Plural of deviance; behaviors, attitudes, or characteristics that depart from social norms or expected standards.
From deviance (from Latin deviare, to turn from the path) + -s plural suffix. The sociological meaning developed in the 20th century to describe non-conforming behaviors.
Sociologists study deviances to understand society—what one culture considers deviant (like eating insects) another celebrates as normal. This word reveals that 'normal' is culturally constructed, not absolute.
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