Deviant Behavior [Hardcover]

Alex Thio (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998 | ISBN-10: 0321022610 | ISBN-13: 978-0321022615 | Edition: 5th

Addresses complex theories and research on a wide range of deviant behaviours. In this edition is included a discussion of terrorism, cyberporn, family violence and a global view of homophobia. Examined are traditional and modern theories of deviance which provide background to the analysis.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Alex Thio's best-selling book covers a wide spectrum of theories of deviance and analyzes specific deviant behaviors. The author utilizes an abundance of research data, including much that debunks our common assumptions about deviant behavior. Thus, readers are not only exposed to the full range of theories and data about deviance, but are challenged to think about and evaluate their own biases and preconceptions.

The seventh edition features significant new coverage of current topics, including: recent developments in anomie-strain theory (Chapter 2), stalking, hate-motivated violence, genocide, the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the war on terrorism (Chapter 4), male rape inside and outside the prison, and pedophile priests (Chapter 5), the illegal drug Ecstasy, and the abuse of prescription drugs, particularly OxyContin (Chapter 11). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Alex Thio is Professor of Sociology at Ohio University. Born of Chinese parentage in Penang, Malaysia, he grew up in a multicultural environment. He acquired fluency in Mandarin (modern standard Chinese), Malay, and Indonesian. He also picked up a smattering of English and Dutch. He took French and German in high school and college.

 

Professor Thio attended primary school in Malaysia and high school in Indonesia. He then came to the United States and worked his way through Central Methodist College in Missouri, where he majored in social sciences. Later, he studied sociology as a graduate student at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and he completed his doctorate while working as a research and teaching assistant.

 

Professor Thio regularly teaches courses in deviance, introductory sociology, social problems, and criminology. In addition to teaching, he enjoys writing. He is the author of the Sociology: A Brief Introduction, Society: Myths and Realities (Penguin Academic), and Deviant Behavior.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 414 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley; 5th edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321022610
• ISBN-13: 978-0321022615
• ASIN: 0321014952
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,121,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A sociologist that dislikes the book..., June 12, 2007

By 

GroovyGirl177 (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deviant Behavior (9th Edition) (MySearchLab Series) (Hardcover)

It seems that the negative reviews have come from individuals that find the material to be too "liberal," so I want to clarify up front that I am a liberal & have liberal viewpoints. Additionally, I am a 4.0 student (senior) with a double major in sociology & psychology. Unlike the other reviewers, my complaint is about the reliability of the content. One person did state that Thio does a poor job of updating the text for new editions. I fully agree with that. Most of the references cited are from the 1970s, 80s, & 90s. There are some updated references - but typically just piggy-backed onto old references. In places where it seems that he would learn something by reviewing a new source, there is no new reference.

I don't understand, for example, how he can justify using 70s & 80s data in the "mental disorders" section, as if the psychological field has remained static for 3 decades. On some pages, he used the term "psychoanalytic" interchangeably with "psychological." He claims that theories surrounding biological origins of mental disorder are in conflict with environmental causes of mental disorder, which any psychologist or psychiatrist today can tell you is untrue. Furthermore, he claims that biologic theories dominate the field today & that "psychoanalytic" (which he is also calling psychological) theories dominated the field in the 1950s & 60s, but are less popular today. However, he goes on to quote Freud, who has certainly long-since been discredited. Thio claims that there are 3 types of "functional" (which he essentially defines as "environmental") disorders: psychosis (schizophrenia & manic-depressive disorder), neurosis (anxiety "reaction," obsessive-compulsive "behavior," depressive "reaction," & psychophysiologic disorder), & personality disorders. He says, "This mental disorder has also been called character disorder or sociopathic (psychopathic) disorder." (p. 173) Hopefully you other psychology majors see the problems here. First of all, personality disorders are much more broad than just being a "catch-all" (as Thio implies on the same page) that is labeled as sociopathic. Personality disorders include Borderline Personality Disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder, & Narcissistic Personality Disorder - among others. Secondly, no one in the psychological or psychiatric fields calls anything "character disorder." Third, he implies that he has covered the range of disorders, but even the "desk" version of the DSM-IV-TR is 370 pages long & details over 200 distinct disorders, which obviously means that he should clarify to potentially naïve students that his coverage is not exhaustive. Fourth, he repeatedly references the 1994 DSM-IV, neglecting to reference the 2000 DSM-IV-TR, which has obviously been updated more recently.

The problem is, Thio's tragically dated information is peppered throughout this text. In order for it to teach valid, reliable, & accurate information to eager, young students, the author will need to exert the effort to give it a dramatic overhaul.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thio's Ideas Stand Test of Time, September 14, 2000

By 

Linda Clark-Borre (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deviant Behavior (6th Edition) (Hardcover)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor excuse for current textbook, October 11, 2011

By 

sticb21 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deviant Behavior (10th Edition) (Hardcover)

I will never use this textbook again. I am a professor and this text was chosen for me. It will be the last time I use it. Worthless.

This text book has not been overhauled since the 70's. Most of the information contained within falls into three categories:
--Dated to 1970 (pick any chapter and skim the citation dates if you don't believe me)
--Bias - Example: The author denies there are any psychological or other factors which effect suicide (other then sociological issues).
--Unsupported claims are rampant throughout the text. The author repeatedly makes claims he does not back up or are backed up with research conducted in the 50's (domestic violence for example).

This is a horrible text.