Unified State Exam
Social norms and deviant behavior. Types of deviant behavior. Presentation on the topic “social norms and deviant behavior” Social behavior social norm and social deviance

Social norms and deviant behavior. Types of deviant behavior. Presentation on the topic “social norms and deviant behavior” Social behavior social norm and social deviance

Norms are developed by society and the social groups that are part of it. There are many norms. 1) Traditions and customs - Supported by the power of public authority - Become part of people’s lives - Habitual patterns of behavior are reinforced (everyday holidays, weddings and other rituals)

5) Political 6) Religious norms - Regulate political activity, relations between the individual and the government - Are reflected in laws, international treaties, etc. -Coincide with the norms of law, reinforce traditions and customs - Compliance with the norms is supported by the moral consciousness of believers and the belief in the onset of punishment for sins.

Social norms are an element of the mechanism for regulating relations between an individual and society, which is called social control. Control is invisible until an established norm or custom is violated. The violator will face punishment - a sanction. Sanctions can be positive and negative (punishment by a court verdict, awarding an order) - formal or informal, i.e. manifest themselves in the emotionally charged reaction of the environment (friends, relatives) Self-control is the internal control of the individual, which is based on norms, customs, and role expectations learned by the individual.

Deviant behavior is “deviant” i.e. deviant - behavior that is inconsistent with the norms and does not correspond to what society expects from a person. Negative personality deviations - crime and other offenses, in state and public activities - corruption, bureaucracy, etc.

Crimes, alcoholism, drug addiction, religious fanaticism, terrorism bring incalculable damage to humanity. The main reasons for deviations in behavior: - Biological predisposition (temperament) - Psychological - understanding of the world around us and the general orientation of interests - Sociological - loss of social. norms during crises, social change

Crime is the most dangerous manifestation of deviant behavior, causing great damage to society. A crime is a socially dangerous act that encroaches on law and order, as provided for in the Criminal Code. The peculiarity of crime is the presence of a special contingent of people - criminals. The greatest danger is posed by organized crime - a special group of people organized on an ongoing basis to extract funds in an illegal way. Organized crime is especially dangerous for individuals, society, and the state.

In any community there are always social norms accepted in this society, by which it lives. Deviation from these norms or non-compliance with them is called social deviation or deviation.

Social norms are requirements, instructions and expectations of appropriate behavior. The emergence and functioning of social norms, their place in the socio-political organization of society are determined by the objective need to streamline societies and relationships.

The emergence of social norms is based, first of all, on the needs of material production. The repetition of acts of production, distribution and exchange requires the presence of such general rules that would allow participants in the relevant societies and relationships to regularly and uniformly enter into these interactions. Social norms, therefore, embody an abstract model of these interactions, enabling individuals to anticipate the actions of other participants in societies and relationships and build their own behavior accordingly.

Social norms, regulating people's behavior, regulate a wide variety of relationships. They form a certain hierarchy of norms, distributed according to the degree of their social significance. Firstly, they promote social integration. Secondly, they serve as unique stages of behavior, a kind of “instructions” for individuals and social groups performing separate roles. Thirdly, they help control deviant behavior. Fourthly, they ensure the stability of society. Based on the nature of regulation of social behavior, a distinction is made between norms - expectations and norms - rules. The first of them only outline the framework of socially approved behavior. Violating them causes disapproval from society or a social group, but does not entail any serious sanctions. The norms belonging to the second group are characterized by a greater degree of severity. They define the boundaries of acceptable behavior, as well as activities that are considered unacceptable and therefore prohibited. Violation of such norms entails the application of serious sanctions, for example, criminal or administrative. Based on areas of activity, norms can be divided into group norms, which operate on the scale of one or several groups, and universal norms, which operate on the scale of the entire society.

Norms form habits, customs, and traditions. In most modern societies, the most important and significant norms acquire legal status and are enshrined in laws.

Social norms are acquired by an individual in the process of socialization. Behavior that corresponds to certain norms in society is designated as conformist. In contrast to conformist behavior, there is deviant or deviant behavior.

The normative systems of society are not fixed, forever valuable. The norms themselves change, and attitudes towards them change. Deviation from the norm is as natural as following it. At all times, society has tried to suppress undesirable forms of human behavior. Sharp deviations from the average norm, both positive and negative, threatened the stability of society.

