Theories of Deviance Every society has its conventional norms that everyone is expected to adhere to at all times. Violation of dominant norms is usually met with harsh punishments as society views violation of social norms as deviance. Deviance, according to Thio, Taylor, and Schwartz (2012), is any behavior that violates the dominant norms of society. In contrast, in sociology, the term deviance is used to refer to the violation of society's social norms. According to Henslin et al. (2013), deviant behaviors vary in magnitude and can be small, from violating traffic rules to murder. Normally, what is considered deviant behavior varies from one society to another. For example, while some societies consider possession or use of marijuana to be deviant behavior, such as Canada, some societies, such as Jamaica, do not consider possession or use of marijuana to be deviant behavior. In Canada, section 4.3 of the Criminal Code considers the possession or use of marijuana to be a crime, therefore deviant behavior. This implies that possession or use of marijuana violates Canadian social norms. Although sociologists agree on the definition of deviance, Henslin et al. (2013) noted that there has been strong disagreement about why people engage in deviant behaviors. Persistent disagreements have led to the emergence of several theories of deviance that attempt to explain how deviance operates in society. Theories include structural strain theory, labeling theory, social control theory, differential association theory, and deterrence theory. However, as much as one can rely on the perspectives of all theories, differential association theory appears to be a theory that best explains how deviance operates... middle of the paper... best at explaining deviance. The theory holds that deviance is learned through social interaction with others, which is true of what can be observed in society. This certainly makes differential association theory the best at explaining how deviance operates. Works Cited Brinkerhoff, D., Ortega, S., & Weitz, R. (2013). Essentials of sociology. Toronto, ON: Cengage Learning.Clinard, M., & Meier, R. (2010). Sociology of deviant behavior. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Henslin, J. M., Glenday, D., Duffy, A., & Pupo, N. (2013). Sociology: a down-to-earth approach, sixth Canadian edition, loose-leaf version. Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Canada.Sacco. (1992). Deviance: Conformity and control in Canadian society. Ontario, ON: Prentice-Hall Canada. Thio, A., Taylor, J. D., & Schwartz, M. D. (2012). Deviant behavior. Princeton, New York: Pearson Education, Limited.