power in order to facilitate the control of organized crime over entire regions.

Question 6. What are the consequences of drug addiction for the individual, family, and society?

The consequences of drug addiction for the family are catastrophic, as well as for the individual himself. The personality itself becomes completely asocial over time. Social attitudes are completely erased - social statuses such as, professional, father, son, comrade, etc. The existence of the subject is reduced only to finding doses and to use; as a rule, with longer use in a person’s life, there are no longer any other needs. The family constantly lives in stress, which in itself is called codependency, that is, the whole life of the family over time becomes focused only on the life of the drug addict. As a rule, the family begins to experience serious financial difficulties, and a lot of serious illnesses are recorded among codependent relatives of drug users.

TASKS

Question 1. How do you feel about the statement of the English historian G. T. Buckle (1821-1862): “Society prepares a crime, the criminal commits it”? Explain it with some example taken from newspapers.

I understand that any crime is conditioned social factors that formed the personality of the criminal, or created the situation that led to his commission. And the criminal, as it were, plays the role of a “performer” who resolves this situation in a negative way.

Question 2. Do you agree with the statement of the French playwright J. Racine (1639-1699): “Major crimes are always preceded by minor ones. Has anyone ever seen timid innocence suddenly turn into rampant debauchery? Give reasons for your answer.

I agree, the reason for this is cause and effect. Many famous criminals started with petty thefts and could not stop.

Question 3. A discussion arose on the issue of fighting crime. One side argued: “Penalties need to be toughened. Look at Singapore. If you were caught with drugs - capital punishment, with an illegal weapon, even if you did not use it - the same. In some Muslim countries, the law requires the hand to be cut off for theft. And no one has been stealing there for a long time.” Another objected: “The cruelty of punishments will make crime more violent. The main thing is the inevitability of punishment. If everyone knows that any crime will be solved, crime will decrease dramatically.” What do you think about this issue? Give reasons for your answer.

Any court is not immune from errors, while it must make decisions. With capital punishment, an innocent person may suffer, and this cannot be corrected. The inevitability of punishment makes the chance of committing a crime minimal, because the criminal realizes that he will be found and punished.

Slide 2

Objective and lesson plan

Lesson objectives: to give concepts: social norms, deviant behavior, deviant behavior, delinquent behavior, formal, informal sanctions, crime

Lesson plan:

Social norms;
Social control;
Deviant deviant behavior;
Consolidation tests;
Practical conclusions.

Slide 3

Social norms

A social norm is a rule of behavior established in society that regulates relationships between people and social life.

Functions of social norms:

regulate the general course of socialization; integrate the individual into the social
environment; serve as models, standards of appropriate behavior; control deviant behavior

Slide 4

Ways to regulate people's behavior by social norms

Permission - indications of behavior options that are desirable, but not required.
Prescription - an indication of the required action
Prohibition - an indication of an action that should not be performed

Norms differ from each other in the degree of obligatory fulfillment: motivating; prohibiting; imperative.

Slide 5

Social norms

Customs and traditions
Moral standards
Aesthetic standards
Etiquette standards
Political norms
Religious norms
Legal standards

Slide 6

Characteristics of social norms

Slide 7

Slide 9

Internal (self-control).
A form of social control in which the individual independently regulates his behavior, coordinating it with generally accepted norms
External.
A set of institutions and mechanisms that guarantee compliance with generally accepted norms of behavior and laws.

Slide 10

Types of sanctions

Formal positive sanctions are public approval from official organizations (government, institution, creative union): government awards, state prizes and scholarships, awarded titles, academic degrees and titles, construction of a monument, presentation of certificates of honor, admission to high positions and honorary functions.

Slide 11

Informal positive sanctions - public approval that does not come from official organizations: friendly praise, compliments, tacit recognition, goodwill, applause, fame, honor, flattering reviews, recognition of leadership or expert qualities, smile.

