Positivist Definitions of Deviance

Positivist Approach

The positivist approach explains deviance using the three principles of absolutism, determinism, and objectivism. Positivists see deviance as real, measurable, and observable and as the product of certain causes. The idea of absolutism suggests that deviance is caused by psychological or physiological traits of the deviant actors. These traits are intrinsic to individuals and are thought to make deviants different from other nondeviant actors. Early criminologists adopted this aspect of the positivist approach and made analyses on the basis of the physical appearance of the individuals. For example, some facial features were accepted as determinants that an individual would engage in deviant behavior. More recently, some scholars, such as Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi, contend that deviance and crime are caused by people's underlying level of self-control. This trait of self-control is associated with impulsiveness, egocentricity, and lack of empathy, each of which increases the likelihood that an individual will engage in deviance.

Similar to absolutism, the idea of determinism is that the cause of deviant behavior is outside an individual's choice. Following this dictate, positivists often see the social environment or other external factors as the root causes of deviance. Assumptions of anomie, social disorganization, and social control theories are based on this aspect of the positivist approach. Finally, objectivism is the idea that deviant acts and actors are observable and measurable objects in the outside world and can be studied objectively by neutral researchers.

The positivist point of view disregards subjective or phenomenological traits of the deviant act or [Page 537]actor, such as the meaning of deviance to the actor and the experience of deviance. Instead, positivists focus on general observable characteristics of the act and their causes. The positivist approach focuses on norm violations and the etiology of deviant acts and behaviors.

Theories Explaining Deviance with a Positivist Approach

Various theoretical approaches use positivist methodology when studying deviance. In fact, the majority of theories designed to explain deviance are positivist. The main premise shared by these approaches is that deviance emerges under the influence of external forces that constrain individual behaviors and that researchers can study deviance in the same way they study the hard sciences. Positivist theories explain deviance at various levels of analysis and stem from a variety of disciplines (e.g., sociology, psychology, and economics). Major theories focusing on deviance include anomie and related structural theories, control theory, social disorganization theory, and various psychological theories.

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