Running head: OBSERVE SOCIAL DEVIANCE 1

Observe social deviance

Brittany Alvarado

Belmont university
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Abstract

This paper documents and analyzes the public behavior or actions that I have observed

others perform and which can be considered deviant. Deviance can be perpetrated by a group or

individuals that do not conform to the norms or values held by most members of society. The

norms are usually relevant or related to the social setting. In this case, this observation takes

place at the entrance of a public building and identifies informal deviant behavior that is often

considered socially unacceptable. Based on my results, letting the door hit those individuals

behind you whether it's walking in or out of the building, disregarding the action of those holding

the door for others, and fully bumping into others to get through without the subtle excuse me or

remorse are all behaviors that have been performed during my observation. These actions seem

to be mostly performed by individuals who seemed to be in a rush and distracted by devices or

conversations.
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Observe social deviance

March 21, 2023, at 1:21 pm, The observation takes place in the front entrance of the Janet

Ayers building at Belmont university, I am sitting in one of the chairs placed at the four corners

of the lobby. I am observing all individuals walking in and out of the building, specifically those

who commit the deviant act of not holding the doors for others or lacking to say “thank you”

when the door is held for them, etc. The societal norm of any public building or public setting is

to display social or cultural etiquette showing respect to those around you. It is a norm to say

“thank you” or hold the door for the individuals behind you when walking in or out of the

building because it is the appropriate behavior relative to the social setting.

The deviant act

At the beginning of the observation, many students were in class and the halls were quite

empty. Every now and then an individual would enter the building while another was exiting,

they would either avoid each other by opening both doors one on the left and the other one on the

right, or they would display the act of kindness by letting one of the individuals go first while the

other held the door. Most times these people would say thank you and smile. Groups of many

individuals who seem to know each other would hold the door for their friends. The informal

deviant acts appeared more when classes ended, and large amounts of people swarmed the halls.

Everyone had somewhere to be, those who were rushing would rush through the open doors

when they were being held by someone else. At times, the one holding the door would let out a

distasteful expression when reacting to those who didn’t say thank you. Others would almost

clash with each other and wouldn’t apologize they'd just keep walking.
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Why is this considered deviant?

These acts would be considered informal acts of deviance, not formal because they aren’t

formally labeled as deviant acts. These acts are informal because they're non-appealing or rude,

and things you’d be opposed to and prevented from doing. This would not be considered

formally deviant because these actions do not go to the extreme of committing a crime. They are

defined as a crime based on our society’s culture and social institutions. These acts are a form of

informal deviance, and this can vary depending on the setting and culture. Examples of informal

deviance include swearing in public, showing up late to a meeting, lying, etc. In this observation

small interactions like those listed above, fall under the informal deviance category because they

are considered actions that lack social etiquette. It is a norm to display the act of kindness in

public buildings by opening the doors for others, it isn’t something you have to necessarily do

but it is an action that is valued by others. This is encouraged, like when in the elevator you

asked those coming in after you what floor they are going to and do the favor of pressing the

button for them, or when simply smiling at them as they walk in the elevator.

Why is this behavior most likely to occur?

To interpret the results, many of these acts were committed solely for distractions,

accidental, or due to time. In rare cases, I saw one individual that stuck out to me, they seemed to

have purposely let the door hit those behind them, whether it was intentional or not it's still an

action that is frowned upon. However, the lack of saying thank you could come to be for various

reasons, whether it was social anxiety, forgetfulness, distracted, or simply refusing to say it. This

behavior is most likely to occur based on the situation or depending on the individual's goodwill

to follow societal norms.

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