Slide 12

Formal negative sanctions are punishments provided for by legal laws, government decrees, administrative instructions, orders, orders (reprimand, arrest, fine, etc.)
Informal negative sanctions are punishments not provided for by official authorities (censure, remarks, ridicule, mockery, cruel joke, unflattering nickname, etc.)

Slide 13

Methods of social control

Slide 14

Deviant (deviant behavior)

Deviant behavior is a form of disorganization of an individual’s behavior in a group or category of people in society, revealing a discrepancy with established expectations, moral and legal requirements of society.

Slide 15

Deviant. Deviation that does not entail criminal penalties.
Delinquent. Violation of norms falling under the category of illegal action.

Slide 16

Reasons for deviant behavior

Slide 17

Types of deviant behavior

Slide 18

Slide 19

Deviation assessment

Negative, i.e. harmful to society:

Offenses
Alcoholism
Addiction
Terrorism
Corruption
Vandalism
Other

Positive, i.e. useful for society:

Heroism
Initiative
Innovation talent
Self-sacrifice
Other

Neutral, not affecting society:

Non-compliance with customs and traditions
Eccentricity
Eccentricity
Other

Slide 20

Crime

Crime is the most dangerous manifestation of deviant behavior, causing the greatest damage to society. A crime is a socially dangerous act that encroaches on the law and order, as provided for in the Criminal Code. The totality of crimes committed in a given society and in a given period of time is designated by the concept of “crime.” It causes dire consequences for the development of society and its members like no other negative phenomenon of social development.

Slide 21

Criminal Code Russian Federation indicates the following types of crimes: against the individual, in the economic sphere, against public safety and public order, against state power, against military service, against peace and security. Crime is not only a social, but also a legal phenomenon, since only what is enshrined in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is criminal.

Slide 22

The fight against crime includes, firstly, political and economic measures. social, socio-psychological, managerial, cultural nature, allowing to eliminate conditions favorable to crime; secondly, the development of the legal consciousness of citizens; thirdly, special preventive activities aimed at identifying and eliminating the immediate causes of crime; fourthly, the application of criminal legislation in relation to persons who have committed a crime.

Slide 23

Consolidation tests

Doesn't apply to social norms

prohibition on disassembling an electrical appliance if it is connected to electricity;
the obligation to greet when a person enters the premises;
duty to care for elderly parents;
prohibition to cross the street at a red traffic light.

Establish a correspondence between the types of sanctions and their forms: A) formal B) informal

government award, compliment, academic degree, applause, smile, flattering reviews, demotion, slander.

Slide 24

Find the traits of deviant behavior in the list below.

focused on spending free time and leisure
deviates from accepted moral standards
teenagers’ search for cultural grounds for their existence that are different from the culture of adults
subject to social condemnation
deviates from accepted legal norms

Below is a list of terms. All of them, with the exception of one, characterize the concept of “offence”. Find and indicate a term that refers to another concept.

Guilt, intent, act, alcoholism, robbery, hooliganism.

Slide 25

Practical conclusions

Knowledge of social norms is necessary for Everyday life a person seeking to integrate into modern society.
Behavior that meets generally accepted social norms will ensure you feel comfortable in society.
Since the norms that arise in small informal groups sometimes contradict those existing in society, everyone who is part of such groups should make an independent choice and subsequently bear responsibility for it.
Deals with conscience, i.e. self-justification for actions that go against one’s own beliefs, weaken self-control and, when repeated, can open the way to deviant behavior that is harmful to the individual and society.

View all slides

Is it true that the activities of each person are controlled by society? Is it good or bad?
Are there rules of conduct for everyone?
What kind of person can become a criminal?
What are the dangers of alcohol and drugs?

Social norms

The word “norm” is of Latin origin and literally means “guiding principle, rule, model.” Norms are developed by society and the social groups that are part of it.

