IN 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 maximum effect negative impact not only on the psyche and the 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 mentally absolutely 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; at 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 a negative one, 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 it is carefully hidden from adults by minors. 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:
- Social inequality. The 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.
- Moral and ethical factor. Expressed in low spiritual development society, apathy towards science and art. The child observes the decline in morals among people: many of them, for example, consider trafficking in bodies and labor, mass alcoholism and prostitution to be an ordinary event.
- 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:
- Innovation. People accept the goals of society, understand them, but deny normal ways of achieving them (prostitutes, creators of financial pyramids, blackmailers, great scientists).
- 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.
- Retreatism is an escape from reality. The individual abandons goals and all ways to achieve them (drug addict, homeless person).
- 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. To fish a child out of a dangerous company and quickly save him from negative influence 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 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 begin to 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. Must also be created favorable conditions to open rehabilitation centers of various directions, in which experienced specialists could rid young people of addictions and direct their energy in a productive and useful direction 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 healthy image life. 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. Main task- 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.
Deviant behavior is a special form of deviant behavior in which a person loses the concept of moral values, social norms and is completely focused on meeting his needs. Deviant behavior implies obligatory personality degradation, because it is simply impossible to progress by causing pain to others. A person changes literally before our eyes: he loses his sense of reality, basic shame and all responsibility.
The psychology of deviant behavior is such that the individual is often unaware that he is acting in a destructive manner. She does not want to delve into the needs of others, she does not care about the feelings of loved ones. Deviant behavior deprives a person of the ability to think and reason sensibly.
Concept of deviant behavior
The concept of deviant behavior in psychological science appeared thanks to the hard work of Emile Durkheim. He became the founder of the theory of deviation in general. The very concept of deviant behavior initially meant some discrepancy with public understanding of how one should behave in a given situation. But gradually the concept of deviant behavior became closer to understanding offenses and deliberate harm to others. This idea was supplemented and developed in his works by Emile Durkheim’s follower, Robert King Merton. The scientist insisted that deviant behavior in all cases is dictated by a reluctance to develop, work on oneself and benefit those around him. The concept of deviant behavior is one of those that affects the sphere of human relationships.
Reasons for deviant behavior
The reasons why a person chooses deviant behavior are very diverse. These reasons sometimes subjugate a person to such an extent that she loses her will, the ability to think sensibly, and make decisions independently. Deviant behavior is always characterized by excessive sensitivity, vulnerability, increased aggressiveness and intransigence. Such a person demands that his desires be satisfied immediately and no matter what the cost. Any type of deviant behavior is extremely destructive; it makes a person extremely susceptible and unhappy. Personality gradually begins to degrade, losing social skills, losing familiar values and even their own positive character traits. So, what are the reasons for the formation of deviant behavior?
Dangerous environment
A person is greatly influenced by the environment in which he finds himself. If a person is placed in an environment where he is constantly humiliated and reproached, then gradually he will begin to degrade. Many people simply withdraw into themselves and stop trusting others. A dysfunctional environment forces a person to experience negative feelings and then build defensive reactions against them. Deviant behavior is a consequence of cruel and unfair treatment. Never prosperous and happy man will not hurt others or try to prove something at any cost. The essence of deviant behavior is that it gradually destroys a person, revealing old grievances and unspoken claims against the world.
The reason why deviant behavior is formed always indicates what needs to be changed in life. The peculiarities of deviant behavior are such that it does not appear suddenly, not immediately, but gradually. A person, harboring aggression within himself, becomes less and less controllable and harmonious. It is very important to change the environment if there are attempts to change deviant behavior to constructive behavior.
Alcohol and drug use
Another reason for deviant behavior is the presence of excessively negative destructive factors in a person’s life. Deviant behavior, of course, does not arise on its own, without apparent reasons. One cannot but agree that toxic substances have a negative effect on our consciousness. A person who takes drugs inevitably begins to degrade sooner or later. The drug addict cannot control himself, loses the ability to see the good in people, loses self-respect, and has attacks of aggression directed at others. Even a person without special education. A degrading personality makes a strong repulsive impression. People around them, as a rule, try to avoid meeting with such subjects, fearing adverse consequences and simply worrying about their lives. Sometimes it is enough to look at a person to establish the reason for his inappropriate behavior. Deviant behavior cannot be hidden from prying eyes. Relatives and loved ones of someone who exhibits deviant behavior, as a rule, begin to feel embarrassed and ashamed of what is happening, although they themselves suffer greatly from the actions of the deviant.
A person suffering from alcohol addiction also has manifestations of aggression and uncontrollable anger. Most often, this person is disappointed first in himself, and then in the people around him. To diagnose deviant behavior, sometimes it is enough to look at the person himself and determine his essence. The reason why people break themselves and start taking various toxic substances is simple: they cannot realize their potential in the world. Deviant behavior of an individual always implies the presence of sharp negative manifestations that harm the life and well-being of those around them.
