The Positive Deviance Concept: Pro and Con

Abstract

ABSTRACT Multiple sociologists use the term, “positive deviance,” to refer to a sociologically meaningful category of behavior. Earlier, the author questioned the concept’s utility on the basis of its grab-bag, miscellaneous character – and hence, the inability of any known sociological theory to explain or account for it – as well as the fact that its components, “positive” and “deviance” are based on qualities lodged in distinctly separate dimensions. Still, curious about how sociologists of deviance regard the concept, the author contacted more than 200 instructors of the course and asked them how they feel about its coherence and utility; out of the 50 replies, only a quarter (N = 12) of the respondents rejected the meaningfulness of the concept out of hand, while two-thirds (N = 33) accepted it; the remaining one out of ten (N = 5) weren’t sure or reacted non-judgmentally. Though not rigorous or consistent, the concept seems to have achieved a secure place in the sociology of deviance literature; perhaps, on that basis, the nay-sayers should re-think their opposition to the concept.