Deviance 101

By Todd Schoepflin

When I introduce the sociological study of deviance to my students, I make sure to focus on the reactions that people encounter when they violate norms or act in unconventional ways. Think about it: if you violate a norm but there’s no reaction to that violation, is it really deviant behavior? I’m going to discuss several examples of norm violations; some involve reactions, others don’t.

My first example is a true story. A few years ago, a very outgoing student with a great sense of humor came to my social psychology class wearing a huge orange wig. The funny part is that he acted like it was no big deal, as if it were normal to attend class wearing an oversized bright-colored wig. I laughed heartily and explained to the class that his wig was a great example of deviant behavior; after all, no one else had ever come to my class with a crazy wig (and no one has since).

Looking back, though, I don’t think it’s a great example of deviant behavior, because, for whatever reason, the other students didn’t react to his behavior. They were indifferent. I actually offered the only reaction--and the way I laughed conveyed a positive reaction. And though my reaction and my comment about his wig indicated that I thought he was behaving in deviant fashion, no one else seemed to think of it that way. Basically, they didn’t care. Considering that, did an act of deviance really occur?

My next example is hypothetical. Suppose I wear sweat pants everyday to class (That’s a dream of mine, by the way. Some people dream of becoming millionaires and owning mansions. Me, I dream of wearing sweat pants 24-7-365). However, I don’t wear sweat pants for fear that my colleagues would view me as unprofessional.

But would my students care? Maybe at first. I suppose a student might say “You don’t look like a real college professor!” But I bet after just a few classes students would lose interest and find the whole enterprise unremarkable. Even my colleagues would probably get used to it. Sure, some of them might whisper “he’s strange” and my dean might suggest that I dress more professionally, but in the classroom I sincerely doubt I’d get any significant negative reaction.

Don’t get me wrong: it’s unconventional for a professor to wear sweat pants, just like it’s unconventional for a student to wear an orange wig to class. But if reactions to unconventional behavior are mild, minor, or nonexistent, there’s little at stake. In other words, without a significant negative reaction, unconventional actions don’t matter much.

When I introduced the sociological perspective of deviance to students in my introduction to sociology class this semester, one of my students gave an excellent illustration of the importance of reactions when it comes to behavior that is viewed as deviant. She talked about the negative reactions she encountered when she was pregnant. For example, one person said to her “You’re throwing your life away.” What a harsh thing to say to someone! And that’s exactly my point: a hostile reaction is a strong signal that someone’s behavior is received as deviant.

As Irena talked more about her situation she pointed out that some of the disapproval she faced was based on the fact that she wasn’t married. Then, in an e-mail message, she gave me two more examples of negative reactions. One was that some of her friends reacted with an assumption that she would have to drop out of school. Another was that some of her “friends” were initially excited at the news she was pregnant, but have since stopped talking to her and essentially disappeared from her life.

Irena’s experiences show how important it is to focus on the reaction rather than the action. No one would say that being pregnant is a norm violation for all women at all times. We have to take the context into consideration when we try to determine if behavior is deviant, and we have to keep in mind that what is deviant to some people (and to some groups and cultures) is not deviant to other people (and to other groups and cultures). Would a married woman who is 25-years-old be treated as a deviant person because she is pregnant? I doubt it. Conversely, I bet it would be celebrated and received as great news.

During that same class session I used interracial relationships as an example of something that has become more acceptable over time (and hence, less deviant) but something that is still regarded by some in society as unacceptable (and therefore, is still deviant to a degree). It seems to me that interracial relationships are more acceptable in American society than ever before, but people in interracial relationships are still sometimes subjected to negative reactions (for example, see Janis Prince Inniss's blog about a justice of the peace who refused to marry an interracial couple).

Think about this in terms of your family. If you brought your new boyfriend or girlfriend home to meet your family and they belonged to a different race, how would your parents react? And what would your grandparents say? My guess is that many of you would encounter disapproval. By the way, my student Irena told the class that some of the people in her life were more accepting of her when she was in an interracial relationship than they were when she was a pregnant, unmarried college student.

Okay, one more example. When I arrived to class that day to introduce the topic of deviance, I was excited because I love the subject. But my students seemed tired and not ready to engage in any material. So, to break the ice I intentionally told a lame joke to lighten the mood (“Why did the banana go to the doctor? Because he wasn’t peeling well.”) The silly joke served my purpose because it was a simple ice breaker.