Social norms guide people's behavior, allow it to be controlled, regulated and evaluated. They guide a person in questions of how to act, what can be done, what cannot be done, how one should behave, how one should not behave, what is acceptable in people’s activities, what is undesirable. With the help of norms, the functioning of people, groups, and the entire society becomes orderly. In norms, people see standards, models, and standards of proper behavior. By perceiving them and following them, a person is included in the system of social relations, gets the opportunity to interact normally with other people, with various organizations, with society as a whole.

There are many norms in society. These are, first of all, customs and traditions in which habitual patterns of behavior are reinforced (for example, wedding or funeral ceremonies, household holidays, etc.). They become an organic part of people's lifestyle and are supported by the power of public authority.

Further, legal norms. They are enshrined in laws issued by the state, which clearly describe the boundaries of behavior and penalties for breaking the law. Compliance with legal norms is ensured by the power of the state.

Then moral standards. Unlike law, morality carries mainly an evaluative load (good - bad, fair - unfair). Compliance with moral rules is ensured by the authority of the collective consciousness; their violation is met with public condemnation.

There are also aesthetic standards. They reinforce ideas about the beautiful and the ugly not only in artistic creativity, but also in people’s behavior, in production and in everyday life. They manifest themselves, for example, in judgments that a person “lived his life beautifully”, that such and such “behaves ugly.” Negative assessments in this case are combined with moral censure.

Political norms regulate political activity, relations between individuals and authorities, between social groups, and states. They are reflected in laws, international treaties, political principles, and moral standards.

Finally, religious norms. In terms of content, many of them act as moral norms, coincide with legal norms, and reinforce traditions and customs. Compliance with religious norms is supported by the moral consciousness of believers and the religious belief in the inevitability of punishment for sins - deviation from these norms.

There are other types of norms, for example, rules of etiquette, etc. Social norms differ from biological, medical, technical norms, which establish rules for handling natural and artificial (technical) objects. For example, a rule prohibiting standing under a crane boom is aimed at the safety of a person in his relationship with a technical device. And the medical rule, which requires compliance with the dose of medication prescribed by the doctor, protects human health from dangerous consequences and establishes the procedure for handling chemicals.

Then moral standards. Unlike law, morality carries mainly an evaluative load (good - bad, fair - unfair). Compliance with moral rules is ensured by the authority of the collective consciousness; their violation is met with public condemnation.

There are also aesthetic standards. They reinforce ideas about the beautiful and the ugly not only in artistic creativity, but also in people’s behavior, in production and in everyday life. They manifest themselves, for example, in judgments that a person “lived his life beautifully”, that such and such “behaves ugly.” Negative assessments in this case are combined with moral censure.

Political norms regulate political activity, relations between individuals and authorities, between social groups, and states. They are reflected in laws, international treaties, political principles, and moral standards.

Finally, religious norms. In terms of content, many of them act as moral norms, coincide with legal norms, and reinforce traditions and customs. Compliance with religious norms is supported by the moral consciousness of believers and the religious belief in the inevitability of punishment for sins - deviation from these norms.

There are other types of norms, for example, rules of etiquette, etc. Social norms differ from biological, medical, technical norms, which establish rules for handling natural and artificial (technical) objects. For example, the rule prohibiting standing under the boom of a crane is aimed at the safety of a person in his relationship with a technical device. And the medical rule, which requires compliance with the dose of medication prescribed by the doctor, protects human health from dangerous consequences and establishes the procedure for handling chemicals.

As for social norms, they all regulate relationships in society itself: between people, groups of people, and the organizations they create. The impact of social norms on an individual’s behavior presupposes, firstly, knowledge of the social norm and its awareness, secondly, a motive (the desire to follow this norm) and, thirdly, the action itself (real behavior).

SOCIAL CONTROL

Social norms constitute one of the elements of the mechanism for regulating relations between the individual and society, which is called social control. In the first lessons of the course, we talked about the fact that society is a complex system that includes many different elements. The purposeful influence of this system on people's behavior in order to strengthen order and stability is ensured by social control. How does the social control mechanism work?

