The Sociology of Deviance: Differences Tradition and Stigma

This timely second edition remains essentially the same in overall organization and chapter layout and titles. New to the book is updated data and facts from empirical research and government and agency reports. Some information in some chapters was retained from the first edition if it was deemed still relevant and interesting. The definition of deviance has been modified to be more in line with standard understandings of the term which frequently describe deviance as violations of social norms. The word differences remains part of the definition and implies differences in attitudes lifestyles values and choices that exist among individuals and groups in society. The concept of deviance is no longer treated as a label in itself also placing the definition of the term more in alignment with its standard usage. The title of the book remains the same and tradition still implies the book covers areas that have long been addressed in deviance texts such as addictions crime and sexual behaviors to name a few. The term stigma is retained for two reasons: it is in honor of Erving Goffman a giant in the discipline of sociology who offered much to the study of differences and it is used to accentuate the importance of societal reaction in a heterogeneous society. In this updated edition every attempt has been made to respond to input from colleagues and students concerning text content and writing style. Chapters still include In Recognition or comments that honor scholars whose research and professional interests are related to the chapters under study. Effective case studies are again included in the chapters. Considerable effort went into decisions of what was to be added changed maintained and deleted from the first edition resulting in meaningful modifications throughout the book.