In most societies, control of deviant behavior is asymmetrical: deviations in the bad direction are condemned, and deviations in the good direction are approved. Depending on whether the deviation is positive or negative, all forms of deviation can be placed on a certain continuum. At one pole there will be a group of people showing the most disapproved behavior, at the other pole there will be a group with the most approved deviations.

Any behavior that causes disapproval of public opinion is called deviant. This is an extremely wide class of phenomena: from ticketless travel to the murder of a person. In a broad sense, a deviant is any person who has gone astray or deviated from the norm. Forms of deviant behavior include criminality, alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, gambling, and suicide.

In a narrow sense, deviant behavior also means deviations that do not entail criminal punishment and are not illegal.

A detailed sociological explanation of deviation was first given by the French scientist E. Durkheim. He proposed the theory of anomie, which reveals the significance of social and cultural factors. According to Durkheim, the main cause of deviation is “lack of regulation,” “normlessness.” Essentially, this is a state of disorganization of society, when values, norms, social connections are either absent or become unstable and contradictory. E. Durkheim considers deviation to be as natural as conformism. Moreover, deviation from norms carries not only a negative, but also a positive beginning. Deviation confirms the role of norms and values, and gives a more complete understanding of the diversity of norms. The reaction of society and social groups to deviant behavior clarifies the boundaries of social norms, strengthens and ensures social unity. Deviation promotes social change, reveals an alternative to the existing one, and leads to the improvement of social norms.

The American sociologist S. Merton, who substantiates this theory, believed that deviation occurs when there is a gap between the goals of society and at the same time the means to achieve them.

According to the outstanding modern sociologist T. Parsons, anomie is “a condition in which a significant number of individuals are in a position characterized by a serious lack of integration with stable institutions, which is essential for their own personal stability and the successful functioning of social systems.”

The basis of psychoanalytic theories of deviant behavior is the study of conflicts occurring in the mind of the individual. According to S. Freud's theory, for each person, under the layer of active consciousness there is an area of the unconscious. The unconscious is our mental energy, in which everything natural, primitive, and knowing no boundaries is concentrated. This is the biological essence of a person who has not experienced the influence of culture. The main idea of cultural theories of explanation of deviation (Seline, Miller, Sutherland, Claward) is conflicts between the norms of the subculture and the dominant culture. The theory of labeling (Becker) proceeds from the fact that deviance is a kind of label that some groups with power “attach” to the behavior of weaker groups.

Basically, all theories call deviant behavior that deviates from the norm with a minus sign. But in any society there are always people whose behavior is ahead of existing standards and is more progressive in comparison with them. This type of behavior is most characteristic of society during times of various social restructuring.

The above theories identify different reasons that cause social deviations. There can be many of these reasons; they change with the development of society.

But the constant and main source of deviation, which makes this phenomenon objective and always characteristic of human society, is social inequality as unequal opportunities to satisfy needs.

Other sources and causes of social deviations include the following.

When in the process of socialization by an individual of patterns of behavior, social norms and values, failures, failures, and shortcomings are allowed.
Dysfunctional families. Numerous studies of youth crime have shown that about 85% of young people with deviant behavior were brought up in dysfunctional families. American researchers in the field of social psychology have identified five main factors that determine family life as dysfunctional: ultra-severe paternal discipline; insufficient maternal supervision; insufficient paternal affection; insufficient maternal affection; lack of cohesion in the family.
Numerous cases of deviant behavior in completely prosperous families. Norms adopted from childhood can be revised or discarded during interaction with the surrounding reality, in particular with the social environment.
Anomia (state of lack of norms). This happens in a constantly changing society, where there is no single and unchanging system of norms. In such a situation, it can be difficult for an individual to choose a line of normative behavior, which subsequently gives rise to the individual’s deviant behavior.

Thus, deviant behavior plays a dual role in society: on the one hand, it poses a threat to the stability of society, on the other, it supports this stability.

