The Relativity of Deviance

A high-level of analysis of the relativity of deviance in a short, clearly-written primer intended for use alongside all of the major core deviance textbooks on the market. It answers such questions as: What is Deviant? What is deviant behavior? How should the deviant be treated? Why is the same act sometimes praised and sometimes condemned? Author John Curra answers these questions and more as he explores the meanings of social deviance and public reaction to it. Readers will see that what qualifies as deviance varies from place to place, time to time, and situation to situation. Through humorous, sad, and thought-provoking examples about the blue people of Kentucky, a woman who believes she is a vampire, autoerotic asphyxiates, and others, Curra illustrates that deviance cannot be explained in terms of absolutes, nor can it be understood apart from its social setting. This book approaches sex, violence, theft, drugs, and mental disorders in such a way that definitive or objective judgments become impossible.