Opinion Deviance

Deviance can be loosely defined as any conduct that diverges from normative expectations. These expectations may originate from observations of what most people actually do or say in specific situations or from socially transmitted propositions that are internalized by individuals and stipulate what, in general, people ought to do or [Page 617]say. For the present purposes, the important point is that people who fail to meet these expectations often attract disapproval from other people. Such disapproval may translate into negative evaluations of the deviants or even their expulsion from their group.