Amjad

Hira amjad

Child and adult development

19020392

Deviant behavior in adults as a social, biological and

psychological phenomenon

Abstract

The aim of this research paper is to explain the hypothesis that, although children adopt

deviant and non-conformist behavior due to sociological factors and their experience and

exposure with the outside world, there is also some psychological and biological reasoning

behind this deviant behavior of children which labels them as outsiders when they grow old. The

paper would provide a theoretical framework to each external cause which shapes unorthodox

thought process in a child which makes them deviant or outsider (in the sociological lens) when

they grow old. It would also shed light on the psychological and biological determinants of the

deviant behavior to explore the extent to which these internal reasons play their part in shaping

this behavior. The paper purpose to answer the question that, are children born with deviant

instinct or do they learn to deviate with time?

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INTRODUCTION

There is a very strong correlation between early childhood behavior and later personality

development. People mostly have same interests, likes and dislikes they had developed in young

age hence children with antisocial behavior are more likely to adopt deviant behavior as they

grow old. Antisocial behavior in teenagers could be defined as being aggressive, abusive,

violent, drug addicts and bullying which aids the deviant behavior they adopt being adults. The

article “Crime and deviance over the life course: The salience of adult social bond” mentions of

a study done by Heusmann, Eron and lefkowiz (1984) over 600 participants over a period of 22

years, which concluded that early aggressiveness predicted later antisocial behavior, including

criminal behavior, spouse abuse, traffic violations and self-reported physical aggression

(Sampson, Robert J., and John H. Laub). The same article also mentions some other work by

McCord, Farrington, and Robin which demonstrated the effects of early life experiences on adult

behavior. Deviant behavior in an adolescent is associated with breaking the norms and rules of

the society. Acts like Murder, theft, drug usage, homosexuality and violence, all fall under the

deviant acts. The rule-breaking could be very formal such as committing a Crime to very

informal such as rejecting the mores. From a very general perspective, “all social groups make

rules and attempts at some time and under some circumstances, to enforce them. Social rules

define situations and the kinds of behavior appropriate to them, specifying some actions as

"right" and forbidding others as "wrong." When a rule is enforced, the person who is supposed to

have broken it may be seen as a special kind of person, one who cannot be trusted to live by the

rules agreed on by the group. He is regarded as an outsider” (Becker). There are many theoretical

frameworks in the field of sociology, biology, and psychology which account for deviant

behavior in adults. On Macro-level, external factors such as social injustice, labeling, and micro
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level determinants such as rough childhood, peer pressure and poverty account for antisocial

behavior in adults. With psychological and biological analysis, internal factors, such as a

constant conflict between unconscious inclinations, behaviorism and genetics, shape the deviant

behavior

Literature Review

Sociological Theoretical framework:

Environment and upbringing play a huge part in shaping personalities. Children adopt

certain traits from their surroundings and society at a very young age which then shapes their

character as they grow older. Building on this, from a sociological lens deviant behavior in

adults is a byproduct of social injustice they face growing up. Children born in low social and

economic conditions are more likely to show anti-social behavior because of the circumstances

and outcome of their poor conditions. The article “Childhood origins of antisocial behavior”

mentions socioeconomic conditions as one of the key risk factor for conduct disorder ‘antisocial

behavior’ (Farrington). The article quotes many studies including Ontario child health study

which concluded that “CD children tended to come from low income families, with

unemployed parents, living in subsidized housing and dependent on welfare benefits

(Offord, Alder, & Boyle, 1986)”. Social injustice here comes into play. Children born in poor

households are deprived of the basic opportunities; they are treated differently from their peers

who are well off. From getting good education to getting white collar jobs to getting justice, they

are always at the backend. These children then adopt a deviant way of getting their needs

fulfilled. They indulge in lying, stealing, gambling and other serious crimes such as murder to

account for their poor socioeconomic conditions. As a young child they could only show
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aggression and anger for the social injustice they face but as adults, this anti-social behavior

develops into a more severe form which puts a label of “outsider” or “deviant” on these

individuals. They often do it to show anger and rebel against the societal norms which they

consider unjust.

It is often seen that criminals, drug addicts, thieves, and runaways are mostly those adults

who have broken families and a rough childhood. According to Aguilar et al., (2000), “those

who come from a broken home and a single parent family are two factors related to the family

structure which increase the risk of developing antisocial behavior” (Gaik). Children brought up

by a single parent are more likely to get into drugs or run away from their homes. They initially

crave attention and parental love but soon enough find other deviant ways such as drugs,

gambling, and violence to suppress their feelings. The article “Single Parents, Stepparents, and

the Susceptibility of Adolescents to Antisocial Peer Pressure” mentions that according to a recent

report in child development by Dombusch et al (1985), adolescents’ involvement in deviant

behavior varies as a function of the family structure in which they live. Specifically, the authors

demonstrate through an analysis of data drawn from a nationally representative sample of nearly

