Guilt by Association: The Relationship between Deviant Peers and Deviant Labels

This study broadens labeling theory by examining the role deviant peers play in earlier stages of the labeling process. We propose that deviant peers serve as a source of information used in the decision to apply a deviant label by parents and school authorities. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health with cross-sectional (n = 12,011) and longitudinal (n = 9,267) samples, results show that higher levels of peer deviance are related to receiving both informal and formal labels. We also find that associating with deviant peers amplifies the effect of individual deviance on receiving an informal label.     

Responses to labeling attempts: Deviant drinkers’ pathways of label manipulation

Recognizing the traditional labeling approach's view of the label recipient as a passive participant in the labeling process, this paper argues that the symbolic interactional roots of this approach indicate this to be an inappropriate formulation. Rather, it is suggested that label recipients are active participants in the process and their major goal is the reduction of stigma and limited conforming opportunities inherent in label application. For the deviant drinker, there are two available pathways of label negotiation. With initial labeling attempts, it is hypothesized that label recipients should attempt to negotiate reality through deviance avowal, whereas with increasing numbers of prior labeling attempts, deviance avowal becomes the only viable means of reality negotiation. Because of the medicalization of deviant drinking, deviance avowal becomes a means of reducing label‐based social costs through occupation of the repentant‐deviant role. Given the need to invoke certain aspects of the medically based sick role in order to gain entrance into the repentant‐deviant role, it was hypothesized that those attempting to negotiate reality through deviance avowal exhibit attitudes more consistent with the traditional sick role than those attempting to disavow deviance. Although the findings provide general support for these hypotheses, they also indicate inadequacies of the Parsonian sick‐role formulations in deference to the more appropriate repentant‐deviant role model for deviant drinkers attempting to avow deviance.     

Every cloud has a silver lining: positive effects of deviant coworkers

Drawing on the labeling perspective of deviance, we investigate employee reactions to coworkers perceived as deviants. We look at two positive effects for employees in the presence of a deviant coworker. First, in comparison to a deviant individual, other employees can draw more positive conclusions about themselves; and second, a deviant can be informative about organizational norms, thereby improving employee role clarity. We also examine individual and situational moderators. For the purpose of the study, we developed a measure of the presence of a deviant. The hypothesized relationships were tested in two large samples using multiple regression analyses. The results revealed that in the presence of a deviant coworker, employees reported enhanced self-evaluation. The presence of a deviant coworker was associated with better role clarity only for employees with more interdependent jobs. We also discuss practical implications of the findings and future research directions.     

Not quite normal,but not really deviant: Some notes on the comparison of elite athletes and women political activists

Elite athletes and women political activists are compared to analyze the notion of “defiance.” First, it is established that each of these groups is perceived and defined as slightly deviant. It is then shown that traditional concepts of labeling fail to provide an adequate explanation for how deviant labels are applied to and used by these particular deviant actors. The elite athletes and women activists cultivate their marginality so as to appear not quite normal, but not really deviant. By straddling the boundary between deviance and normalcy, the members of each group gain a good vantage point from which to ideologically advance social change efforts.     

Gender,Attributions of Responsibility,and Negotiation of Deviant Labels in Small Groups

Incorporating both attribution and labeling theory, this article examines the negotiation of deviant labels in small groups, with emphasis on how that process is influenced by attributions of responsibility and the gender of group members. Pressures associated with goal-directed groups make deviant labeling and resistance a common occurrence, especially when the actions of members significantly interfere with group goals or normative expectations. Findings based on the analysis of narrative responses to vignettes demonstrate the prevalence and importance of accounts and conciliatory actions for mitigating group conflict and avoiding negative outcomes. Calling problematic members into account while avoiding hostile undertones effectively initiates dialogue and facilitates the negotiation of group strategies for completing tasks. However, the data also suggest that while deviant group members frequently offer accounts for objectionable behavior, such accounts are rarely honored by conforming members. The results also support previous work showing that women are more likely than men to use calls for accounts to seek mutually satisfactory solutions to group problems. In addition to accounts and conciliatory gestures, displays of interpersonal hostility and the formation of coalitions against the deviant were also found to be consequential elements of the deviance negotiation process.     

