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 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.

Consensus in Small Groups

Social psychology is typically concerned with the impact of deviance on people who behave in normatively appropriate ways and with the conditions that shape their reactions toward deviants. Most of what is ...

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