7000, 12-17 year-olds, that adolescents living in single-parent household are more likely to

engage in deviant activity (including truancy, running away from home, smoking, school

discipline problems, and behavior that lead to contact with the law) than youngsters living with

both natural parents (Steinberg). Moreover, children with rough childhood such as constant

beating, abusive language at home, strict punishment over minor mistakes and witnessing

domestic violence tend to become aggressive and rebellious. The article “ The development and

treatment of childhood aggression” mentions of a study by McCord and Howard which states

that “as children, violent delinquents tended to have parents who were in conflict, who
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supervised them poorly, who were rejecting and punitive, whose discipline was erratic, and who

were aggressive, alcoholic, or convicted” (Debra). Many street children who are into drugs,

stealing and run gangs lack emotions because they have been brought up in broken families. A

video went viral on social media of a young kid “kamlesh” who was interviewed by a local news

anchor. Kamlesh was runaway 9-10 years old kid. He lived for drugs and made only enough

money through begging to buy himself minimal food and drugs. He came from an abusive

household, his father would beat him and his mother and as result, this young kid fled from his

home and became a drug addict. He had suffered so much in such a young age that when asked if

he wants to go back home, he clearly said no. He knew what he was into and liked it.

Another important external factor from a sociological perspective is peer pressure and

labeling. “Interest in the development of the peer status has been stimulated by the discovery that

negative peer status is the childhood is predictive of a variety of maladaptive outcomes in

adolescence and adulthood” (Dodge). Adults adopt the traits of the neighborhood they live in, be

it negative or positive. Even at a very young age if an infant sees another infant crying, he too

would start crying, young kids often ask for things their peers in school or surroundings have.

Similarly, adults get into deviant acts due to their peers being already practicing them or under

their pressure. Sometimes, it is not even the pressure rather the deviant behavior becomes so

normalized that adopting it is not a choice but a gradual approach. In a neighborhood where

adults are engaged in violent activities, young children develop an aggressive and hostile

behavior with their siblings or at home. They would not directly be involved in any kind of

violent acts but just by growing up in that neighborhood would normalize aggression and anger

for them. Moreover, adults show deviant behavior because they have been labeled as deviant. If a

child is repeatedly told that he is rebellious, he would become one even if he wasn’t initially.
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Famous sociologist D.L Rosenahn explained this labeling theory in his article “being sane in

insane places”, through results of his famous “pseudopatients” experiment he claims that

“labeling can have a life of its own with risk of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy in which

even the person himself accepts what he is being labeled as and acts accordingly (Rosenahn).

Labeling people makes them internalize that label to such an extent that when people start to act

accordingly is because they think it is normal.

Moreover, It is often seen that boys who grow up in a household where there are more

women around them than men, adopt womanish characteristics and girls brought up in male

surroundings grow more masculine. Society then labels the boys as “sissy”, “unmanly” and girls

as “vigorous”, “tomboy”. They fall into the category of deviant because they do not fit into the

gender roles society has assigned them. Humans adopt traits through interaction with their

surroundings and hence girls grown among male siblings tend to be more masculine and the

same way boys grown among female siblings tend to be more soft and polite in nature. “The

environment where you were raised “doesn’t determine personality, but it helps to shape it” (Too

Many Sisters Affect Male Sexuality). The article “Gender identity and self-esteem of boys

growing up without a father” mentions about an experiment which examined male children who

were growing without a father’s supervision and the children growing under father’s supervision.

The results of the experiment showed that fatherless male children developed a less masculine

gender identity and growing up with a single mother made them adopt feminine traits (lange),

hence proving that family structure does affect individual personalities.

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Biological framework:

Looking at deviant behavior from a biological lens, one cannot ignore the role nature

plays in shaping the anti-social behavior into deviant behavior in adults. “The study of convicts

in 1970 led G. Eisenk (1916-1997) to the conclusion that genetically laid individual and

psychological characteristics of the personality correspond to an advantageous orientation of the

personality that is an extraverted type of the personality characterized by his being turned

towards the environment is more apt to commit crimes than an introverted one – concentrated on

his own interests” (salakhova,). The same article also mentions some additional biological

factors of deviant behavior to be brain injuries, organic brain disease, and certain properties of

the nerve system. The work of Charles Darwin gives a whole new direction to how people

understand and view deviant behavior. He presented the theory of evolution and explained the

fact that over the years “involuntary adaptations in species gave them an advantage for survival

and reproduction, so the creatures that had the characteristics that made them better adapted to

their niche were able to pass on their genes, and thus perpetuate the species. In the evolutionary

perspective, the brain is an organ that has evolved over millions of years to solve problems

related to survival and reproduction in the same way as other body parts also came under

pressure from natural selection” (Cecconello). This explains the idea of natural selection and

heredity, where some aspects of human behavior such as anger, aggression, and violence are

inborn instincts of the struggle for existence. These traits of antisocial behavior in adolescents

then develop into more serious characteristics of deviant behavior when they grow old.

