The Constructionist Perspective

        Consist of three parts relativism, subjectivism, and voluntarism. Constructionist perspective is the counter perspective to positivist perspective.

1. Relativism: Deviance as a Label

• Definition: stating that something is deviant just because a group of people believe it is.
• Relativism, the main questions that are being ask: why and what society finds to be deviant; and how these society label this acts solely on their beliefs. Sociologist Howard Becker was quotes to say, “Deviant behavior is behavior that people so label”. So, in simple terms if there is no label to an act the act itself isn’t seen as a deviant behavior.
• When it comes down to studying such deviant behavior constructionist tend to study the people who label what deviant behavior is, rather than studying the deviant people who are labeled. They do this because they want to understand why certain behavioral act are seen as criminal versus in other places where it is not. A great example of this in on state laws, every law differs from state to state and even when it comes to judgment time in front of a judge their opinion on the matter is very back and forth. Constructionist have also come to the conclusion that a deviant behavior is seen as deviant by people’s reaction to the action, but this as causes a conflicting point of view of whether it is being deviant or being conforming to the matter.

2. Subjectivism: Deviance as a subjective Experience

• Definition: deviant behavior is subjective to the matter of the act and the people themselves, since humans are conscious, think, feel, and reflect. Therefore, is more on their own personal experience.
• Subjectivism is more hands on, constructionist, when studying deviant behavior are appreciating and empathizing with a group society considers deviant or an individual person. Constructionist want to fully understand the what is happening around them and also living first hand they’re day to day lives. In that sense they are getting the bigger picture on why people act and do what they do. Some methods of studying such behaviors are: ethnography, participant observation, and open-ended in depth interviews.   

3. Voluntarism: Deviance as a voluntary Act

• Definition: constructionist believe that deviant behavior is voluntary and it comes from expression of volition, will or choice. Constructionist stand by this statement because positivist see the subject in this matter as not having free will, and basically reacting to one’s environment. But since we as humans have a choice of reacting to certain situation a certain way, that is why it is seen a voluntary response.
• When studying deviant behavior in this perspective, constructionist tend to view the figures that label the deviant behavior as was the deviants themselves. They also study the way the person feel when doing the deviant act to fully understand their perspective. They do this to understand the mind though that a person goes through when doing any act of deviants.

How Positivist and Constructionist View Deviant

• The Positivist Perspective Consists of three expectations of what deviant behavior is:
• Absolutism: Deviant individuals have certain characteristics that make them different from normal people.
• Objectivism: Deviant people can be studied objectively like observable objects.
• Determinism: Deviance is caused by forces beyond an individual control.
• Positivist view deviance as real behaviors. Their approach is more relevant to the study of what society consider relatively serious types of deviant behavior such as murder, rape, kidnapping and people who engage in this act tend to come from lower class. The positivist researchers for the most part would not consider themselves fit for committing a deviant act, so it is simple in this way for positivist to remain aloof from these  offenders, and they can easily study deviant’s behavior without been biased or feeling guilty.
• Constructionist Perspective view deviance as a label. This form of deviance is less likely to harm people such as prostitutes, drug users and strippers. There is lack of agreement as whether the less serious forms of deviant act are truly deviance because people label it as deviant. In this way, constructionists can more effortlessly feel for these assumed deviants and consider the last’s emotional experience helpful for understanding deviance, so descriptive theory can be developed.
•  In Conclusion, powerful people are more likely to label the less powerful as deviant and being labeled deviant by society leads people to see themselves more as a deviant. we may see deviant behavior as being both a genuine demonstration and label. One can’t exist without the other, basically there is no such thing as deviant behavior without the real act.

A word about deviance and crime

• Sociology of deviance includes crime but does not deal with crimes per se. These are two different concepts, but the one affects the other. Criminology covers crime and is highly influenced by the sociology of deviance thus determining how crimes are created and how deviance acts as a supporting element in identifying an unlawful action.
• Crimes often involve a violation of the law, and this makes the difference with deviance. Deviance only fulfills how people deviate from the norms, which can either make them violate the law or not.
• Crimes are also a violation of formal norms, which are set as laws or statutes to maintain public peace and order on the society. Deviance, however, is confined to all norms and is often a violation of informal norms that comes from popular belief. While crimes are punished through imprisonment, fines, and other formal controls, deviance is only punished by public criticism, condemnation, ridicule, and negative reactions from the society.
• Crimes are also behavioral, wherein the acts created are only violations of the law, and therefore, the actions are unacceptable by the law. This consists of committing murder, robbery, and theft, as well as slander. On the other hand, deviance is not only promoted by behavior but also by physical or psychological conditions, beliefs, and characteristics as well as mental illnesses.
• Not all deviances are crimes, but all crimes are deviances. Because deviance is the actual violation of informal laws and is often conveyed by the nonconformity of the individual from the rest of the society, it does not equate to being a criminal or acting out criminal activity. However, crimes are deviances because it not only indicates non-conformity of the norms but also a subjection of violating the law to fulfill one’s desired goal or activity. This yields that all crimes are deviances because it is the norm of the society to follow the law.