Constant criticism
There is another reason for the formation of deviant behavior. If in childhood a child is constantly scolded for something, then manifestations of self-disappointment will not take long to appear. This leads to self-doubt, increased sensitivity to criticism, emotional and mental instability. Constant criticism can ultimately lead to any forms and types of deviant behavior. All types of deviant behavior, regardless of the form of expression, nullify any efforts to become better and establish themselves in any area of life: personal life, profession, creativity. It’s just that at a certain point a person stops believing in himself and his capabilities. He does not understand the reasons for his condition, but seeks confirmation of negative manifestations outside. Diagnosis of deviant behavior is a rather complex and labor-intensive process that must be carried out by specialists. You need to be extremely careful with children and teenagers so as not to break their dreams, not to destroy their faith in themselves and their own prospects. The reasons for deviant behavior can be completely different. It is better to prevent the development of such a deviation than to try to correct the consequences later.
Classification of deviant behavior
The classification of deviant behavior includes several important concepts. They are all interconnected and mutually determine each other. Those who are close to such a person are the first to sound the alarm. Even a child can diagnose a degenerating personality. In other words, deviant forms behavior is not difficult to recognize. The manifestation of deviant behavior is usually noticeable to others. Let's consider the most common forms and types of deviant behavior.
Addictive behavior
Addiction is the very first type of deviant behavior. Addictions in humans develop gradually. By forming some kind of addiction, he tries to compensate for the lack of something very significant and valuable in his life. What kind of addictions can there be and why are they so destructive to the individual? This is, first of all, chemical dependence. The use of drugs and alcohol leads to the formation of a stable addiction. After some time, a person can no longer imagine a comfortable existence without an addiction. Thus, heavy smokers say that smoking a cigarette at the right time helps them relax. People addicted to alcohol often justify themselves by saying that a glass of alcohol allows them to discover new possibilities in themselves. Of course, such prospects are imaginary. In fact, the person gradually loses control over himself and his emotional state.
There is also psychological addiction. It manifests itself depending on the opinions of others, as well as a painful focus on another person. Unrequited loves take place here, which take away a lot of vitality. Such a person also destroys himself: endless experiences do not add health and strength. Often the desire to live, set goals and strive to achieve them disappears. Diagnosis of deviant behavior implies timely identification of pathological signs and prevention of their development. The manifestation of deviant behavior always, in all cases without exception, needs correction. Any addiction is a type of deviant behavior that will sooner or later lead a person to complete destruction.
Delinquent behavior
Criminal or illegal behavior is another type of deviant behavior that can be considered dangerous not only for the individual himself, but also for society as a whole. A delinquent is someone who commits criminal acts - a person who has completely lost any moral standards. For him, there are only his own needs of a lower order, which he strives to satisfy in any way. You can diagnose such a personality at first glance. Most people are seized with natural fear as soon as there is a suspicion that a criminal is near them. Some types of citizens tend to immediately contact law enforcement agencies.
The delinquent will not stop at any obstacles. He is only interested in obtaining his own immediate benefit, and in order to achieve such a goal, he is sometimes ready to take unjustified risks. The main signs that you have a criminal in front of you are the following. The criminal rarely looks directly in the eye and tells lies in order to get out of a difficult situation himself. It will not be difficult for such a person to set up even a close relative. The diagnosis of offenders is usually carried out by the relevant authorities.
Antimoral behavior
Antimoral behavior is a special type of deviant behavior, which is expressed in provocative or ugly behavior in public. In addition, in each individual society, different actions and actions will be considered antimoral. Common moral violations include: prostitution, publicly insulting other people, and obscene language. Individuals who lack any ideas about how to behave in a given situation are prone to antimoral behavior. They often come into conflict with the law and have problems with the police. Diagnosing such behavior is quite simple: it catches your eye immediately, at the first manifestation.
Suicide
This type of deviant behavior is classified as a mental disorder. Suicide attempts are made by those individuals who do not see further prospects and opportunities to continue their existence. Everything seems meaningless and devoid of any joy to them. If a person is just thinking about suicide, it means that things in his life can still be improved. He just came to a dangerous point. It is necessary that someone be with him at the right moment and warn him against this rash step. Suicide has never helped anyone solve pressing problems. By parting with life, a person punishes, first of all, himself. Even close relatives are someday comforted and with all the strength of their souls continue to live. Diagnosing suicidal tendencies is quite difficult because such people learn to be secretive and become significantly successful at this activity. At the same time, potential suicides are in dire need of timely assistance. Unfortunately, not everyone gets it.