Homosexuality is another aspect of the society which is considered deviant. Gays and

lesbians are treated as “outsiders” and some cultures do not even accept their existence because

they don’t fit into society standards. For quite a long time it was argued that homosexuality is not
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an inborn characteristic rather adopted from the surrounding. Although people believe that

homosexuality and sexual preferences are a choice but “Homosexuality’s invitation to biology

has been standing for years. Homosexuals have long maintained that sexual orientation, far from

being a sexual choice or lifestyle (as it is often called), is something neither chosen nor

changeable. The very term “sexual orientation” which in the 1980’s replaced “sexual

preferences” asserts the deeply rooted nature of sexual desire and love. It implies biology” (burr).

There are many studies which have explored the biological dimensions of the homosexuality

“Evidence from independent research groups who studied twins’ shows that genetic factors

explain about 25-30% of the differences between people in sexual orientation (heterosexual, gay,

lesbian, and bisexual). Twin studies are the first look into the genetics of a trait and tell us that

there are such things as “genes for sexual orientation” (Rehman).

Psychological framework

Psychology views the deviant behavior of an individual solely his responsibility. A

person often maintains his deviant behavior on its outcome, which could be both negative and

positive. It could also be through observation as well, individuals observe the rewards and

consequences other people receive as a result of some deviant behavior. They then follow up the

path they perceive as rewarding. This is quite visible in the case of drug usage. Teenagers often

see other drug addicts getting high and get so much fascinated that they want to try them too.

Howard S. Becker in his article “ Becoming a marijuana user” states that “ instead of the deviant

motives leading to deviant behavior, it is the other way round; the deviant behavior in time

produces the deviant motivation” (Becker). In the same article, he explains how an individual

sees his peers getting high on marijuana which makes him want to do it as well. He is so much
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fascinated by the idea of getting high that he himself becomes marijuana addict in no time.

Nonetheless, monetary benefits identify as one major reason why some people do what they do.

“Another important psychological risk factor for deviant behavior is of cognitive

development. It is based on how people organize their thought process around the principles of

morality. Lawrence Kohlberg, a developmental psychologist explained three stages of moral

reasoning. On first stage the entire idea of moral reasoning is based on obedience and avoiding

punishments. Children learn to obey their elders because they know this is morally right and they

tend to avoid acts which would lead to punishments and they categorize these as immoral acts. In

the second stage child does what he is expected to do, his moral reasoning is based on what is

expected of him by his family and other important people. In the third stage individuals go

beyond social principles. They know what are the norms and rules of the society and they value

those laws. Adults who do not progress these three stages in their childhood become stuck in

their moral development and as result become deviant and criminal minded. These individual’s

minds have not fully processed the idea of moral and immoral acts and haven’t developed the

sense of society’s laws.

Conclusion

To sum up the entire discussion on what shapes the deviant behavior in adults one could

argue that although the sociological lens provides a wider picture and explanation of deviant acts

but biological and psychological reasoning could not be ignored either. On one hand personal

will and inborn instincts of an individual’s cannot be neglected when it comes to deviating from

the norms of the society, on the other hand, because deviance is associated with breaking the

rules of the society it is understandable that it is the society itself which provokes and shapes an
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individual’s inner deviant. One way to look at it could be through social psychology because it

would give a better reasoning of how external factors change an individual’s internal thought

process that is considers deviating from society norms a normal phenomenon.

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References

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www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/too-many-sisters-affect-male-sexuality.html.

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3, 1953, pp. 235–242. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2771989.

becker, howard s. Outsiders Studies in the Sociology of Deviance .

burr, chandler. Homosexuality and Biology.

Cecconello, william. Evolutionary Psychology: Interfaces Between Natural Selection and

Human Behavior.

Dodge, Kenneth A. “Behavioral Antecedents of Peer Social Status.” Child Development, vol. 54,

no. 6, 1983, pp. 1386–1399. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1129802.

Farrington, David P. “Childhood Origins of Antisocial Behavior.” The Canadian Journal of

Chemical Engineering, Wiley-Blackwell, 27 May 2005,

gaik, lee phaik. Development of Antisocial Behaviour . Elsevier Ltd. , 2010

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Rahman, Qazi. “'Gay Genes': Science Is on the Right Track, We're Born This Way. Let's Deal

with It.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 July 2015,

www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2015/jul/24/gay-genes-science-is-on-the-right-track-were-

born-this-way-lets-deal-with-it.
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Rosennhan, D L. Being Sane in Insane Places.

salakhova, valentina. Substantive (Content-Related) Characteristics of Deviant Behavior as a

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of Adult Social Bonds.” American Sociological Review, vol. 55, no. 5, 1990, pp. 609–627.

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