Deviance is a behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction in a group. The definition of deviance varies widely depending on cultures, times and situations. Some of the different deviances that our culture encounters are: body modifications, overweight, etc. I personally have experienced being treated like devein because from high school until now in collage I have had a mohawk from time to time. It's nothing extreme when it comes to the world of deviance, but it's still an experience that has changed my view on how people are judged. When sociologists use the word "deviant", they make a social judgment but never a moral one. judgment. If a particular behavior is considered deviant, it means that it goes against the normal values ​​of a particular group, but it may not necessarily be intrinsically bad. In short it means that someone is different from the culture they live in or are around. A considerable amount of academic articles on deviance focus on crimes and how different cultures describe very different acts as criminal or how crimes are punished. For example, in our culture women can go out alone, but in the Middle East they must be accompanied by a man and can be punished. Some of the different theories on deviance are as follows. Functionalists argue that deviance serves a social function by illuminating moral boundaries and encouraging social cohesion. While conflict theorists believe that a society's inequalities are reproduced in its definitions of deviance, such that less powerful groups are more likely to be considered deviant and criminalized. In Merton's structural tension theory it is argued that the tension or tension between socially acceptable... at the center of the paper... leads to these patterns of criminal behavior. There is an ongoing debate about the role of punishment in the criminal process. judicial system, a set of social institutions that create and enforce laws. Deterrence is a method of punishment that depends on the threat of a severe penalty to discourage individuals from committing crimes. Punishment is a method of punishing that emphasizes vengeance or vengeance for the crime as an appropriate goal. Incapacitation is a method of punishment that aims to defend society from criminals by imprisoning or executing them. Finally, rehabilitation is a punitive approach that seeks to reform criminals as part of their sentence. Positive deviance refers to deviant actions that are well thought out within a given situation, but which are later reinterpreted as appropriate. And this can lead to a change in a culture's social norms for the better.