Social class, self-derogation and deviant response

Summary

A hypothesis is tested that antecedent self-derogation is related to subsequent adoption of each of 20 deviant responses among middle-class but not among lower-class (pre-) adolescents. The hypothesis was derived from a general theory of deviant behavior that viewed deviant responses (as attempts to reduce self-rejecting feelings) as alternatives to the normative response patterns that have become disvalued by virtue of their association with the genesis of negative self-attitudes in the course of membership group experiences. Insofar as the “deviant” responses were compatible with the normative standards of the lower-class subculture but were clearly deviant with reference to middle-class standards it was expected that antecedent self-derogation would predict deviant responses for the middle-class subculture but not for the lower-class subculture.

Data were obtained in the course of a longitudinal study of junior high school students who responded to the first two annually administered questionnaires (N=4, 694). Self-derogation was measured by a factorially derived seven-item scale. Deviant behavior was indicated by externally validated self-reports of 20 acts. Social class was determined in terms of mother's education. The hypotheses were tested for males and females separately considering only subjects who denied performing the deviant act during specified periods prior to the first testing. As hypothesized, regardless of the sex of the subjects, with few exceptions among middle-class subjects but not among lower-class subjects antecedent self-derogation was associated with subsequent adoption of the deviant response. The results were interpreted as supporting the hypothesis and the general theory from which it was derived.