Signs of deviant behavior
Psychologists determine the tendency to deviant behavior based on a number of significant characteristics. These signs directly or indirectly indicate that the person is in an inadequate state, which means he may be involved in committing crimes or be involved in addiction. What are the signs of deviant behavior? By what parameters can you understand that there is a deviant in front of you? There are several forms of expressing negativity. They can be diagnosed simply by observing people and drawing appropriate conclusions.
Aggressiveness
Any person who does something illegal will show his worst qualities of character. The problem is that even the good personality traits of a deviant are lost over time, as if they go into emptiness and dissolve into thin air. Deviant behavior is characterized by increased aggressiveness, intransigence and assertiveness. A criminal or any other violator will try to defend his position in everything and do it quite harshly. Such a person will not take into account the needs of other people, recognize alternatives; for her, only her own individual truth exists. Aggression repels other people and allows the deviant to remain unnoticed by society for a long time. With the help of demonstrated aggressiveness, a person pursues his goals and avoids effective interaction with other people.
Aggression is always a sign of the presence of fear. Only a self-confident person can allow himself to be calm and balanced. The one whose daily activities associated with risk, will always be nervous. Every minute he has to be on guard so as not to inadvertently give himself away, and sometimes not even detect his presence.
Uncontrollability
The deviant strives to control everything, but in reality he himself becomes uncontrollable and nervous. From DC voltage he loses the ability to reason logically, sensibly, and make responsible decisions. Sometimes he begins to get confused in his own reasoning and make significant mistakes. Such mistakes gradually undermine strength and contribute to the formation of terrible self-doubt. Uncontrollability can ultimately serve him badly, making a person aggressive and withdrawn at the same time. And since all social ties are severed by that time, there is no one to ask for help.
No one can convince a deviant that he is wrong. Through his own uncontrollability, he discovers the need to constantly be in a state of danger. By defending oneself, a person actually loses more and more control over the situation, since he wastes precious energy in vain. As a result, an emotional break with one’s own personality occurs, and the person ceases to understand where he should move next.
Sudden change of mood
The deviant experiences impetuous mood swings during his life. If someone acts inappropriately established scheme, then the offender begins to show an aggressive approach. The most interesting thing is that he cannot control his emotions. One moment he is cheerful, and the next minute he is already screaming with indignation. A sharp change in mood is dictated by tension nervous system, emotional fatigue, depletion of all important internal resources.
Deviant behavior is always aimed at destruction, even if at the very beginning of illegal actions it seems to a person that he has found an easy and carefree way to live. The deception is revealed very soon, bringing with it deafening disappointment. Deliberate cheerfulness is just an illusion, carefully hidden for the time being even from the deviant himself. Sudden changes in mood always have a negative impact on further development events: a person becomes uncontrollable, deprived of peace, self-confidence and tomorrow. It is not difficult to diagnose a sudden change in mood; even the person himself is able to notice it.
Stealth
Any intruder always has to make significant efforts to remain undetected for as long as possible. As a result, the deviant develops secrecy aimed at deliberately concealing the necessary and necessary information. Secrecy breeds suspicion and reluctance to share your thoughts and feelings with anyone. This emotional vacuum contributes to the development of serious emotional exhaustion. When a person cannot trust anyone in this life, he loses everything: he has virtually no reason to live, the most necessary meaning is lost. Human nature is designed in such a way that you need to constantly have certain ideals in your head for a comfortable existence. The formed worldview leads us forward to new achievements. In the absence of visible prospects, a person immediately begins to destroy himself and degrade.
Secrecy breeds a tendency to deceive. A deviant cannot tell the truth because he lives by different laws than the society around him. Over time, deception becomes the norm and ceases to be noticed at all.
Thus, deviant behavior is a serious problem that exists in modern society. This phenomenon definitely needs to be corrected as soon as possible, but correcting it seems to be very difficult, almost impossible.
Deviant behavior refers to human actions that do not comply with moral or legal norms or standards established in society.
Social control over society is carried out through the introduction of various social norms, whose activities are aimed at preserving the system of society and its integrity. All norms aimed at changing already established norms are deviant behavior.
Deviation can be divided into two groups: socially approved and socially condemned. The first group will include well-known child prodigies and geniuses, students of secondary educational institutions who graduated with a gold medal. Socially approved deviations are most often associated with creativity, with enormous success in any area of public life that benefits society.
The second group includes behavior that is precisely aimed at eliminating established social norms (defiant behavior, smoking in a public place). This also includes types of deviant behavior such as eccentricity, eccentricity, alcoholism, and drug addiction.
A special form of deviant behavior is the commission of a crime. Sociologists call it delinquent behavior - an act that always carries negative character, under any conditions of its commission. The crime is aimed either at suppressing human rights and freedoms (hostage-taking, blackmail, threats) or at seizing property and property (robbery). Crime always harms the individual, society and the state.
Delinquent behavior includes offenses for which the punishment is administrative liability. And also hooliganism and fights, swearing and swearing in public places: that is, illegal acts that are not a crime.