Driving home from school that day an interesting thought occurred to me: What if I had told a dirty joke to my class? I’m not saying I wanted to tell a dirty joke or that I tell dirty jokes in my spare time. My point is that a dirty joke would have been extremely inappropriate in a classroom setting. And I think it would have been an example of deviant behavior. I say this because I assume I would have gotten a lot of disapproving reactions. Who knows, depending on the actual content of the joke, some students might have laughed. But I suspect some would have been offended and some would have left class thinking of me as “pervert” or “dirty old man.”

My examples demonstrate the critical role that reactions play when it comes to deviant behavior. You’ll notice that my examples of deviant behavior focus on negative reactions. That’s because negative reactions (like a mean stare, an insult, or an act of discrimination) are clear signals that deviant behavior has occurred. But what about positive reactions? In my example of the student who wore a wig to class, I implied that a positive reaction (my laughter) was part of the reason why his behavior wasn’t really deviant. But can you think of any examples of positive reactions to an action that is believed to be deviant? In other words, is there any deviant behavior that generates a positive reaction? Hmmm, maybe that’s another blog topic for another time…

Comments

[Samantha Valinski]

This article was very interesting. I believe that deviance is different with everyone. People may think one thing is strange while others in another culture will think it is normal. If you violate a normal behavior people will think of you as deviant, but normal is different for all different cultures and for people. So Deviance is different to each person you meet.

[cesar rosas]

Entry #1 Deviance 101 by Todd Schoepflin

In our sociology book, we learn that deviance is not perversion or depravity. It is behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society. The functionalist perspective suggests that deviance is part of human existence, which has negative and positive consequences for social stability. The interactionist perspective uses the labeling theory to try and explain why some people are viewed as deviant and others are not. The conflict perspective suggests that people with power protect their own interests and define deviance to suit their needs. The feminist perspective suggests that many of the current approached to deviance and crime were based on with only men in mind.

In the article, Todd Scoepflin does a good job showing the reactions that people encounter when they violate norms or act in unconventional ways. The example he gives about his student that is pregnant is a prime example. His student Irena gets pregnant and receives negative reactions because she is not married. She is told that she is “throwing her life away” and most of her friends lose contact with her. In our book we learn that people can be assigned a deviant role because of the labels societies give others. Society believes people should be married before bringing children into the world. Schoepflin does a good job raising the question whether or not positive reactions are an act of deviant behavior.

[Shelby]

This blog was clearly written and gave me examples of deviance in different ways. I never really thought that so many things would be considered deviant. Something as simple as wearing a wig to something as big as having a baby out of wedlock.

[Madison]

Thank you for writing this blog. I'm learning about deviance right now in a class and when I read about deviance, I thought it was behavior that was bad and everyone looked down upon. But now I see that deviant behavior isn't always bad or looked down upon by everyone.

[Catherine Marrison]

”. I do not agree with Schoepflin’s (and most sociologists) ideas about society’s reactions. Just because you get a positive reaction or no reaction does not mean you are not deviating from a social norm. For example, just because your parents do not give you a reaction when you drop out of college does not mean you did not deviate from a social norm. Likewise, just because your friends didn’t comment on you using cocaine doesn’t mean you didn’t deviate from a social norm and it also doesn’t mean they didn’t talk about it behind your back in a negative way. I do agree, however, with the notion that the norms may have changed throughout the years, but behaviors that are “socially acceptable” change with the individual’s beliefs and the way one grows up.
For instance, I am against tattoos, and when I own my own business I am not going to hire anyone with visible tattoos because I was raised to believe that doing that to your body is an indication that you don’t care about yourself and your not thinking towards the future. Likewise, if you do not care about yourself, you wont care about my business and upholding the professionalism required to work at my establishment.
On the contrary, most of my friends say that it is socially acceptable to have visible tattoos and that I am old fashioned not to think so. In that case, do social norms depend on the individual or is it the consensus of the public as a whole? Does my own reaction to someone with tattoos HAVE to reflect the opinion of the public in order to be a non-deviant behavior?

[Ariel]

Reading this blog made me think about how teen pregnancy has become the new "cool" thing to do. I am a senior right now and every year that I have been in high school (4 years total) I have at least seen one if not two people in my high school pregnant. When I was a freshmen my reaction was of course negative in thinking, "Wow. They are completely ruining their lives." Now, that I am senior and my boyfriend's best friend's girlfriend, whom I know personally, is having a baby I have a bit more sympathy for her and I congratulate her and her boyfriend and am happy that they are happy about bringing a child into the world. I think one thing cannot be considered deviant as a whole because everyone had their own opinion on what is deviant and what is not.

