Extreme Deviance

This book takes a look at normative violations that earn the violators a deviant identity in the eyes of the members of mainstream society. And so serious, likewise, that the lives of violators do revolve around the actions, the beliefs, or the characteristics, as well as the consequences such violations have, mainly with respect to the social reactions they generate in others. When others really don't like what you do, believe, or are, they usually let you know that in no uncertain terms, and this is likely to drastically alter your life. In other words, when we refer to "extreme" deviance, we are looking at the process and consequences of creating what Howard Becker refers to as outsiders (1963). Becker's examples do not match his theoretical approach because they are out of date (jazz musicians and marijuana smokers).