Deviance

2 Pages 480 Words

Deviance – Teen Sex


I’ve chosen to interview a friend who I will refer to as “Betty” for this project. Betty began her deviant sexual behavior as a 14-year-old ninth grader. It was a conscious rebellion against her social and family norms. While sex at the age of 14 is against our social norms, premarital sex at any age was against Betty’s family norms. She was brought up in a strict, religious family where having sex outside marriage was not permitted.
According to Robert Merton’s typology, Betty was in the category of rebellion. By having sex at a young age, she rejected the institutional means of approving the cultural goals. Betty often felt guilty, but still continued to have [protected] sex throughout her high school years. Her behavior seemed to be her way of secretly getting back at her parents and the rigid church/private school environment she was being brought up in. After all, in society’s view she was still a great student who graduated second in her class, was involved in school and community activities, and was a picture of the perfect daughter. Most likely, this justified any guilt she had over her sexual activity.
Even though she was sexually active, her deviant behavior did not seem to hinder her relationships with peers who were not sexually active. Betty’s rationale is that because she had three long-term relationships during high school she was not considered promiscuous, which kept her from getting labeled as a “bad girl.” Also, in the 70’s there were other good students who basically used sex in the same way she did to rebel against family and societal norms.
Her behavior became apparent to her parents once she got involved with a 24-year-old at the young age of 17. They correctly assumed that there would be only one reason a man of that age would hang around with a young girl. Betty never actually left the deviant role, she just became of legal age to conduct he...