Deviant Behavior and Drug Abuse Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Deviant Behavior and Drug Abuse. Answer: Tobacco smoking Deviant behavior can be defined as behavior that does not conform to the norms and values of the society. Deviant behavior often elicits a negative response. Deviant behavior can be categorized as voluntary, involuntary, formal and informal (Goode 2015, 23 ). Tobacco smoking has been prevalent practice in the society for thousands of years. It is needless to say that tobacco smoking cause harm to the individual who smokes it as well as to the people who are exposed to the smoke (Goode 2015, 45). Thus it can be considered to be a deviant behavior as it poses a threat to the public health and economy. As assessed by the World Health Organization Smoking tobacco is no longer a social problem on national level but a social problem on the global level. Cigarette smoking also is not illegal in most countries of the world but is not religiously desirable. Thus Cigarette smoking is not as deviant as other illicit drugs. Tobacco smoking can be defined to be culturally patterned. It can be red efined as a social activity (Rubington Weinberg 2016, 15). Cigarette smoking can be said to promote interaction among the people. Illicit Drug abuse Drug abuse can be considered to be a severe form of deviant activity as it poses a serious threat to all the members of a society. Drug abuse exists in multiple levels of the society. Drug abuse generally takes a toll on the communities, social institutions and families (Atkinson 2014, 17). Human beings are prone to become victims of drug abuse and are likely to get addicted to the same. Thus the phenomenon of drug abuse can be considered to be inherently connected to the origin of culture and the society. According to the strain theory of deviance as devised by Robert K Merton it can be said that individuals get addicted to drug abuse due to failure to achieve the social goals by socially acceptable means (Downes, Rock and McLaughlin 2016, 41). According to the theory as devised by Robert it can be said that individuals who get addicted to drugs accept such drug addiction as their fate. Comparison between the two deviant activities Thus after analyzing the deviant activities of smoking as well as illicit drug abuse, it can be stated that smoking is perceived to be less harmful to the society than illicit drug abuse. Smoking however is not desirable, is socially acceptable in most countries (Murph 2015, 12). Cigarette smoking has also been perceived to promote or encourage social interaction between people. However, the harmful effects of smoking are not to be undermined. Smoking although not considered to be serious deviant activity, is the cause of the most number of deaths all over the world. Illicit drug abuse can be considered to be a far more serious form of a deviant activity. The consequences of drug abuse are detrimental to the society (Hirschi 2018, 12). Illicit drug abuse is strictly forbidden and illegal in most countries of the world. Illicit drug abuse adversely affects the society as teenagers can get easily victims of drug addiction. Illicit drug abuse often promotes degenerate behavior among ind ividuals and also is closely associated with antisocial activity. References Atkinson, R. ed., 2014.Shades of deviance: A primer on crime, deviance and social harm. Routledge. Downes, D., Rock, P. and McLaughlin, E., 2016.Understanding deviance: a guide to the sociology of crime and rule-breaking. Oxford University Press. Goode, E., 2015.Deviant behavior. Routledge. Hirschi, T. ed., 2018.The generality of deviance. Routledge. Murphy, J. 2015,Illness or Deviance?: Drug Courts, Drug Treatment, and the Ambiguity of Addiction: Drug Courts, Drug Treatment, and the Ambiguity of Addiction,Temple University Press, Philadelphia. Rubington, E. Weinberg, M.S. 2016;2015;,Deviance: the interactionist perspective,10th edn, Routledge, London;New York;.