Which concept explains that laws and rules are created through cultural norms and perceptions?

• A. Social construction
• B. Deviance
• C. Biological theories
• D. Genetic theories

Answer: (A)

Laws and rules are social constructs shaped by the norms, values, and perceptions of a culture. In criminology, this means what a society defines as crime or acceptable conduct isn’t fixed; it’s negotiated through institutions, media, and power dynamics. As public attitudes and social priorities shift, so too can the legal codes. This helps explain why different cultures have different laws and why laws evolve over time—they reflect the changing meanings a society assigns to acts and behaviors.

Deviance describes behavior that violates norms, but it doesn’t explain how those norms become formal laws. Biological and genetic theories look for innate factors that might influence criminal behavior, not the way laws themselves are created through social meaning.