The emergence and effects of deviants in low and high status groups

We test the proposition, derived from social identity theory and the subjective group dynamics model, that a group member who undermines the in-group’s quest for positive status will be perceived as a “deviant.” Using a minimal group paradigm, participants (N=104) were assigned to either a high or a low status group. They were then confronted with an in-group member who claimed that the status differentials were either legitimate or illegitimate. We found that a group member who claimed that the status differences were legitimate in a low status group, or illegitimate in a high status group, was seen as less valuable to the in-group than a more neutral in-group member. Furthermore, such deviants were less likely to be selected for group leadership than neutral group members. Finally, the presence of a deviant undermined the cohesion of the group. The results are discussed in terms of the social functions of deviant rejection for obtaining or preserving positive group distinctiveness.     

External threat and the definition of deviance

Research ( Lauderdale , 1976; Schachter , 1951) suggests that an external threat to a group can lead to the rejection of deviant members of the group and alteration of group communication patterns and solidarity. This study sought to extend those findings, integrate them with concepts from Simmel 's (1917/1955) work on group conflict, and link them to key issues in the societal reaction approach to deviant behavior. We examined the effect of variation in level of threat, the relationship between deviant status and nonconformity to the central task norm, the role of high-status actors in deviance designation, the relationship between rejection and negative definition of the deviant, and the effects of rejection and negative definition on group solidarity. Hypotheses were tested in an experimental design involving three conditions (strong threat, weak threat, and no threat). The results suggest that (a) the level of threat is directly related to the extent of rejection and negative definition, (b) nonconformity to the central task norm is not systematically related to deviant status, (c) high-status actors are more involved in the rejection of the deviant, (d) sociometric rejection of the deviant is accompanied by negative definition in the strong-threat condition, and (e) the level of group solidarity is related to the extent of rejection and negative definition. Implications of these findings are discussed relative to the societal reaction approach to deviant behavior and analogous processes in other social groups.     

Factors associated with parent labeling of children referred for conduct problems

Clinicians have suggested that in some cases normal children have been inappropriately labeled as deviant by their parents and taken to psychological clinics for treatment. Reasons given for such inappropriate labeling have included factors such as the parents' marital distress and intolerance of normal child behavior. This study provided an empirical examination of the appropriateness or inappropriateness of parent labeling of 5–12-year-old children referred by their parents for treatment of conduct problems. The definition of inappropriate labeling derived by the present investigators required that the relationship between the child's actual behavior and the parent's negative label be so imperfect as to raise questions about the justification for the label, and that some identifiable factors other than the child's behavior account for the negative label. Three parent factors evaluated for their contribution to the parent negative label were marital distress, parent negative behavior toward the child, and parent distress about child deviant behavior. The statistical model of hierarchical multiple regression permitted analysis of this definition. The association found between observed child deviant behavior and the parent negative label suggested that parents of this sample perceived their children reasonably accurately. The three parent factors were found to be negligibly related to the parent label. Therefore, the conditions for inappropriate labeling of the children by the parents of this sample were not met.     

同伴地位与青少年冒险行为的关系:一个有调节的中介模型

为探讨同伴地位影响青少年冒险行为的作用机制及条件,采用青少年冒险行为问卷、同伴提名问卷、自我控制能力问卷、同伴群体特征问卷对山东省日照市1288名初高中学生进行调查。结果发现,（1）同伴地位负向预测青少年冒险行为,该预测作用是通过交往不良同伴的中介作用实现的;（2）交往不良同伴对青少年冒险行为的预测受到个体自我控制能力的调节。对于高自我控制能力青少年,其冒险行为与交往不良同伴无关,但低自我控制能力青少年会因交往不良同伴而参与更多冒险行为。结果提示培养良好的自我素质,塑造良好的同伴环境对于青少年的健康发展有重要作用。     

Multiple suicide attempts and informal labeling: an exploratory study

Attempted suicide is considered to be a form of deviant behavior. Multiple suicide attempts are evaluated within the labeling perspective. Specifically, it is determined if labeling theory can explain acts of repeated suicide attempts as a form of deviance. Two hypotheses are created to test the influence of informal labeling on multiple suicide attempts. Family and friends constitute the categories most important in informal labeling. Labeling by them is measured through a series of behavioral scales. It is hypothesized that the greater the labeling by each of these categories, the greater the likelihood of recurrence of attempted suicide. It is also predicted that the greater the "self concept as suicidal," the greater the likelihood of recurrence. Labeling by family and friends was found to be significantly related to repeat. Conclusions about the relationship between "suicidal self-concept" and repeat were not drawn.     

