DEVIANT BEHAVIOR

Class is DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
The videos Social Constructionism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVCkJ7jLnz0 , Perspectives on Deviance: Differential Association, Labeling, and Strain theories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSucylf4KhY , and in the really short video of Positivism Defined https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js_gg0E6dLI and other posted to the syllabus videos.
As a means of adding context to your discussion keep in mind that epistemologically in western scientific descriptions; positivism is a top-down perspective where objective(read as non-emotional male dominated point of view that characterizes established knowledge) science is the authority of all truth. Positivism is the process of using the scientific method (remember from 7th grade science class?) to seek answers and formulate explanations for human social behavior and events. For contrast, in academia–and in this class, we do not rely on crystals, tarot cards, religious texts, alternative facts, fake news, Qnon, Fox, CNN, alchemy, phrenology, and all other forms of non-scientific explanations as tools when conducting study.
In contrast, constructionists approaches are embedded and empirical/first-hand perspectives of knowledge. To help illustrate: think of a male physician (e.g., positivism) telling a woman in labor what she is supposed to be feeling physically and emotionally; it would be an external top-down perspective and since his knowledge is based on science his opinion is the authority and more accurate than hers. The womans perspective (e.g., constructionists approaches) would provide us with an empirical/experienced based perspective constructed from her own embedded experiences as female in a particular culture with its own set of normative expectations that define the role of a woman during childbirth.
Question 1: Taking into consideration the significance of cultural norms, and values in the definition of deviant behavior, compare and contrast the positivist and constructionist perspectives on deviance. Which is more effective in addressing the macro and micro level aspects of deviant behavior when considering the plurality of cultures and social definitions that characterizes contemporary United States society? Which approach to describing social deviance would you favor? Would integrated approaches to studying deviant behavior be more productive in light of the reality of social diversity? Explain why or why not.

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