I’m Proud of You, Please Stop: Individualism, Activism, and the Limits of the Normative/Deviant Binary

• In Event: 3271 - Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity

Abstract

This study is based on two related sociological observations. First, individualism is a dominant American value. Second, actors use a value system to classify some behaviors as “good” which are encouraged and rewarded with moral approval, while other behaviors are labeled as “bad” and discouraged and punished by some type of disapproval; this is a “normative/deviant binary” that underpins a substantial degree of sociological research. So, if individualism is a dominant American value, and norms are a primary way that values are communicated, do messages about individualism match sociological expectations about the way social norms work? Using interviews with current and former activists over a period of three years, I find that they do not. In contrast to social norms, “social concern” consists of warnings about risks instead of delivering sanctions for failure to meet a particular cultural standard, which can lead friends and family to discourage an activist from undertaking a socially valued activity. The present study suggests that while traditional values lead to a normative/deviant binary, individualist messages often exist outside of it.

Author

• Jonathan Horowitz, Carolina Population Center