ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses elite deviance with a look at the power structure of American society. It lays out the paradigm for constructing a theory of elite deviance and proceeds to make various theoretical statements derived from the model. The chapter begins with an analysis of macro-level concerns, specifically values and institutional structures. It shows the importance of reality as a social construction in the discussion of the official elite ideology of deviance. The chapter analyzes how rationalizations for elite deviance are constructed and maintained through the use of front activities, and shows how they fail due to the emergence of scandal and opposing beliefs. It illustrates the complexity of the elite deviance. It is quite clearly a product of complex society, as a number of forces work together to provide the opportunity, and the structure necessary for deviance to occur.