Deviant behavior is a matter of choice: many people, trying to succeed and achieve all their goals, resort to prohibited methods that harm society. They act deliberately when committing offenses or crimes. Deviation can also be expressed in the form of protest against the values accepted in society. Such disobedience can lead to terrorist attacks, armed insurrections and religious extremism.
Most often, deviation is a consequence of an individual’s reluctance to accept social norms and standards.
Deviant behavior can be considered relative: it can only be correlated with the norms and values of a certain cultural group, and not with the entire society as a whole. Exists good example, illustrating this statement: smoking. In a group of people who do not use cigarettes or smoke, the behavior of a smoking person is considered deviant. For others it is completely normal. The same thing happens with a group of people who smoke, among whom there is one non-smoker.
Each social group independently identifies signs of deviant behavior that takes place among their cultural and moral values.
Forms of deviant behavior
All deviant behavior can be divided into four main types: innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion.
Innovation. This form of behavior occurs when individuals who agree with social values deny legal and socially permitted methods for their implementation. This type of deviation includes great scientists and inventors, blackmailers.
Ritualism. Individuals deny the values of society, but exaggeratedly demand methods and methods for their implementation. A person carefully monitors the strict fulfillment of requirements, however, the primary goal no longer makes sense.
Retreatism. The individual denies social values and standards, and he tries to avoid methods of their implementation. This is how drug addicts and alcoholics appear - people trying to escape from reality.
Riot. The individual not only denies the values of society, but also tries to introduce new values in their place. This includes revolutionaries.
Causes of deviant behavior
There are many such reasons that can be found. And very often they are not only social, but also psychological in nature. Often, deviations in the form of addiction to alcoholic beverages and drugs are inherited - from parents to children.
The social causes of deviation are the inconsistency between accepted social values and real relations in society; discrepancy between the goals and means put forward by society. Also, deviant behavior can be caused by significant differences between different social groups.
Marginalization can also be cited as a cause of deviant behavior. The marginalized are non-class individuals; people who came from one class, but never joined another social group. With marginalization, there is a gap between economic, social and spiritual ties. Most often, people who are disillusioned with the ways of realizing the social needs of society become marginalized.
Particularly popular in the modern world are such forms of deviant behavior as begging and vagrancy, refusal of community service and work, and search for work that does not require effort. Such deviations are dangerous: often people, looking for easier ways, take the path of drug addiction and begin to distribute narcotic substances, rob banks and other institutions, apartments.
The basis of deviant behavior is human consciousness: people are aware of the full risk of their own actions, but still commit offenses deviating from the norm. They calculate their own actions, check and weigh every decision they make. They do not believe in chance or that they will be lucky thanks to fate - they rely only on themselves and their own strengths.
Addiction is the desire of an individual to avoid internal conflict and discomfort that appears along with internal struggle by any means. That is why, due to deviation, many people experience personal self-realization, their self-affirmation at the expense of others. They cannot realize their goals and dreams in legal ways: they do not see such solutions, which are much more complex than deviant ones.
When deviant behavior ceases to be something that does not correspond to the stable views of people, a revision and revaluation of social values occurs. Otherwise, deviant behavior risks becoming the generally accepted norm of behavior.
One of the most important reasons for the appearance of deviant behavior in society is social inequality between social groups. All people have the same needs (for food and clothing, for housing and security, for self-realization), however, each segment of the population has different opportunities for their implementation.
In modern Russian Federation there is a huge gap between rich and poor. This is precisely what served as one of the consequences of the revolutionary activities of the Bolshevik Party at the beginning of the twentieth century. Their methods are also considered deviant, and they were aimed at equalizing the property of all citizens in the state: they confiscated property from wealthy citizens; in the thirties of the last century, an active policy of dispossession was pursued - confiscation of surplus property from kulaks - wealthy peasants. The methods used to implement this policy were extremely cruel and violent. It was in the twentieth century that the concept of “totalitarianism” was born.
Deviant behavior also occurs due to natural disasters. When a person’s psyche is disturbed, it is easier for him to accept deviant norms and follow them.
A person’s personality begins to form from childhood; from birth he is surrounded by moral and value standards of behavior. Most often, deviations begin to appear in school age, because this is where the child is most exposed to other people.
Teachers and professionals are able to notice emerging deviations in a child and declare the need for prevention.
At the very beginning of the development of deviation, the child himself, and not his environment, is most susceptible to it. The child must be able to occupy himself with something interesting and be given the opportunity to develop correctly (read educational books and watch films).
Deviant behavior in adolescents and ways to resolve it
Most often, deviations manifest themselves in adolescence. Various youth subcultures are formed on the basis of deviant behavior: their main feature is rejection of adult values and ways of deviating from them.
It is at this age that it is possible to stop and change the wrong behavior of a teenager.