Developmental trajectory classes in substance use disorder etiology.

Three trajectory classes culminating in substance use disorder (SUD) were discerned in a longitudinal study of boys from ages 10-12 to 22 years. Neurobehavior disinhibition, parental SUD, socioeconomic status, and affiliation with deviant peers were measured at baseline. Approval of socially nonnormative behavior was measured at ages 10-12, 12-14, 16, and 19 years. Two high-risk trajectories, indicated by increasing approval of antisociality and progressive social maladjustment during adolescence (SUD rate = 72.7%) and stable high level of disturbance (SUD rate = 85%), were identified. Individual characteristics (neurobehavior disinhibition) in conjunction with contextual factors (low socioeconomic status, parental SUD, affiliation with deviant friends) promote approval of antisociality during adolescence and a high rate of SUD by young adulthood.     

Child psychopathology and deviant family hierarchies

The association between child psychopathology and reversals in family hierarchies (where the child is seen as equal or higher in the hierarchy than the parental figures) were examined with the Madanes Family Hierarchy Test on a sample of 177 clinic-referred boys. Madanes' original findings of the association of substance use and deviant family hierarchy were replicated in this younger sample, (age 7 to 12). Boys diagnosed with Conduct Disorder reported significantly more deviant hierarchies while boys diagnosed with Overanxious Disorder reported significantly fewer deviant hierarchies. Follow-up results revealed some instability and lack of informant agreement, but the hierarchy measure was not confounded by age, race, SES, IQ, or parents' marital status.     

Contextual amplification of pubertal transition effects on deviant peer affiliation and externalizing behavior among African American children.

The effects of the pubertal transition on behavior problems and its interaction with family and neighborhood circumstances were examined with a sample of 867 African American children 10-12 years of age. Pubertal development status, pubertal timing, and primary caregivers' parenting behaviors were significantly related to affiliation with deviant peers and externalizing behaviors. Externalizing behavior among early-maturing children was associated positively with primary caregivers' use of harsh-inconsistent discipline and negatively with nurturant-involved parenting practices. Disadvantaged neighborhood conditions were significantly associated with deviant peer affiliation. The effect of pubertal transition varied according to family and neighborhood conditions: Early-maturing children living in disadvantaged neighborhoods were significantly more likely to affiliate with deviant peers. Early-maturing children with harsh and inconsistent parents were significantly more likely to have externalizing problems.     

Socialization and behavioral problems of elementary school pupils with developmental coordination disorder

The present study examined the role of the developmental coordination disorder in 154 children's socialization and the expression of deviant behaviors in the context of Greek primary education. For assessment of their motor coordination, the Movement Assessment Battery for Children of Henderson and Sugden was used. The peer nomination method (sociogram) was used for the estimation of children's social status, and the expression of deviant behaviors was assessed via Conners' Teacher Questionnaire. Analyses showed that developmental coordination disorder was associated with poor socialization and the expression of deviant behaviors. These findings support the development of educational programs to include children with poor motor coordination.     

Positive-Negative Asymmetry in the Evaluation of Trivial Stimuli

Abstract

The theory of the master status predicts that people who are seen as deviant in one respect come to be seen as deviant in other respects. American undergraduates filled out a questionnaire on which they were asked to attribute characteristics to two deviant (atheist and homosexual) and two nondeviant (Catholic and Republican) groups. It was found that the former groups were seen as lower class, extremely liberal, having had more permissive parents, more in need of counseling, using drugs more, less satisfied with various aspects of their lives, and as having less control over their lives. Furthermore, the respondents' own attitudes toward the deviant group or membership in the nondeviant group did not have an impact on how the groups were ranked in most instances. The results, then, provided strong support for the master status theory.     

Attitudes and the attribution of mental disorder

Among the problems of understanding mental pathology through a labeling perspective is the need to understand more about the attributional process itself. It is postulated that characteristics of observers, in particular their attitudes, influence the attribution of mental disorder to individuals manifesting deviant behavior. Questionnaire items were factor analyzed to produce several dimensions of attitudes and types of deviance. Tests of seven sub‐hypotheses provide support for the major hypothesis that the probability mental disorder will be attributed by an observer to an actor is positively related to the degree an actor's behavior (implying beliefs or attitudes) differs from the beliefs and attitudes of the observer.     

