In his book Outsiders, studies in the sociology of deviance, Becker discusses the concept of subcultures and deviance in society. A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Members can be seen as outsiders. Becker defined outsiders as “People who are judged by others in to be deviant and thus to stand outside the circle of ‘normal’ members of the group.”

“Career”

The concept of career refers to the sequence of movements from one position to another in an occupational system made by any individual who works in that system. A deviant career can start when someone does something distinctive. This path can be continued, or not. If someone is caught in his deviant action, then it is more likely to develop some sort of a pattern. If seen by society, the individual will be marked as deviant and will be treated like that. Because of the isolation which that will cause, more deviant behaviour will be developed. The individual will not feel comfortable in big social groups, and an outsider is born.

What about me?

I was never aware of the fact that I was part of a subculture at the time, but when I was younger I was definitely part of one. It started with dying my hair in darker and brighter colours like black and pink, and wearing darker and bigger clothes. Because of the unusual clothes and haircut, society marked me as deviant. There was a subculture with ‘people like me’. I slightly blended in with a group called ‘alternatives’. By joining the group of ‘alternatives’, I felt more comfortable for who I was. I was not that deviant anymore.

Differences

In 1963, when the book Outsiders was published, things were quite different then they are now. The examples Becker is using are quite outdated. Concerning the position of woman, black people or gay people in our society, is not something that still counts. The use of marihuana is also not something that still makes an individual as deviant. Becker sees these groups of people as outsiders. In our current society of super diversity, you cannot say that those people don’t fit the norm and that they don’t belong. There are still norms in our society, but the line between ‘normal’ and ‘deviant’ is much thinner nowadays. Because the movement of our culture to digital media and the internet, we are much more willing and capable of understanding each other.  

References

Becker, H. (1963), Outsiders: studies in the sociology of deviance. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company.