Deviance and Deviants: A Sociological Approach - Paperback

by William E. Thompson (Author), Jennifer C. Gibbs (Author)

This comprehensive and engaging textbook provides a fresh and sociologically-grounded examination of how deviance is constructed and defined and what it means to be classed a deviant.

• Covers an array of deviances, including sexual, physical, mental, and criminal, as well as deviances often overlooked in the literature, such as elite deviance, cyber-deviance, and deviant occupations
• Examines the popular notions and pseudoscientific explanations upon which the most pervasive myths surrounding deviance and deviants are founded
• Features an analytical through-line assessing the complex and multifaceted relationship between deviance and the media
• Enhanced with extensive pedagogical features, including a glossary of key terms, lists of specific learning outcomes in each chapter, and critical thinking questions designed to assess those outcomes
• Comprehensive instructor ancillaries include PowerPoint slides, a test bank for each chapter, instructor outlines, and sample activities and projects; a student study guide also is available

Back Jacket

Often misconstrued as a synonym for depravity, deviance reflects more profoundly on the socially-constructed norms it is defined in opposition to than on the individual behaviors it is used to describe. This groundbreaking new textbook provides an engaging, sociologically-informed examination of how deviance is defined and what it means to be classed a deviant. Featuring an analytical through-line assessing the role of media in crafting and perpetuating definitions of deviance, the book examines an array of sexual, mental, and criminal deviances, as well as addressing those that are often overlooked, such as elite deviance, cyberdeviance, and deviant occupations. The authors interrogate pseudoscientific explanations for deviant behavior debunking many of the myths associated with deviance.

With questions to measure specific learning outcomes, a rolling glossary of key terms, and insights from people who have themselves been labeled as deviant, Deviance and Deviants will inform and enlighten students interested in better understanding the nuances of society's relationship with deviance.

Author Biography

William E. Thompson is Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He is the co-author of Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology (with J. Hickey and M. Thompson, 8^th edition, 2017) a leading introductory sociology textbook, and Juvenile Delinquency: A Sociological Approach (with J. Bynum, 10^th edition, 2017) one of the foremost textbooks on delinquency studies. Professor Thompson has published more than forty articles in professional journals, including several that have been reprinted in textbooks and anthologies.