Upbringing. The emphasis is on those positive qualities, which were characteristic of the individual before the “beginning” of deviant behavior. The best way- turn to old memories, stories about a happy past.
Stimulation. A person will never take the path of correction if this does not become his real goal. The teenager should be interested in change, only then will there be a decisive shift in the process.
Compensation. If a person wants to overcome himself and get rid of his own shortcomings, he should try to achieve success in areas for which he has a special predisposition and success.
Correction. Negative qualities people are destroyed, while the positive ones come to the fore. Only then will a person be able to create for himself a system of correct values and attitudes.
Psychology of deviant behavior
Conventionally, it can be divided into two groups: deviation from the norms of mental health (eccentricity, eccentricity) and deviation from the norms of morality (drunkenness, drug addiction, delinquency).
Basically, individuals with severe mental disorders and diseases have a tendency to deviate. It is because of mental problems that people commit illegal and immoral offenses. They harm not only themselves, but also the people around them.
Mental instability can manifest itself in people to whom society places high demands. A person begins to greatly experience his own failures, and these failures are postponed and affect his psyche. A person begins to feel inferior, disadvantaged, and somehow different from other people.
Adolescence leaves a big imprint on the mental health of individuals. It happens to every person, but everyone experiences it differently. A person’s thinking and perception of the world changes under the influence of loved ones and the influence of external factors.
Disorders of a personal nature also have an effect: a person does not know how to independently get out of a difficult situation for him, cannot fully realize his “I”.
Prevention of deviant behavior and the problem of its implementation
The more likely a person is to commit crimes, the more signs of deviant behavior he has. Prevention of deviant behavior is aimed at helping children, adolescents and adults realize themselves as individuals without committing offenses that harm society.
The most common methods of prevention, that is, the fight against deviation, are conducting all kinds of trainings for teenagers and older people, lectures on relevant topics and educational programs. These methods are aimed, first of all, at eliminating the causes of the emergence in a person of prerequisites for deviant behavior: prevention affects psychological dependencies and disorders of a person, identifying his own views and opinions regarding personal fulfillment and self-determination.
In order to prevent or at least reduce the manifestation of deviant behavior among the population, a special policy should be pursued: to provide material resources for disabled citizens (school and university students, pensioners, disabled people of all degrees); organize a leisure program for teenagers aimed at correct formation their personality and self-realization; actively introduce into public life the promotion of a healthy lifestyle (healthy lifestyle) and lectures on the dangers of alcoholism and drug addiction.
But only prevention, carried out for all segments of society and actively influencing them, can bring proper results and reduce the occurrence of deviant behavior.
Types and examples of deviant behavior
Behavior that causes harm specifically to a person’s personality, his mental and physical health. This type of deviation is especially popular among teenagers and can be expressed in the form of masochism and suicide.
Behavior that causes harm to a social group. The most popular type of this form of deviant behavior is the well-known alcohol and drug addiction.
Behavior that is harmful to society as a whole. Most dangerous look deviation, which includes crimes (delinquent behavior), hooliganism, robbery, murder, and the use of violence.
Was last modified: January 14th, 2016 by Elena Pogodaeva
- a set of actions and deeds that deviate from the rules, accepted by society. It manifests itself as aggressiveness, sadism, theft, deceit, vagrancy, anxiety, depression, purposeful isolation, suicide attempts, hypersociality, victimization, phobias, eating disorders, addictions, obsessions. Types of deviations are considered as separate mental disorders and as symptoms of a certain syndrome or disease. Diagnosis is performed by clinical and psychological methods. Treatment includes the use of medications, psychocorrection, psychotherapy, and social rehabilitation measures.
General information
"Deviation" means "deviation". Deviant behavior is called deviant behavior, social deviation. Prevalence among adolescents is 40-64%. The high statistical data figures are explained by the characteristics characteristic of this age period: social, physiological and psychological immaturity. Boys and girls aged 14-18 who are brought up in unfavorable social conditions and have a hereditary history of mental disorders, substance abuse, drug addiction, and alcoholism are most susceptible to behavioral deviations.
Causes of deviant behavior in adolescents
The causes of deviations in adolescents can be combined into two large groups. The first is the features of the social environment:
The second group of reasons leading to the formation of deviant behavior in adolescents are medical and biological factors. The physiological basis of deviations are:
- Burdened heredity. The development of deviations is facilitated by reduced protective mechanisms and limited adaptive functions of the individual. These features are observed when inheriting mental deficiency, abnormal character traits, a tendency to alcoholism, and drug addiction.
- Pathologies of the central nervous system. Biological inferiority of nerve cells in the brain develops with severe illnesses in the first years of life, traumatic brain injuries. It manifests itself as emotional instability and decreased adaptive capabilities.
- Features of the pubertal period. Hormonal changes in the body, active maturation of parts of the cerebral cortex, and the formation of higher mental functions can be manifested by a sharpening of character traits and antisocial behavior.