Any activity includes a variety of actions, and each person performs many of them, entering into active interaction with the social environment (with society, social communities, public institutions and organizations, the state, other individuals). All these actions, individual actions, and human behavior are under the control of the people, groups, and society around him. As long as these actions do not violate public order or existing social norms, this control is invisible, as if it does not exist. However, it is worth breaking established customs, rules, deviating from patterns of behavior that are accepted in society, and social control manifests itself. One person ran across the street in front of moving vehicles, a second lit a cigarette in the cinema, a third committed theft, a fourth was late for work... In all these cases, the reaction of other people may follow: comments and other manifestations of dissatisfaction on the part of others, corresponding actions of the administration, police, court . This reaction of others is due to a violation of relevant social norms, rules, and traditions. The people who reacted to the above situations reflected the attitudes of public consciousness (or public opinion), which supports the order protected by norms. That is why their reaction was to condemn these actions. Expressing dissatisfaction, reprimanding, imposing a fine, punishment imposed by the court - all these are sanctions; along with social norms, they are an essential element of the mechanism of social control. Sanctions mean either approval and encouragement, or disapproval and punishment, aimed at maintaining social norms. In other words, sanctions can be either positive, which are aimed at encouraging, or negative, aimed at stopping undesirable behavior. In both cases, they are classified as formal if they are applied in accordance with certain rules (for example, awarding an order or punishment by a court verdict), or informal if they manifest themselves in an emotionally charged reaction of the immediate environment (friends, relatives, neighbors , colleagues).

Society (large and small groups, the state) evaluates the individual, but the individual also evaluates society, the state, and himself. Perceiving assessments addressed to him from surrounding people, groups, government institutions, a person accepts them not mechanically, but selectively, rethinks them through his own experience, habits, and previously acquired social norms. And a person’s attitude to other people’s assessments turns out to be purely individual; it can be positive and sharply negative. Let us remember what was said at the beginning of the course: a person constantly evaluates himself, while self-esteem can change depending on the maturity of the individual and the social conditions in which he operates. A person correlates his actions with the social patterns of behavior that he approves when performing those social roles with which he identifies himself.

Thus, along with the highest control on the part of society, group, state, and other people, the most important is internal control, or self-control, which is based on norms, customs, and role expectations learned by the individual.

In the process of self-control, conscience plays an important role, i.e., the feeling and knowledge of what is good and what is bad, what is fair and what is unfair, subjective awareness of the compliance or non-compliance of one’s own behavior with moral standards. In a person who, in a state of excitement, by mistake or succumbing to temptation, has committed a bad act, conscience causes a feeling of guilt, moral feelings, a desire to correct the mistake or atone for the guilt.

So, the most important elements of the mechanism of social control are social norms, public opinion, sanctions, individual consciousness, self-control. By interacting, they ensure the maintenance of socially acceptable patterns of behavior and the functioning of the social system as a whole.

DEVIANT BEHAVIOR

People's behavior does not always correspond to social norms. On the contrary, in many cases there is non-compliance and violation. Behavior that is not consistent with the norms, does not correspond to what society expects from a person, is called deviant.

Sociologists also give another definition: deviant behavior is a form of disorganization of an individual’s behavior in a group or category of people in society, revealing a discrepancy with established expectations, moral and legal requirements of society. Negative deviations from social norms at the personal level manifest themselves primarily in crimes and other offenses, in immoral acts. At the level of small social groups, these deviations manifest themselves in deformations and disruptions in normal relationships between people (discord, scandals, etc.). In the activities of state and public organizations, such deviations manifest themselves in bureaucracy, red tape, corruption and other painful phenomena.

Manifestations of deviant behavior are as diverse as social norms. The consequences of these deviations are no less varied. Their common feature is harm, damage caused to society, a social group, other people, as well as an individual who allows negative deviations."

