Summary

This engaging introduction explores the meaning of social deviancein contemporary society, from criminal activity to alternativelifestyle choices. Stuart Henry traces the path by which we createdeviance: how we single out behavior and appearances that differfrom the 'norm', label them as offensive orunacceptable, and condemn them. It explains what kinds of behaviorsare banned and who bans them, as well as exposing the importantpolitical influences on the social codes that lead to somepeople's behavior being sanctioned and others' beingcelebrated. Ultimately Social Deviance reveals theunderlying process by which some people get sucked into deviantlifestyles from which there appears to be no escape, highlightingthe central role of social stigma on a person's identity.

At its core this book looks at who becomes deviant and why. Itdelves into the multiple motives that cause rule breakers to behavebadly, at least in the eyes of those they offend, and it revealsthe way deviants think about their actions, their moral identityand their fellow moral outcasts.