Pathogenesis
The pathogenesis of deviant behavior in adolescents is complex. The development of deviations is based on a state of disorientation in the system of social values and norms. The period of age crisis is characterized by an acute need for self-determination and self-expression. The lack of a favorable social environment, a stable value system, and support from significant others (peers, adults) leads to the formation of pathological behavioral patterns. Often they are based on the desire to attract attention, to prove their importance, autonomy, independence, strength. Actions are often illegal and antimoral.
Classification
There are several classification options for adolescent deviant behavior. Within the framework of the medical approach, the typology proposed by V.D. Mendelevich, a Russian psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and pathopsychologist, is widespread. It is based on ways of interacting with reality, the nature of violation of social norms:
- Delinquent type. Includes actions and deeds that are interpreted as criminal: theft, robbery, violence.
- Addictive type. A desire is formed to escape reality and maintain intense emotions. Adolescents artificially achieve changes in their mental state: they use chemicals (alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse), and fix their attention on certain stimuli and actions (trance, masturbation).
- Pathocharacterological type. Behavior is determined by pathological character traits formed in the process of upbringing. This group includes character accentuations, psychopathy (hysterical, schizoid, epileptoid, etc.).
- Psychopathological type. Behavioral reactions of a teenager are a manifestation of psychopathological syndromes and symptoms of mental illness. Example: apathy is a symptom of depression, hypomania is a manifestation of bipolar disorder.
- Hyperpowers. Giftedness, talent, genius are manifested by actions that deviate from the normal.
Symptoms of deviant behavior in adolescents
Adolescent deviations do not have clearly defined stages. Development goes from isolated deviant actions to regular, repeating actions, organized activities, and way of life. Progress can take weeks, months, years.
The main clinical manifestation of deviant behavior in adolescents is the difficulty of social adaptation: frequent conflicts with teachers, classmates, changing friends, adherence to “bad company.” Social maladaptation is manifested by leaving home, refusing to go to school, skipping classes, and being addicted to the Internet and computer games. Educational activities it is difficult, there is no interest in classes, academic performance is low. Characterized by absent-mindedness, low concentration, and lack of volitional abilities. Hobbies often change, things remain unfinished.
In the emotional and personal sphere, infantilism is clearly expressed - a low level of responsibility, control over one’s behavior, and organization of the economic and everyday sphere of life. This is manifested by sloppiness, tardiness, and inability to draw up a work plan and act according to it. Emotional instability and frequent mood swings predominate. Depending on the type of deviation, there are phobias, depression, outbursts of aggressiveness, hysterics, stubbornness, and impulsive destructive actions. Self-esteem is often inadequate, compensated by restrictive behavior (withdrawal), cruelty, and feigned indifference.
At the physiological level, deviant behavior is accompanied by sleep disturbances, appetite disturbances, daytime sleepiness, decreased immune system function, dysmenorrhea, and psychosomatic reactions. Teenagers are underweight or overweight, susceptible to infectious diseases, functional disorders (headaches, fever, changes in blood pressure, digestive disorders).
It is worth noting that unusual abilities are also signs of deviation, but are rarely considered as pathological symptoms. Gifted, brilliant teenagers do not cause concern from society and do not need medical help. Special development conditions are organized by educational institutions.
Complications
In the absence of medical, psychotherapeutic and pedagogical assistance, deviant reactions of adolescents become a way of life. The most unfavorable options are organized crime, alcoholism, and prostitution. Adolescents and young people from these groups are most susceptible to violent death, incidence of socially significant infections (tuberculosis, HIV, STDs), and death. A complication of deviations is suicide. Spontaneous death is the result of emotional instability, impulsiveness, and lack of professional help.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis of deviant behavior in adolescents is carried out by a psychiatrist and a medical psychologist. The diagnosis process is based on a number of clinical and psychological methods:
- Observation, conversation. The psychiatrist interviews the patient: finds out living conditions, characteristics of family relationships, habits, hobbies. Evaluates general condition, features of the emotional sphere, behavioral responses.
- Interview with parents and relatives. The psychiatrist listens to the complaints of people who are in close contact with the patient. The opinion of other people is important, since criticism of one’s own condition is often reduced in deviant adolescents.
- Psychological testing. A clinical psychologist asks a teenager to answer questions on tests and personality questionnaires. The Minnesota Multifactor Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Pathocharacterological Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ), the Eysenck Questionnaire, and the Anxiety Scale are often used. The result allows us to determine the dominant personality traits and character traits.
- Projective techniques. Used clinical psychologist to identify repressed emotions - aggression, fear, anxiety. Represented by drawing tests, Szondi test, Rosenzweig test.