Social sanctions are used to monitor compliance with norms and values, as well as to prevent deviant behavior. Social control is understood as the normative regulation of people’s behavior and their relationships, ensuring self-regulation of the social system. Social control stimulates positive changes in society. The problem of the relationship between the individual and society occupies a central place in establishing social control. Theoretically, the relationship of society to the individual under conditions of social control looks quite simple: adjusting individual qualities to a social standard. In reality, relationships are complicated by the presence of individual consciousness in the individual, and, consequently, the ability to consciously evaluate, accept, reject or change stereotypes, norms and values that are offered to the individual at the level of social consciousness. Social control is carried out through the reaction of society, the social community to the individual behavior of the individual. There are many different sanctions in society. Some of them (legal sanctions) are strictly regulated, formalized and applied by authorized persons and power structures in accordance with the rules of law. Other sanctions (moral) are informal and are applied in the form of approval or condemnation. But full-fledged social control is a set of means and methods of influencing society on undesirable forms of behavior. Therefore, social control can be effective when its various mechanisms are used, taking into account the characteristics of the deviations themselves.

The approach and consideration of deviance, social control and the political regime in Russia requires special attention.

Russia has never been a democratic state, nor has it ever been a rule of law state. (Declaring it as such in Article 1 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation is, at best, an advance with unclear prospects). In Russia, “neither the authorities nor the people have ever had respect for the law.” Extremely brief attempts at democratization in the context of history (the 60s of the 19th century, from February to October 1917, Gorbachev’s perestroika) ended with a return to the circles of absolutism, totalitarianism, and authoritarianism. The population of Russia has never lived in conditions of political freedom and respect for the rights of an independent individual. Moreover, as the famous “dissident” and human rights activist V. Bukovsky recently said: “we don’t even know whether the people want to live in conditions of freedom and democracy.” I’m afraid that “The Russia that we lost” was no better (not more democratic, not freer, not more civilized) than the one we created and have...”

Russia at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century is characterized by a relatively stable number and level (per 100,000 population) of registered crimes. Thus, the crime rate averaged 177 in 1874-1883, 149 in 1884-1893. “Echo” of the 1905 revolution, defeat in the war with Japan, the revolutionary situation of the beginning of the twentieth century. was reflected in the level of registered crimes: (1899-1905 - 229, 1906-1913 - over 270 annually).

More tragic is the practice of the totalitarian Soviet regime. From 1918 to 1953 More than 3 million 700 thousand people were convicted of “counter-revolutionary crimes”, of which at least 820 thousand were sentenced to capital punishment - execution. Only for the terrible years 1937-1938. 1 million 350 thousand people were sentenced for this, of which 682 thousand were sentenced to death.

The end of the Stalin era did not mean the end of the totalitarian regime. All the features of totalitarianism were inherent in Soviet power from October 1917 until Gorbachev's perestroika.

Khrushchev’s “thaw” weakened the oppression of totalitarianism, Stalin’s personality cult was exposed, and the idea of prevention was revived in the field of criminal policy. N. Khrushchev spoke in favor of the crime prevention criterion at the 20th Congress of the CPSU (1956), and then repeated this at the 21st Congress (1959). “It is necessary to take measures that would prevent, and then completely eliminate, the occurrence of any actions by individuals that are harmful to society. The main thing is prevention and educational work.” At the XXI Congress (1961), a new Program of the CPSU was adopted, according to which the main attention in criminal policy “should be aimed at preventing crimes.” Khrushchev saw prevention as a panacea for deviant manifestations. Therefore, this period was characterized by the massive transfer of accused persons to bail, and convicts to “re-education to the labor collective.”

It must be said that the “breath of freedom” during the “thaw” had a positive effect on the social climate. The crime rate dropped to a minimum for all the years of Soviet power (1963 - 397.7, 1964 - 392.2, 1965 - 388.7 per 100,000 thousand). Another important social indicator - the suicide rate also turned out to be relatively low: 17.1 in 1965, while already in 1970 - 23.1 and then a constant increase until Gorbachev's perestroika (in 1984 - 29.7 in the USSR and 38. 7 in the RSFSR with a subsequent decrease during the years of perestroika). The death rate (per 1,000 people) fell below 10 for the first time since 1955 and continued to decline until 1964.

The period from L. Brezhnev to M. Gorbachev is characterized by the ongoing collapse of the socialist economy, the agony of the regime, accompanied by an unprecedented increase in the number of anti-Soviet jokes. It was necessary to urgently introduce into the criminal code (Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR dated September 16, 1966, followed by an addition dated December 3, 1982) the “anecdotal” article 190-I: “Dissemination of deliberately false fabrications discrediting the Soviet state and social system.” (Punished up to 3 years in prison).

