EDWIN M. LEMERT
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DEVIATION
Sociological Theories of Deviance
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
UMD
I. DEVIANT PEOPLE ARE A PRODUCT OF "DIFFERENTIATING AND ISOLATING PROCESSES"
PERSONALITY CHANGES MAY BE QUICK OR GRADUAL
ACTIONS BUILD UP OVER TIME WHICH OFTEN LEAD TO A "RESERVE POTENTIALITIES"
BUT, SOMETIMES TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES CAN LEAD TO QUICK AND DRAMATIC CHANGES IN IDENTITY
"SELF-DEFINITIONS OR SELF-REALIZATIONS ARE LIKELY TO BE THE RESULT OF SUDDEN PERCEPTIONS AND THEY ARE ESPECIALLY SIGNIFICANT WHEN THEY ARE FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY OVERT DEMONSTRATIONS OF THE NEW ROLE THEY SYMBOLIZE."
SELF-DEFINING JUNCTURES
II. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DEVIATION
- A. ORIGINAL AND EFFECTIVE CAUSES
ORIGINAL CAUSES ARE ALMOST ANYTHING, MANY AND DIVERSE
BEHAVIORS ARE NOT SIGNIFICANT SOCIOLOGICALLY UNTIL THEY ARE "ORGANIZED SUBJECTIVELY AND TRANSFORMED INTO ACTIVE ROLES AND BECOME THE SOCIAL CRITERIA FOR ASSIGNING STATUS."
ONE MUST BECOME CONSCIOUS OF THEIR MOTIVES AND ACTIONS AND ORIENT THEIR BEHAVIOR ON THOSE CONSCIOUS IDENTIFICATIONS
- B.
"THE DEVIATIONS REMAIN PRIMARY DEVIATIONS OR SYMPTOMATIC AND SITUATIONAL AS LONG AS
THEY ARE RATIONALIZED OR OTHERWISE DEALT WITH AS FUNCTIONS OF A SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE
ROLE."
- C. COMMITTING BEHAVIOR AND BEING LABELED MAY BE NEUTRALIZED, BUT THE
IS LIKELY TO TRANSFORM OR INCORPORATE THIS NEW DEFINITION INTO THE "ME" OR, WHAT AMOUNTS TO THE SAME THING, A CHANGE IN THE CONCEPTION OF SELF OCCURS
- D.
"WHEN A PERSON BEGINS TO EMPLOY HIS {HER} DEVIANT BEHAVIOR ARE A ROLE BASED UPON IT AS A
MEANS OF DEFENSE, ATTACK, OR ADJUSTMENT TO THE OVERT AND COVERT PROBLEMS CREATED BY
THE CONSEQUENT SOCIETAL REACTION TO HIM {HER}, HIS {HER} DEVIATION IS SECONDARY."
- E. THE PROBLEM IS MORE SEVER WHEN DEFINITIONS BECOME GENERALIZED; OPTIONS FOR BEHAVIOR BECOME LIMITED
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