Deviant
Deviant is an English word that is derived from Deviation. In a layman’s language, deviating refers to the act of getting out of the norms. Deviant behavior is broadly studied in sociology, where it means the process of departing from usual or the accepted standards of the society. When discussing deviants and the expression of deviance, it is impossible to avoid Psychopaths and Sociopaths. The two are the most common elements of deviance behavior in society. More so, deviance behavior goes hand in hand with criminal activities and various social control procedures.
In most cases, both psychopaths and sociopaths can surpass their deviance behave like ordinary peoples in society. However, their behavior, especially their level of manipulation and cruelty, could leave significant damage to the people living around them. Psychopaths are described as having the source or origin of their deviant behavior from the internal of a person’s body. The emphasis of this term is that deviance behavior is a result of biological factors, genetics, and human psychological factors. On the other hand, the term sociopath is used to describe psychopathy in that it defines the dominant elements of a disorder caused by psychopathy. It is enough to use sociopathy to detail and provide examples for deviance. Sociopathy is an encrypted word that refers to people’s anxieties living in a particular society and, more so, living among the kind of people that we do not know their true or real character.
As stated in the introduction paragraph of this paper, deviant behavior occurs when an individual behaves in a way that is not acceptable as per the standards set in a particular society. There have been many scholars who have engaged their lives to study individuals who engage in deviant behavior. For instance, research shows that there are individuals who are born to be deviant in their lives. An example of this assertion is a research project conducted by James Fallon, who was a neuroscientist at California University in the United States of America. Fallon’s research involved a study on the brain scans of various serial killers. In this exclusive research, Fallon realized a common pattern in the brains of all the serial killer subjects in his research. In all of them, the parts of the brain which process empathy and morality (the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain) do not function (they are shut down.) This is evidence of the role of genetics in deviance. The reason for this is that the condition of lacking some of the brain parts being function is passed from one person to another down the lineage. And thus, James Fallon established the premise that deviance behavior is determined by genetics. As Fallon continued his research, he realized that his brain also indicated the patterns for psychopathy. However, deviance behavior could take two forms. One form is the famous nature of the behavior, which does not conform to the acceptable norms in a society. The other kind of deviance is one that James Fallon had realized in himself. The second type of deviancy is referred to as pro-social psychopathy. Pro-social psychopathy refers to the kind of deviance where an individual lacks genuine empathy for others but does not behave in a manner that conflicts the expectations of society.
According to the research conducted by Fallon, there is a new interpretation of deviance. In most cases, a person with deviant character traits is often regarded as a bad person who attributes to crimes and evil than any other good behavior fin a society. However, Fallon’s research proves otherwise. A deviant person does not have to be an evil person always. For example, Fallon realized that his brain scan indicated a common pattern to the brain scans of all the serial killers who made subjects for his research. However, Fallon and many others who had the same pattern of psychopathy in their brains managed to exist normally in society as other people. Fallon managed to use his deviance (competitive, aggressive, egocentric, and manipulative) to make a successful scientist. This means that not all type of deviance is bad for society. However, this is also proof that there is no biological or genetic explanation for deviance (psychopath and sociopathy)