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Case Study: Society, The Basics

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Read the sociology case study from Macionis, J. (2011), "Society, The Basics".
1. Why would John be considered a deviant? What social foundations of deviance appear to be evident in this case?
2. Examine the three theoretical foundations of deviance (structural-functional, symbolic-interaction, and social-conflict). Determine which foundation applies to John's situation and why. Give specific examples.
3. Choose three theories, one within each theoretical foundation, those apply to this case. If a foundation does not have an applicable theory, state why and what behavior could have been exhibited that would have reflected that.

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1. Why would John be considered a deviant? What social foundations of deviance appear to be evident in this case?

In the case of John Rommel who was born and raised to an immigrant family from Germany here in the United States, there are a couple of signs that raise questions to as why John chose a deviant path in life. Before we discuss this though we must review the foundation in John's choices and define that of deviance. According to Macionis (2011), deviance is the recognized violation of cultural norms that guide virtually all human activities. John would be considered deviant based the facts provided through his actions of choosing illegal endeavors such as gambling, stealing, and dabbling in organized crimes instead of working for low wages. The social foundations that appear to be evident in the case is that he was possibly raised in a low income neighborhood that might have ...

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