Gorbachev’s “perestroika” was objectively one of the most radical attempts to save the dying system. He managed what seemed impossible to eliminate the dominance of one party, establish freedom of speech and press, ensure the holding of free elections, establish private property and free enterprise, destroy the Iron Curtain, and ensure freedom of movement, including abroad. Punitive practices have softened somewhat. If in 1985 45.2% of convicts were sentenced to imprisonment, then in 1986 - 37.7%, in 1987 - 33.7%, in 1988 - 34.1% with a subsequent increase. It is very significant that even short-term attempts to liberalize a totalitarian regime lead to favorable social consequences. This is hardly an accident, because the dynamics of some deviations in other countries of the former “socialist camp” express the same trends.

The “perestroika” of the political regime in the direction of liberalization ended after Russia switched to radical, abrupt changes. Today, sociologists speak with alarm about the criminalization of Russian society. The social reasons influencing this process include: crisis and collapse of values and social norms; anomie; marginalization of society; widespread occurrence of delinquent subcultures; weakening of institutions of social control; growth of corruption in the state apparatus of power. Recently, the government has declared its commitment to liberal democratic values. But at the same time, the political regime continues to tighten. It is accompanied, unfortunately, by a retreat from the liberalization of economic, social and especially political relations (the construction of a “vertical of power”, the actual appointment of elected officials, political and economic pressure on opposition media, etc.).

In a reformed society, where some norms have been destroyed and others have not been created, the problem of forming, interpreting and applying norms becomes an extremely difficult matter. Having destroyed the norms formed in Soviet times, we are feverishly trying to create norms for the current stage of our development, turning our gaze either to the West or to the pre-revolutionary past.

The deviance of society and deviant behavior were, are and will be as long as society exists.

Social control, as a mechanism of self-organization of society, was, is and will be as long as society exists.

Social control or any other mechanism of self-preservation of society will never be able to “liquidate”, “overcome”, “overcome” deviance in general and any of its manifestations.

The modern world provides humanity with unprecedented opportunities, but also poses incredibly complex problems.

On the one hand: the globalization of economics, politics, culture, modern means of communication, the global information network, the experience of integration, the achievements of science, technology, and medicine could serve as the basis for the peaceful creative life of millions of people. On the other hand, political and religious extremism, international terrorism, inter-ethnic bloody conflicts, the ambitions of dictators and the powerlessness of peoples, the growing gap between the countries of the “golden billion” and the rest of the world.

Undoubtedly, most societies are able to assimilate a considerable number of deviations from the norm without serious consequences for themselves, but persistent and widespread deviations can disrupt the organized life of society or even undermine it.

In this regard, it seems to us that the survival of both individual societies and humanity as a whole is possible provided:

liberalization and democratization of political regimes;
rejection of political extremism and forceful methods of resolving interstate and internal conflicts;
maximum tolerance towards dissent and other actions, towards minorities, other cultures and subcultures;
real embodiment in the foreign and domestic policies of states of the principles of personal inviolability and protection of its rights and freedoms, the absolute value of every life and non-violence.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Durkheim E. Method of Sociology. On the division of social labor. M., 1991.
Parsons T. “General theoretical problems of sociology” in the book “Sociology Today”, M., 1965.
Fromm Z. Anatomy of human destructiveness. "Social sciences and modernity." 1992 No. 3.
Yadov V.A. Sociological research: methodology, program, methods. M., 1997.

The work was presented at the scientific conference “Problems of international integration of national educational standards”, April 23-27, 2007, Paris-London. Received by the editor on March 19, 2007.

Bibliographic link

Cherkesov B.A. SOCIAL NORMS AND DEVIANT BEHAVIOR // Fundamental Research. – 2007. – No. 9. – P. 112-116;
URL: http://fundamental-research.ru/ru/article/view?id=3668 (access date: 07/14/2019). We bring to your attention magazines published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural Sciences"

Human socialization is the process of learning cultural norms and mastering social roles. It proceeds under the vigilant supervision of society and surrounding people. They not only teach children, but also monitor the correctness of learned patterns of behavior, and, therefore, act as agents of social control.