Social deviations as a mass phenomenon are especially dangerous.

Crimes and other offenses, alcoholism, drug addiction, religious fanaticism, racial intolerance, terrorism - these and other similar negative processes in the development of society bring incalculable damage to humanity. Their danger can be considered using the example of drug addiction.

What are the causes of deviant behavior? Researchers have different points of view on this issue. Let's look at them.

Other scientists have sought psychological explanations for the abnormalities. They came to the conclusion that a large role is played by the value-normative ideas of the individual: understanding of the world around him, attitude to social norms, and most importantly - the general orientation of the interests of the individual. The researchers came to the conclusion that behavior that violates established norms is based on a different system of values and rules than the one enshrined in law. For example, a psychological study of such motives for illegal actions as cruelty, greed and deceit has shown that among criminals these qualities are most pronounced and justified: “It is always better to show your strength”, “Be strong so that others will be afraid!”, “Believe in life.” everything you can!

Scientists have come to the conclusion that these personality deformations are a consequence of its improper development. For example, cruelty can be the result of a cold, indifferent attitude towards a child on the part of parents, and often cruelty of adults. Studies have shown that low self-esteem in adolescence is compensated later by deviant behavior, with the help of which it is possible to attract attention and gain approval from those who will evaluate violation of norms as a sign of a strong personality.

Some scientists have associated deviant behavior with a conflict between the dominant culture and the culture of a group (subculture) that denies generally accepted norms. In this case, criminal behavior, for example, may be the result of an individual’s predominant communication with carriers of criminal norms. The criminal environment creates its own subculture, its own norms, opposing the norms recognized in society. The frequency of contacts with representatives of the criminal community influences the assimilation by a person (especially young people) of the norms of antisocial behavior.

There are other explanations for deviant behavior. (Think about the points of view presented and try to explain for yourself the reasons for deviations in behavior from social norms.)

In relation to persons who allow negative deviations from norms, society applies social sanctions, i.e. punishments for disapproved, undesirable actions. Weak forms of deviant behavior (mistake, deception, rudeness, negligence, etc.) are corrected by other people - participants in the interaction (remark, suggestion, humor, censure, etc.). More significant forms of social deviations (offences, etc.), depending on their consequences, entail condemnation and punishment coming not only from the public, but also from government agencies.

CRIME

Crime is the most dangerous manifestation of deviant behavior, causing the greatest damage to society. The word “crime” is a derivative of the word “crime”, which in Russian has always meant “an act contrary to the law, lawlessness, atrocity,). A crime is a socially dangerous act that encroaches on the law and order, as provided for in the Criminal Code.

The totality of crimes committed in a given society and in a given period of time is designated by the concept of “crime”. Crime is not just a sum of crimes, but a mass phenomenon that has patterns of its existence and development, causes, conditions that contribute to it. This is a social phenomenon, since it is rooted in the depths of social relations, reflects the characteristics of social life, and acts as an extreme expression of the contradictions and shortcomings of the development of society. It causes dire consequences for society and its members like no other negative phenomenon of social development.

The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation specifies the following types of crimes: against the individual, in the economic sphere, against public safety and public order, against state power, against military service, against peace and security. Crime is not only a social, but also a legal phenomenon, since only what is enshrined in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is criminal. Crime includes actions that encroach on the person, property, rights and freedoms of citizens, and public relations. These actions cause real and very significant harm to the target of the attack.

Feature of crime: the presence of a certain contingent of people - criminals, for some of whom criminal activity has become professional.

The greatest danger is organized crime. In the broadest sense of the word, it refers to any group of persons organized on a permanent basis to obtain funds through illegal means.

Organized crime is characterized by a particular danger to the individual, society, and the state.