Deviant peer affiliations,crime and substance use: a fixed effects regression analysis

The present study was designed to assess the influence of deviant peer affiliations on crime and substance use in adolescence/young adulthood. Data were used from a 21-year longitudinal study of health, development, and adjustment of a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand children. Annual assessments of deviant peer affiliations were obtained for the period from age 14–21 years, together with measures of psychosocial outcomes including, violent crime, property crime, alcohol abuse, cannabis abuse, and nicotine dependence. Affiliating with deviant peers was found to be significantly associated with each of these outcomes (p < .0001). Statistical control for confounding by both fixed and time dynamic factors reduced the strength of association between deviant peer affiliations and outcome measures. Nevertheless, deviant peer affiliations remained significantly associated (p < .0001) with all outcomes. For violent/property crime, cannabis and alcohol abuse there was significant evidence of age-related variation in the strength of association with deviant peer affiliations, with deviant peer affiliations having greater influence on younger participants (14–15 years) than older participants (20–21 years). These results suggest that deviant peer affiliations are associated with increased rates of a range of adjustment problems in adolescence/young adulthood with deviant peer affiliations being most influential at younger ages.     

tranny boyz: cyber community support in negotiating sex and gender mobility among female to male transsexuals

Female-to-male transsexuals (FTMs) are aware that manhood is a test that is separate from simple anatomical maleness. Failure to pass the test carries a penalty of exclusion from the desired rank as well as stigmatization as deviant for having attempted such a feat. Armed with this awareness, they are utilizing modern technology to form a community of virtual support, a study group of sorts, that will facilitate passing that test. This project identifies, through content analysis, various themes of concerns of female-to-male transsexuals who post on the Internet. The themes include concerns about gender status production, including issues such as “passing,” surgical worries, legal avenues and blockades, and social support. These themes relate directly to FTMs’ real-world ideologies about themselves as men. They recognize their central problem as one which debates the nature of manhood as either an ascribed or achieved status, and in self-reflexive fashion are able to see themselves as non-deviant in one gender category, yet deviant to onlookers while in another gender category. For FTMs, the fear is that even if medical and legal obstacles can be overcome, social obstacles and social stigmatization may not. Yet, in their cyber-community, a number of FTMs have found acceptance and understanding to be less elusive than what they find in the real world.     

父母控制与青少年问题性网络使用：越轨同伴交往的中介效应

以往研究探讨了父母控制与青少年问题性网络使用（PIU）的关系,但它们在父母控制的操作定义、独特效应检验、函数形式分析等方面不够完善,且较少对中介机制进行探讨。本研究考察了不同形式的父母控制（行为控制 vs. 心理控制）与青少年PIU的直接联系,以及越轨同伴交往在其中的中介效应。选取703名初中生作为被试,匿名填写人口学问卷、父母控制问卷、越轨同伴交往问卷和青少年PIU量表。回归分析表明：（1）在控制了性别、年龄和家庭社会经济地位后,父母行为控制和心理控制对青少年PIU分别具有线性的抑制效应和促进效应;（2）父母行为控制和心理控制对越轨同伴交往分别具有线性的抑制和促进效应,进而作用于青少年PIU。因此,父母行为控制和心理控制与青少年PIU具有密切的联系,且越轨同伴交往在其中具有中介效应。     

School Connectedness and Problematic Internet Use in Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Deviant Peer Affiliation and Self-Control

Although a growing body of research documents the negative association between school connectedness and adolescent problematic Internet use (PIU), little is known about the mediating mechanism (i.e., how school connectedness relates to PIU?) and moderating mechanism (i.e., when the protection is most potent?) underlying this relation. The present study examined whether deviant peer affiliation mediated the relationship between school connectedness and PIU, and whether this mediating process was moderated by adolescent self-control. A total of 2,758 Chinese adolescents (46 % male; mean age?=?13.53 years, SD?=?1.06) from 10 middle schools completed anonymous questionnaires regarding school connectedness, deviant peer affiliation, self-control, and PIU. After controlling for gender, age, socioeconomic status, and parental attachment, it was found that the negative association between school connectedness and adolescent PIU was partially mediated by deviant peer affiliation. Moreover, this indirect link was stronger for adolescents with low self-control than for those with high self-control. These findings underscore the importance of integrating the social control theory and organism-environment interaction model to understand how and when school connectedness impacts adolescent PIU.