Data from special diagnostic methods are supplemented by documentation from other specialists interacting with the adolescent. When making a diagnosis, the psychiatrist takes into account the characteristics of school teachers, the local police commissioner, extracts from the outpatient card of a pediatrician, pediatric neurologist and doctors of other specialties.
Treatment of deviant behavior in adolescents
Treatment of social deviations requires an integrated approach, including pharmacological, psychocorrectional, and psychotherapeutic assistance. The adolescent psychiatrist creates a treatment plan that includes:
- Psychotherapy. The sessions are aimed at making the teenager aware of character traits and teaching behavioral methods of self-regulation. Conflict situations are analyzed, possible options actions, reactions. Psychotherapeutic meetings are recommended for parents to restore full-fledged relationships.
- Psychocorrection. The purpose of the classes is to stabilize emotional state, develop the functions of attention and thinking. The result increases the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic work, self-confidence, and awakens interest in learning (a prerequisite for social rehabilitation).
- Pharmacotherapy. Application medications is an additional treatment method indicated for patients with a biological predisposition to deviations: those with psychotic disorders, neurological pathologies. There are no specific medications for the treatment of antisocial behavior. Use of lithium, antipsychotics medicines, anticonvulsants reduces the severity of aggression. Isolated use of pharmacotherapy is ineffective.
In parallel with medical psychological help social and pedagogical rehabilitation is carried out. Events are organized on the basis of educational institutions social educators, subject teachers, school psychologists. A promising way to treat deviant forms of behavior is group psychotherapy. Meetings involve modeling common problem situations. During role-playing games, adolescents learn methods of conflict resolution, observe their own reactions and their results, and learn to build productive relationships with peers.
Prognosis and prevention
In most cases, when complex treatment deviant behavior of adolescents has a favorable prognosis - young people have flexible adaptive mechanisms, rehabilitation and psychotherapeutic measures give positive results. Greater efforts are required in cases where deviation develops against the background of a neurological and/or psychotic disease. Prevention is based on early detection of pathological family relationships and learning problems.
In any society there are people who violate the norms of society, go against the rules and moral principles. In this article we will understand what deviant behavior means and what are the reasons for its occurrence.
Deviant behavior- This is human behavior that deviates from generally accepted norms of society. This behavior differs from the generally accepted one in its motives, values, ideals and means of achieving one’s own goals.
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For example, such people may not say hello when meeting, have an “interesting” appearance, to misbehave, to take innovative or revolutionary actions. Young people, saints and geniuses, revolutionaries and mentally ill individuals are most susceptible to this behavior. The behavior of such people, to one degree or another, disrupts the stability of social relationships in the family, on the street, in the team and in society as a whole.
You need to understand that deviant behavior may be the norm for one society or social group, but a deviation for another. It can also be positive and negative.
T. Parsons identifies two types of deviant behavior depending on a person’s attitude towards other people:
- The first type of personality seeks to dominate and subjugate people. This is a manifestation of deviant motivation, which is often observed in criminal gangs.
- The second type of personality submits to other people, makes concessions or adapts to stronger and stronger people. active individuals. So, for example, a whole deviant society was formed under the leadership of Stalin.
There is a broader classification of such behavior developed by Merton. The typology is based on a person’s attitude to standards, their values, and needs. He identified the following types of deviant behavior:
- Total conformism (normality) of behavior. This is a person who accepts the norms of society, gets an education, has a job, moves forward, thereby realizing both his own and social needs.
- Innovators- people who agree with the goals of their activities, which are approved by society, but at the same time do not follow generally accepted means of achieving goals. They come up with new and innovative means of achieving goals. For example, these are people who engaged in the privatization of state property, the construction of financial “pyramids”, and “racketeering”. This is exactly the type of deviant behavior that often has a positive connotation. These are the engines of progress.
- Ritualists– these are people who take the norms and principles of society to the point of absurdity. They demand compliance with all written rules and often go on strike.
- Retreatism means escape from reality. These are people who reject goals and ways to achieve them. This includes homeless people. Alcoholics, drug addicts, monks.
- Revolutionaries– people who reject outdated goals and replace them with new ones.
As can be seen from the above, deviant behavior also has positive manifestations. Thanks to revolutionaries and innovators, society abandons outdated values and goals and moves forward.
Psychological causes of deviant behavior
In psychology, this behavior is explained different types orientations: selfish (offenses for material gain), aggressive (insults, hooliganism, violence, murder), social-passive (reluctance to work and study, evasion of responsibilities and duty, which consequently leads to drunkenness, drug addiction, vagrancy, suicide).
Deviant behavior is divided into two groups from a psychological point of view:
- Behavior that deviates from mental health norms. This group consists of mentally ill people with obvious or hidden signs psychopathology.
- Behavior manifested in social pathology - drunkenness, prostitution, drug addiction. Which entails various crimes and misdemeanors.