If control is carried out by an individual, then it is called group control (pressure), and if it is carried out by a whole team (family, group of friends, institution or institution), then it acquires a social character and is called social control. It acts as a means of social regulation of people's behavior.

Social behavior includes two main elements - norms and sanctions.

Social norms are instructions, requirements, wishes and expectations of appropriate (socially approved) behavior.

Norms that arise and exist only in small groups (youth parties, groups of friends, family, work teams, sports teams) are called “group norms.”

Norms that emerge and exist in large groups or in society as a whole are called “social (general) norms.”

All social norms can be classified depending on how severe the punishment for their non-compliance (sanctions):

Violation of some norms is followed by a mild sanction - disapproval, a smirk, an unkind look;
For violation of other norms, severe sanctions include imprisonment, even the death penalty.

A certain degree of non-compliance with norms exists in every society and in every group. Violation of palace etiquette, the ritual of diplomatic conversation or marriage causes awkwardness and puts a person in a difficult position. But it does not entail harsh punishment.

In other situations, sanctions are more noticeable. Using a cheat sheet during an exam will result in a grade reduction, and losing a library book will result in a five-fold fine. In some societies, the slightest deviation from tradition, not to mention serious offenses, was severely punished. Everything was under control - hair length, clothing, behavior.

If we arrange all the norms in ascending order, depending on the measure of punishment, then their sequence will take the following form:

Habits - customs - traditions - mores - laws - taboos.

Compliance with norms is regulated by society with varying degrees of strictness. Violations of taboos and legal laws (for example, killing a person, insulting a deity, revealing state secrets) are punished most severely; habits are punished most mildly. Whether individual (forgot to brush your teeth or clean your bed) or group, in particular family (for example, refusal to turn off the light or close the front door).

However, there are group habits that are highly valued and the violation of which is followed by strict group sanctions (punishment accepted only among group members). These kinds of habits are called informal group norms. They are born into small rather than large social groups. The mechanism that controls compliance with such norms is called group pressure.

There are four types of sanctions: positive and negative, formal and informal.

formal positive sanctions - 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 (for example , election as chairman of the board);
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;
formal negative sanctions - punishments provided for by legal laws, government decrees, administrative instructions, orders, deprivation of civil rights, imprisonment, arrest, dismissal, fine, depreciation, confiscation of property, demotion, demotion, dethronement, death penalty, excommunication
informal negative sanctions - punishments not provided for by official authorities: censure, remark, ridicule, mockery, cruel joke, unflattering nickname, neglect, refusal to shake hands or maintain relationships, spreading rumors, slander, unkind review, complaint, writing a pamphlet or feuilleton, compromising evidence.

The word “norm” is of Latin origin and literally means: guiding principle, rule, example.

Norms are developed by society and the social groups that are part of it. With the help of norms, certain requirements are put forward to people. Social norms guide behavior, allow it to be controlled, regulated and evaluated. They guide a person in all life issues. In these norms, people see standards, models, standards of behavior. The following types of social norms are identified:

moral norms (they express people’s ideas about good and bad, good and evil, justice and injustice);
norms of traditions and customs (a historically established rule of behavior that has become a habit);
religious norms (rules of behavior contained in the texts of religious books or established by the church);
political norms (norms set by various political organizations);
legal norms (established or sanctioned by the state).

In real life, the behavior of people in society does not always correspond to established social norms. When a violation of social norms occurs, they speak of deviant behavior of the subject. Behavior that is not consistent with the norms, does not correspond to what society expects from a person, is called deviant behavior. Deviant behavior is called deviant. Deviant behavior is spoken of as a negative social phenomenon that harms society. The most serious manifestations of this behavior are crime, drug addiction and alcoholism.

Deviant behavior

Compliance with social norms determines the cultural level of society. Deviation from generally accepted norms is called deviant behavior in sociology.

In a broad sense, “deviation” means any behavior or action that does not conform to unwritten norms or written norms.

As you know, social norms are of two types:

written - formally recorded in the constitution, criminal law and other legal laws, the observance of which is guaranteed by the state.
unwritten - informal norms and rules of behavior, compliance with which is not guaranteed by the legal aspects of the state. They are fixed only by traditions, customs, etiquette, manners, i.e., some conventions, or tacit agreements between people about what is considered proper, correct, befitting behavior.

