Section H Homework Assignment- Deviance

1. Describe an occasion in which you were caught engaged in a primary deviant
act and thus was labeled a deviant.
My deviant act, was becoming a unmarried pregnant teen.

2. What were the effects of this label?

A) How did it affect your self identity?
I was never embarrassed about being pregnant but I was embarrassed
by statistics that follow pregnant teens. They will be a drain on society. They will
not get a education. They will not make anything out of themselves etc.
Being pregnant at 18 made me and my husband (boyfriend at the
time) grow up very fast. You have a lot of decisions that need to be made. We
needed to figure out how we were going to pay the doctor and hospital bills. We
became very tight with money. Being able to spend money freely ended.
I became very aware of looks people would give me. I felt very
judged at times. I started isolating myself from any situation where I would have
to interact with new people, because I did not want to have to explain myself or
have someone how difficult things would be for me.. I grew closer to my true
friends and family.
Being pregnant at a young age gave me the determination to prove to
myself and others that I could be a good parent and still follow my dreams.

B) How did it affect how you were treated by others?
There are allot of very noisy people. I was asked questions by
complete strangers that someone older and pregnant would have never been asked.
I remember a women in the store asked me if I was married, when I replied no,
she rolled her eyes at me and said, than who’s going to take care of your baby? It
won’t be my tax dollars. I just walked away.
When we went to the hospital to have our baby the nurse asked us
how this was going to be paid for. My husband looked at the nurse and told her
it’s already paid through the prepaid program they offered. The nurse treated us
much nicer after that. Many years ago McKenzie Willamette had a prepaid
maternity program set up. Both of us worked and the opportunity was available to
make payment so we did.
Even now when people ask about my family I get judgment
comments. Things like: How old were you when you had your daughter 12. My
favorite is when I am asked how old the kids are and how long we have been
married. The person will say now that just doesn’t seem to add up does it or is he
the father or you oldest daughter.
The label of being a pregnant when I was a teen still comes up and we
are judged.

C) Did this labeling increase, decrease or have no obvious effect on your
deviant behavior?
I did and still do get frustrated and angry with stranger who fell they
have the right to explain what I did was wrong. Other than that I don’t think it had
an effect on my deviant behavior.

3) Explain how these effects are examples of secondary deviants.
I think support for teens who become pregnant is much better today then
when I was pregnant. Schools have care facilities for teens so they have a place
for there child to go will they finish school. There are clinics in some schools.
These clinics offer prenatal care and even offer birth control.
There is pressure from family, friends and society not to let the same
mistake happen twice. One can be looked as a accident but twice is looked at as
stupidity on your part. I think getting pregnant a second time as a teen is a big
example of secondary deviance. It’s telling society getting pregnant is not
something they can control. Society can not make you not get pregnant. They
don’t sterilize teens for getting pregnant or require any special reform schools.
Society wants to control teen pregnancy by education. Education is great
and teen pregnancy has dropped, but it is still high among different groups. I have
read among some groups having a baby is almost expected by other teens. I
believe this is more of a act of deviance than not intending to get pregnant.
I admit now that I am older I do judge teens that are pregnant and have
babies. I don’t judge them for what they did but rather for what there not doing. I
judge them if they are not finishing school or if they are depending on society to
foot the bill for there decision.