The process of deviation in the view of David Matza

Abstract

Critical criminology, born from the labelling approach, shifted the focus from the delinquent subject to the agencies of social reaction. Matza criticizes the positivist method, proposing a naturalistic attitude that apprehends the deviant phenomenon from the deviant's own point of view, setting aside the pathological prejudice and the absolute distinction between normal and pathological. Three paths lead to deviation: affinity, affiliation and signification, the latter being the most important, since the State, by prohibiting conducts and signifying the subject as deviant, becomes a relevant factor in the process, culminating in secondary deviation. Signification fulfills a social function in maintaining order.