Socialization and the Normalization of Deviance: A Partial Test of Social Learning Theory

Social Learning theory was partially tested by utilizing a survey that gauged how participants may have acquired drug, criminal, or socially deviant behaviors or attitudes through socializing with their family, friends, community, or through no socialization with a deviant. The focus of this study was to test if socialization could lead to the normalization of deviant behaviors, and the varying amounts of influence that each social group has on the learning of a deviant behavior. The survey showed a significant relationship between engaging in criminal, social, and drug deviant behaviors and socializing with a deviant who does the same behavior. It was also determined that the primary social group in all categories to contribute to learning a deviant behavior was friends, followed by family for drug and criminal deviance and then community, but for social deviance, friends are followed by community then family.