Deviant Behavior, Seventh Edition

Rating:
Summary: Biased book
Review: I did not care for the subject matter in this book in part because everyone is deviant by the standards of the power elite (except for the power of elite). Homocides are donw by poor minorities, homosexuals are sexually deviants, and the list continues. The book is one sided throughout even down to the last chapters regarding people that are over weight. If you enjoy arguing this is the right book, if not stay open minded when the teacher requests that you discuss it. I had to.

Rating:
Summary: Biased book
Review: I had this book assigned to me to fulfill the requirements of a college level course about 20 years ago. I thought it would be about people we would tend to instantly label "socially deviant". I was wrong--the book changed my way of thinking about the way we label others, how "deviant" the acts of people in socially responsible positions can be, and the effect our tolerance of this behavior can have upon our world as a whole.

This is high praise, and well deserved. The only downside (as some may see it) is that, after digesting the book, one is forced to look at the circumstances in one's own life where a choice may be made to act against what, at some level, is known to be "best behavior". Yes, we can each be quite capable of deviant behaviors. When we stop limiting our perceptions regarding just what "deviant behavior" is, the better we understand that attending to our own ethical standards with diligence and awareness can address some of the "deviance problems" our society suffers most from--those that emerge not from any "underclass", but from the ranks of the so-called middle and upperclasses. They can be the breeding ground for some of the most pervasive and insidious problems afflicting society as a whole, and the hardest to control. The suffering brought on by "white collar" or corporate criminality/negligence is as great as acts deemed to be more obviously abnormal, and every bit as real. But many know nothing of this, because, as Thio states, who is watching the watchdogs? And those who know, often for many reasons fail to act. Thio roots out a true human dilemma, and challenges us to examine it.

This book was so memorable that I have quoted its premise frequently in business and other contexts, and here I am --searching to see if it is still available. I am glad it is.

Rating:
Summary: Thio's Ideas Stand Test of Time
Review: I had this book assigned to me to fulfill the requirements of a college level course about 20 years ago. I thought it would be about people we would tend to instantly label "socially deviant". I was wrong--the book changed my way of thinking about the way we label others, how "deviant" the acts of people in socially responsible positions can be, and the effect our tolerance of this behavior can have upon our world as a whole.

This is high praise, and well deserved. The only downside (as some may see it) is that, after digesting the book, one is forced to look at the circumstances in one's own life where a choice may be made to act against what, at some level, is known to be "best behavior". Yes, we can each be quite capable of deviant behaviors. When we stop limiting our perceptions regarding just what "deviant behavior" is, the better we understand that attending to our own ethical standards with diligence and awareness can address some of the "deviance problems" our society suffers most from--those that emerge not from any "underclass", but from the ranks of the so-called middle and upperclasses. They can be the breeding ground for some of the most pervasive and insidious problems afflicting society as a whole, and the hardest to control. The suffering brought on by "white collar" or corporate criminality/negligence is as great as acts deemed to be more obviously abnormal, and every bit as real. But many know nothing of this, because, as Thio states, who is watching the watchdogs? And those who know, often for many reasons fail to act. Thio roots out a true human dilemma, and challenges us to examine it.

This book was so memorable that I have quoted its premise frequently in business and other contexts, and here I am --searching to see if it is still available. I am glad it is.