ABSTRACT
Deviance ranges from relatively trivial to serious behaviors. Two general categories of deviance of interest to sociological social psychologists are unmotivated and motivated. Unmotivated deviance occurs when people recognize that an individual is failing to meet others' expectations because they are unable to do so. Motivated deviance refers when an individual can, but chooses not to, behave in accordance with prevailing group norms. There are three mechanisms of social control that encourage conformity and thus reduce motivated deviance among members of society. The lower class are more involved in traditional street crimes, while the upper class are more likely to commit offenses such as embezzlement or fraud. Research on the causes of deviance suggest that people engage in financially motivated crimes when they are socialized to aspire to culturally defined goals but are denied the legitimate means for obtaining these ends. The chapter illustrates that the theories direct attention to prevailing societal patterns and to the micro-level interactions they generate.