The danger to society lies in the interception of the rights of ownership and disposal of material assets of the entire society by organized criminal communities and corrupt groups of officials (especially in the areas of trade, extraction and distribution of strategic raw materials, precious metals, production and circulation of weapons); the ability to manipulate significant capital, penetrate into areas of legitimate business and ruin their competitors through price controls; propagation of the ideology of the criminal world, its romanticization, cultivation of mafia and corrupt relations, violence, cruelty, aggressiveness, which creates conditions for “social contamination” by criminal customs and traditions.

The danger of organized crime for the state is manifested in the creation of parallel illegal power structures at the regional level. illegal armed groups; preparation, financing and organization of direct anti-constitutional actions in the form of inciting national hatred, organizing mass riots, conspiracies to seize power; promoting state crimes such as banditry and smuggling; penetration of political parties and the state apparatus by corruption of politicians and government officials;
seeking to weaken federal power. to facilitate organized crime's control over entire regions.

In modern conditions great importance has the fight against crime. This is a social regulatory activity that is carried out to ensure that citizens do not commit acts prohibited by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. It includes, firstly, political and economic activities. social, socio-psychological, managerial, cultural nature, allowing to eliminate conditions favorable to crime; secondly, the development of the legal consciousness of citizens; thirdly, special preventive activities aimed at identifying and eliminating the immediate causes of crime; fourthly, the application of criminal legislation in relation to persons who have committed crimes.

The growing crime has become real threat national security of Russia. Solving this problem is one of the most important national tasks.

PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS

1 Knowledge of legal and moral norms, traditions and other rules is necessary not so much for passing exams as for the everyday life of a person seeking to integrate into modern society.

2. Since people around you expect you to behave in accordance with generally accepted social norms, try to behave in accordance with them. This will be one of the prerequisites for feeling comfortable in society.

3 Once you find yourself in another country, get acquainted with the laws, customs, etiquette, and other norms that exist there and take them into account if you want to avoid negative attitudes from the people among whom you are.

4 Since the norms that arise in small informal groups sometimes contradict those existing in society, everyone who is part of such groups should make an independent choice and subsequently bear responsibility for it.

5 Deals with conscience, i.e. self-justification for actions that go against one’s own beliefs, weaken self-control and, when repeated, can open the way to deviant behavior that is harmful to the individual and society.

Document

From the work of Russian sociologist O. S. Osipova “ Deviant behavior: good or evil?

The form of society's response to one or another type of deviation should depend on what (in terms of generality) social norms are violated: universal, racial, class, group, etc. The following dependencies can be distinguished:

The higher the level (in terms of generality) of social norms and values is violated, the more decisive the state’s actions should be. The highest value is natural human rights.

The lower the level of social norms that are violated, the more emphasis should be placed on informal measures of social control (social reward or blame, persuasion, etc.).

The more difficult social structure society, the more diverse the forms of social control should be.

The lower the level of social norms a person violates, the more tolerant the reaction to his actions should be.

The more democratic the society, the more emphasis should be placed not on external social, but on internal personal self-control.

Questions and tasks for the document

1. Give your own examples of universal, racial, class, group norms.
2. To what level of community can the norms be attributed: “don’t steal”, “before the New Year we go to the bathhouse together”, “separate education for blacks and whites”, “solidarity of workers of all countries”?
3. What does a higher or lower level of norm mean? Why do the authors place natural human rights at the highest level?
4. Why is the most decisive government action necessary in case of violation of higher level norms?
5. How is social control manifested in the event of a violation of a lower level of social norms? Why?
6. How can we explain that a more democratic society involves a shift in emphasis from external social control to internal self-control?

SELF-TEST QUESTIONS

1. Give examples of each type of social norm.
2. What is social control?
3. What is the meaning of self-control?
4. What are the causes of deviant behavior?
5. What is the social danger of crime?
6. What are the consequences of drug addiction for the individual, family, society?

TASKS

1. How do you feel about the statement of the English historian G. T. Buckle (1821-1862): “Society is preparing a crime,
the criminal commits it"? Explain it with some example taken from newspapers.