Deviant Behavior

Deviant Behavior

Many anthropologists have studied deviant behavior throughout the course of their careers, yet deviant behavior has always been somewhat difficult to define since it can vary from situation to situation and across cultures. It would not be necessarily deviant, for example, to cry at a funeral. In fact, it might even be expected to some degree. On the other hand, if a student was to begin crying hysterically during one of his classes, this could certainly be seen as deviant.

While the term deviance often has negative connotations, it is important to remember that deviant behavior can also include attributes or characteristics that are highly valued (Heckert & Heckert, 2002). For example, in the once popular television show Doogie Howser, the title character was a 16-year-old doctor. If such a doctor actually existed, he would certainly be considered deviant, even though being a genius or academically gifted is not at all a bad thing. In the show, the character Doogie faced problems that were directly associated with his unique situation. He was, after all, different than his peers, and his status as a teenage doctor affected his interpersonal and social relationships.

While one can certainly find examples of modern-day deviance by turning on the television set, anthropologists often choose to study this phenomenon by examining behaviors in other cultures. Interestingly, what is considered to be deviant in one area of the world may be a perfectly acceptable practice elsewhere. In this sense, deviant behavior can be a difficult concept to define. Howard Becker (1963), in his classic examination of deviance, contends that the term is somewhat relativistic. In other words, it can be in the eye of the beholder. This may complicate matters immensely for even the brightest students of anthropology. According to Goode (2008), deviance involves the violation of a norm. Norms are informal rules that govern what we should and should not do. Usually, they are held by a wide segment of society. Of course, they can vary from culture to culture. For example, in America, it is generally considered rude to belch, especially at the dinner table. In other parts of the world, however, this may actually be seen as being polite.

It is important to remember that in order for an individual to be labeled as “deviant,” at least one other person must witness an offending behavior and judge it as breaking a norm. If the behavior is especially egregious, this is likely to result in stigmatization. In some cases, if the norm violates a law, this could even result in an individual's loss of freedom. If an individual commits murder, then he is very likely to be sent to prison or perhaps even executed. This, of course is an extreme case. The vast majority of norms are not laws. For example, while many people might find it repugnant to see someone picking his or her nose in public, one would be hard-pressed to find a law that forbids this activity. Deviant behaviors such as this tend to be sanctioned informally. From an early age, members of society are socialized as to what is and is not acceptable [Page 820]behavior. Small children are usually permitted to break social norms with impunity, since it is assumed that they have not become fully socialized. If a child was picking her nose in public, then this might go virtually unnoticed. If, on the other hand, an adult was doing the same act, then he might receive angry glances or other forms of disapproval. This illustrates that some deviant behavior can vary from person to person, depending on a variety of different variables.

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