Violation of formal norms is called delinquent (criminal) behavior, and violation of informal norms is called deviant (deviant) behavior.

Deviant and delinquent behavior can be distinguished as follows. The first is relative, and the second is absolute. What is a deviation for one person or group may be a habit for another or others. The upper class considers its behavior to be the norm, and the behavior of representatives of other classes, especially lower ones, to be a deviation. Deviant behavior is relative because it relates only to the cultural norms of a given group. But delinquent behavior is absolute in relation to the laws of the country. Street robbery by representatives of the lower social classes can, from their point of view, be considered a normal form of income or a way of establishing social justice. But this is not a deviation, but a crime, since there is an absolute norm - a legal law that qualifies robbery as a crime.

Social norms are usually understood as rules, patterns, and standards of human behavior established in society that regulate social life. The following types of social norms are distinguished:

moral norms, i.e. those norms that express people’s ideas about good and bad, good and evil, justice and injustice, the implementation of which is ensured by the inner conviction of people or the strength of public opinion;
norms of traditions and customs. A custom is a historically established rule of behavior that has become a habit as a result of its repeated repetition. The implementation of this type of norm is ensured by the force of people's habit;
religious norms, which include rules of behavior contained in the texts of holy books or established by religious organizations (church). People follow these rules, guided by their faith or under the threat of being punished (by God or the church);
political norms. - norms established by various political organizations. These rules of conduct must first of all be observed by members of these organizations. The implementation of such norms is ensured by the internal beliefs of people included in these organizations, or by the fear of being excluded from them;
legal norms are formally defined rules of behavior established or sanctioned by the state, the implementation of which is ensured by its authority or coercive force.

Social norms define the boundaries of acceptable behavior of people in relation to the specific conditions of their life. As already mentioned above, compliance with these norms is usually ensured by the internal beliefs of people or by applying social rewards and social punishments to them in the form of so-called social sanctions. Social sanction is usually understood as the reaction of society or a social group to the behavior of an individual in a socially significant situation. In terms of their content, sanctions can be positive (incentive) and negative (punitive).

In reality, the behavior of people in society does not always correspond to established social norms and, on the contrary, their violation occurs. In this case, they talk about the subject’s deviant behavior. Deviant behavior is usually called behavior that does not meet the requirements of social norms accepted in society. Sometimes such deviations can be positive and lead to positive consequences. But in most cases, deviant behavior is spoken of as a negative social phenomenon that harms society. The most serious manifestations of this behavior are crime, drug addiction and alcoholism.

Alcoholism and drug addiction is a type of chronic disease that develops as a result of a person’s systematic use of alcoholic beverages or drugs.

A crime is a socially dangerous act provided for in the Special Part of the Criminal Code. The set of crimes in sociology has a special name - delinquent 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 the life of primitive people: seeing off 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 a certain order of 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, destructive (harmful to the individual - alcoholism, drug addiction) and asocial (harmful to society - violation of traffic rules) types are distinguished. 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 exercised through the condemnation of individual group members whose behavior, appearance or views do not meet 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.

Social norms are usually understood as rules, patterns, and standards of human behavior established in society that regulate social life. The following types of social norms are distinguished:

1) moral norms, i.e. those norms that express people’s ideas about good and bad, good and evil, justice and injustice, the implementation of which is ensured by the inner conviction of people or the strength of public opinion;

2) norms of traditions and customs. A custom is a historically established rule of behavior that has become a habit as a result of its repeated repetition. The implementation of this type of norm is ensured by the force of people's habit;

3) religious norms, which include rules of conduct contained in the texts of holy books or established by religious organizations (church). People follow these rules, guided by their faith or under the threat of being punished (by God or the church);

4) political norms. - norms established by various political organizations. These rules of conduct must first of all be observed by members of these organizations. The implementation of such norms is ensured by the internal beliefs of people included in these organizations, or by the fear of being excluded from them;

5) legal norms - formally defined rules of behavior established or sanctioned by the state, the implementation of which is ensured by its authority or coercive force.

Alcoholism and drug addiction is a type of chronic disease that develops as a result of a person’s systematic use of alcoholic beverages or drugs.

A crime is a socially dangerous guilty act provided for in the Special Part of the Criminal Code. The set of crimes in sociology has a special name - delinquent behavior.