Q; What is deviance? Who is John Curra and why is he bringing up the topic on The Relativity of Deviance? Is deviance really abnormal behavior or a mental sickness? Or is that based on what society thinks? How can deviance vary by time period? .
A: In my opinion deviant behavior has nothing to do with having a mental sickness or having abnormal behavior at all, I think the population just thinks what our society thinks and agree to what other people say, maybe it's because of the fear of getting judged and looked down upon by our society. In sociology, deviance is described as an action or behavior that violates social norms, including a formally enacted rule; an example would be crime, as well as informal violations of social norms. In my opinion, I feel that the word deviance is just based on what society thinks is abnormal to them, just because it doesn't happen in their family or they don't see much of it, it doesn't make that person abnormal. But to this point, we have defined deviance as the violation of social norms, but it is important to remember that social norms are defined by one's group, culture, or society.
John Curra is a professor at Eastern Kentucky University, where he has taught subsequent to 1975. He got both his lone wolf's and graduate degree from San Diego State College (now San Diego State University) in sociology and his doctorate from Purdue University, additionally in sociology. He has taught courses in introductory sociology, social deviance, criminology, sociological analysis, social issues, social psychology, juvenile delinquency, and criminological theory. In 1981, he got the prestigious Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. In 2005–2007, he was picked as a Foundation Professor, one of the most astounding respects an educator can get at Eastern Kentucky University. In 2012, Curra moved to the Department of Criminal Justice in the School of Justice Studies.