Others developed Durkheim's positive view - eg Davis (1937;1961) argues prostitution acts as a 'safety valve' for release of men's sexual frustrations w/o threatening monogamous nuclear family.
Cohen identifies another function of deviance: a warning that an institution is not functioning correctly - eg, high levels of truancy would suggest a problem within the education system that needs to be resolved.
Functionalists have also developed Durkheim's idea of normality/inevitability of deviance - Erikson (1966) argues if deviance performs positive functions, perhaps society is organised to promote deviance. True function of agencies of social control eg police to sustain certain level of crime rather than to rid society of it
Societies sometime also manage to regulate deviance rather than seeking to eliminate it entirely, eg festivals, sporting events and student rag weeks all license misbheaviour than in other contexts, would be punished. Functionalists also may argue that deviance is younger males offers a way for them to cope with the transition to adulthood, therefore performing a positive function. Functionalism shows ways in which deviance is integral to society
Comments
No comments have yet been made