Procedural Rules and the Study of Deviant Behavior

Abstract

This paper examines a set of extra-theoretical rules that has for some time dominated the field of deviance: Avoid the evil-causes-evil fallacy. Seek good explanations of evil phenomena. Seek evil explanations of good phenomena. Avoid id arguments. Do not try to explain one thing by the absence of something else. Steer clear of kinds-of-people theories. Do not assume the values of the group making the rules. Appreciate deviance. These rules are a central part of the oral traditions of the field; they frequently appear in print; and they have molded several important theories of deviance. Each of them is criticized from an empiricist point of view. A new set of procedural rules is not proposed.