Any mental disorder has its causes. These overwhelming demands in school or work lead to strong feelings. An inferiority complex is formed, which must be extinguished through alcohol or drugs. Sexual dissatisfaction also plays an important role, which leads to sexual preoccupation and frustration. Especially in adolescence. The difficulties of adolescence often take their toll. During this period, an idea of oneself, one’s qualities, abilities, and appearance is formed.
- Social inequality. Most people live in poverty and experience financial difficulties. Therefore, problems arise in the self-realization of the younger generation, who strive for success, high earnings and public recognition. Having no money for training or time. Young people are looking for illegal ways to earn money, which leads to deviant behavior.
- Low morality, spirituality of society. Focusing only on material things leads a person to the idea that everything can be sold or bought. So why not sell yourself at a higher price? This leads not only to prostitution, but also to a person’s focus on a constant race for status things in order to attract a “buyer”.
- Environment, which is indifferent to deviant behavior, leads to the fact that there are more and more such people. They organize themselves into their own social groups where such behavior becomes the norm.
The whole complexity of the situation lies in the fact that often a person cannot satisfy his needs either in legal or illegal activities. This leads to self-destruction of the individual, since she does not have the opportunity for decent professional growth or self-expression.
The main causes and factors of deviant behavior are unfavorable conditions life, lack of education. As well as problems with mastering knowledge, failures in studies, lack of opportunity for self-realization. Inability to build relationships, constant conflicts and psychological deviations lead to a crisis of spirit and loss of the meaning of existence.
All the most basic things are laid in adolescence
The main causes of deviant behavior begin in adolescence. Since it is during this period that not only self-awareness and adaptation to adult life occurs, but also individualization. It manifests itself in the form of self-affirmation and the desire to stand out from others. As M.Yu. Kondratyev writes: “No matter what you do to stand out, just to stand out, to be imprinted in another world.” Often this desire leads to heroism or crime. Since a teenager is looking for the limits of what is permissible and trying to attract attention.
The behavior of a teenager is characterized by a search for adventure, novelty, a test of his character, courage and fortitude. At the same time, a person often does rash actions, which are perceived by adults as deviant behavior.
The cause of deviant behavior is also the characteristics of relationships. For example, being an outcast in class, being rejected by a teacher, being labeled a deviant. Being unrecognized at school, the teenager begins to look for other communities where he can compensate for his failures. At the same time, he often ends up in bad company.
To prevent deviant behavior and eliminate its causes, you need to help a person find a group where he will be understood and have common interests. Alternatively, send it to the music department, sports school or a sports tourism club. It all depends on the passion and interests of the individual.
If a teenager finds himself in a street environment, a group of punks, rockers or extreme sports fans, then he develops negative interests and a desire for adult forms of behavior. This entails early sexual experience, drug and alcohol use.
The main reason for such phenomena is parental negligence, insufficient attention to the child, and neglect. Therefore, at the first signs of deviant behavior, teachers should communicate with parents and determine the family situation.
Currently, the reason for deviant behavior is that teenagers are strongly worried about social stratification, the inability to live in abundance and get a good education. On this basis, a psychological shift occurs, which ends in reproaches, scandals, nervous disorders, offenses and running away from home.
Deviant behavior in pre-adolescence
As for younger teenagers, these are ages 9-13, they are in a world of self-absorption. As D. Elkind writes: “the life of these children is internally extremely tense: they feel like objects of constant, close attention and evaluation; they live, as it were, on a stage, acting in front of an imaginary audience, whose possible reactions they are constantly trying to predict.”
They are emotionally unbalanced, conflict-ridden and aggressive. Self-esteem is unstable, so they are characterized by such traits as shyness and maximalism, and a tendency to take risks.
The factor of deviant behavior in adolescents has become a pressing problem in recent years. This is due to early physical development and puberty, as well as illiteracy in education methods of both parents and teachers. As a result, children are increasingly experiencing stress and psychological trauma at an earlier age.
Modern life places more and more pressure on individuals high demands, to which the teenager has not yet had time to grow morally and psychologically. This includes a sense of duty, responsibility, self-restraint, moral and ethical guidelines.
As a result, psychological and social factors deviant behavior are very intertwined and connected with each other:
- Hereditary factors: alcoholism, predisposition to nervous and mental diseases, pathological pregnancy and childbirth;
- Social factors: relationships in the family, school, with peers and friends. Also the values of the individual, his status, goals.
- Personality character and temperament, motivation, self-esteem and level of aspirations.
- Human legal consciousness.
Thus, deviant behavior is determined by both social, biological and psychological factors that must be taken into account when educating young people.
Experts believe that deviant behavior cannot be eradicated from society, but at the same time they note that it arises in society against the backdrop of a crisis, when people are not satisfied with the quality of life and are not in demand. According to sociologists, about 85% of the population are demoralized, discouraged and confused. As a result, they become indifferent to the means of achieving goals, corruption, and extremism.