[Blonde Jokes]

This is the link that gives you the whole presentation immediately. I enjoy and appreciated.

[Aaronmark]

This article was one of the interesting I have read.

http://www.451jokes.com/

[Taylor]

I understand deviance now and see it in different situations at school. An example of deviance was when my brother rolled down the slanted hallway in a wheel chair with a friend on the back. I was surprised and laughed as I saw them thinking that they really shouldn't be doing that.

[Aaron]

I agree that a behavior can only be defined as deviant if there is some sort of reaction to it. Otherwise, it can pretty much be seen as something totally normal and acceptable. I think that deviance is crucial, because it helps to bring about social change and progress.

[Aditya Voruganti]

Do you think it is possible that the reason your students do not notice deviant behavior is because deviant behavior itself these days is not deviant at all? With so many people trying to "stick out" or trying to prove that their "unique," is it really that deviant when we see someone dressed differently? Or speak differently? I believe that deviant is becoming the new norm and that eventually the current norm will become deviant.

[lily]

This article was very interesting. It's interesting to think about how something would be considered deviant behavior to one person and normal to another. I think it puts into perspective how different societies or people are and how many views the world has.

[Amber]

This is a very interesting article. You are right in the fact that deviance is usually recieved with a hostile reaction, but I like how you questioned a postive reaction to a deviant.

[Allie]

That was a very interesting article. I thought that it was funny how one of your students came in an orage wig. I think it would be interesting to see if you think that it can have a positive effect too. I believe that it would but I would like to hear your opinion on something like that.

[Erin]

Wow i love this article and especially like when you talk about interracial relationships. I am white and I have a black boyfriend, my parents initially made a lot of stereotypical jokes but only because they have good senses of humor not because they disprove of my relationship. On the other hand my grandparents (ages 60's) freaked out and thought I was crazy, ghetto, socially unacceptable and thought I was going to get pregnant, use drugs, be a criminal and ruin my life just because of the color of my boyfriends skin. Their negative reactions actually fueled my relationship and brought the two of us closer. if i wouldn't of had my parents approval I don't think I would of had the same reaction to my grandparents. In some peoples eyes i am participating in deviant behavior but for others I'm perfectly normal.

[Kellyn]

Thanks for sharing this article! This showed clear examples of different types of deviant behavior. It’s clear that, as humans, we behave and react in certain ways because of the reactions of our peers. I would completely agree with the fact that’s hard to determine what behaviors are deviant because to certain people a behavior may seems deviant, but to others it’s completely normal. Overall, I agree that a negative reaction to someone’s behavior will make that behavior seem deviant.

[Kay]

When I first started reading about deviant behavior, I assumed that it was only shown in actions that could get you in major trouble. Your blog post was actually really entertaining and educational. It's easier to tell now what deviant behavior is due to people's reactions than the degree of severity of the crime. I guess deviant behavior is more common in our world than previously believed. For example, this younger male student randomly came to school one day wearing a stuffed bra and make up. His friends laughed, and other students gave him odd looks. It was so out of the norm but gave both positive and negative reactions.

[Morgan]

I'm learning about deviance in my sociology class right now and the way I first figured it would be something that was similar as a criminal act. Which it can be but that's not what the definition is. It something that is out of the norm, that society isn't always accepting to. Your point of view and explanation of deviance help me understand the topic much better.

[Noah]

I agree with the fact that without a negative reaction, there is no deviant behavior. And through out the years, people have gotten more used to deviant behavior, therefor not making it deviant as much any more because they got used to it.

[Michaella]

I thought this article was very interesting, and gives great examples of social deviance. It got me thinking though, it was said in the article that the deviant behavior of interracial relationship has become more acceptable over time, and I have seen that first hand. I know from experience of being in high school that teen pregnancies and getting pregnant without being married is happening more and more often. Maybe that "deviant" behavior will become less and less unacceptable over time just as interracial relationships have.

[John Kim]

One thing that I thought was very interesting was how you made the difference between weird behavior and then deviance and how the way to differentiate between the two was people's reactions to it. Initially, I had thought that deviance was just anything that was considered weird or out of the normal set of behaviors which it is technically but actually relies more on the people around you. I really liked how you explained how deviance also is based on a point of view and the people themselves when they are acting in abnormal ways. I liked the example of a teen getting pregnant as compared to someone in their mid 20s.