ABSTRACT
The study of social deviance within American sociology has traditionally been based on a model that consigns delinquent behavior to the instruments of social welfare. The need for social revolution came about precisely because the existing social order was considered incapable of controlling social deviance. It is probable that the new styles will be illegitimate rather than legitimate, and that the distinction between social deviance and political insurgency will be further reduced. It is an attempt to avoid the consequences of large-scale marginality without making any social structural changes. A serious dilemma for many deviant and marginal groups alike is their failure to perceive any main-line organizations as providing the sort of universal legitimation that governed an earlier, more tranquil period in American history. The boundaries of American politics reflect the growing affluence that typifies the American social structure.
