Positive Deviance and Random Acts of Kindness
Positive deviance occurs when the people of a community perform random acts of kindness towards other locals in order to improve the lives of others who share the same community. The positive and charitable behavior of positive deviance does not follow social norms because much of the help may be given to acquaintances and strangers in the community while more common social norms promote giving aid to relatives and close friends. On the other hand, negative deviance occurs when people commit acts that are considered immoral, wrong, unhealthy, or violent by the dominant culture.
In comparison, while both forms of deviance violate social norms, one focuses on improving society while the other prefers to disassociate from the community or overturn societal values.
According to the researchers Marsh, Schroeder, Dearden, Sternin, and Sternin, social mobilization, information gathering, and behavior change are key factors in succeeding with positive deviance because, respectively, they result in motivation to do right, finding the fitting behaviors to adopt for positive change, and the speed of actual change for community members. Marsh, Schroeder, Dearden, Sternin, and Sternin also state that this still functions in poverty-stricken locations where it is much more difficult for basic needs to be met because “mothers who were more likely to confidently share new knowledge about child care and feeding with their neighbours.”
Positive deviance results in learning because those who can provide help can inspire others to do the same while those who need the aid will receive it — those in dire need will at least feel cared for while those that are in more prosperous situations can create a positive cycle.
Positive deviance impacts society as a whole because it results in improving individuals, communities, and the larger culture of society.
Local Organized Positive Deviance
The community of Otero County in Colorado has experienced several publicized forms of positive deviance over the last 20 years, but many of these events and forms of publication are not easily available online, so the focus was placed on more recent events that can be referenced through a local e-newspaper. One example of positive deviance is the head shaving that takes place during the annual event for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. According to Bette McFarren of the La Junta Tribune-Democrat, this nonprofit is “a volunteer-powered charity, funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization, except the U.S. government.”
Volunteers can register to be shaved for the event, or they can show up on the very day and have their hair shaved off. The shaving is mainly done to spread awareness of cancer and how it affects children. It is likely that some people will wonder why someone’s hair has been shaved off, especially when they are women and girls, which results in an eye-opening conversation about childhood cancers.
Many families are unable to afford cancer treatment for their children while some do suffer from cancers that are rare, and donations make a positive difference to their lives. People can choose to attend the event to socialize and donate, or they can choose anonymity by donating to the nonprofit’s website.
There are a few nonprofit organizations in Otero County, but a local establishment that has helped many families receive help, while others have been able to provide it through this nonprofit, is the Arkansas Valley Pregnancy Center. The Arkansas Valley Pregnancy Center is known for family planning under a pro-life stance, and they have an annual walk to raise money. This year, the Walk for Life event takes place on May 9th with the usual walk and outdoor games.
As revealed by the La Junta Tribune-Democrat, a vehicle known as “Ann the Van” will be providing ultrasounds during the day because “women who are considering abortion for an unplanned pregnancy will choose life 96 percent of the time after seeing their baby on ultrasound.” The Arkansas Valley Pregnancy Center is known for convincing mothers of all ages to not abort their pregnancies, and they offer free services such as counseling and items for babies which are available because of the annual funding. Young adult women especially benefit from this aid.
Some people prefer to donate anonymously to the center while others will participate at the Walk for Life in order to mingle among other community members.
Personal Experiments with Positive Deviance
I did plan out what acts of positive deviance I would specifically do, but I do not schedule most interactions because I knew I would become anxious or forget, so the results were mainly by chance. I decided I would give a compliment to every person that I met, and my goals were to say something honest because I did not want to make a false statement. I only succeeded with complimenting one person, but it was on an important date for her.
At another time, I was driving around, and I remembered reading an old magazine article that advised acts of kindness what were anonymous and ideal for introverts. I stopped by a local library and left three short sayings of encouragement, each inside a different book, in varying shelf areas.
Additionally, my sister convinced me to pay for someone’s coffee while we were at the coffee shop which meant that the following customer would not have to pay for $5 of their order. Since no one carried more than they could handle while we were conversing casually, I did not have the chance to open the door for anyone without seeming desperate. There was one day where I was able to listen to two different people happily discuss their lives — one about travel and both of her young adult children and the other about their antiques collection.
I think my attempts at positive deviance went fairly for the past couple of weeks. As for reactions by the recipients of my positive deviance, I could not wait long enough to witness the library situation, but I did have some impact with the other attempts.
People seem to like being listened to when they are passionate about their feelings or ideas, so I tried to understand with more awareness than usual these last two weeks. I can see that other people like being asked questions that add to their side of the conversation, and moments of agreement such as “I feel the same way” seem to brighten the mood of others. I was having a deep conversation with my sister at the coffee shop, so I was not paying attention, but I imagine that the woman who was the recipient of my positive deviance appreciated it. More than anything, the owner of the coffee shop was happy about my decision, and I did explain to him that my act was an act of positive deviance, and he stated that it’s actually a norm for people to do that in his shop.
For example, he revealed that a person once left enough of a payment that 13 different individuals were able to pay for their whole order. As for the one person I complimented, she smiled. I think I made several other people smile.
At least no one reacted negatively — as far as I know. I point this out because it is possible for someone to feel uncomfortable during an act of positive deviance because, in the end, it still is deviance or not normal behavior. The article by Gail Cole adds that “Some recipients in the positive deviance flee: They refuse the free coffee, for example, or run from an outstretched umbrella.” I could never imagine someone simply running away from receiving a gift, but it must be cultural. Honestly, pride — even when living in poverty — may be a reason, and others who are wealthier just know that they don’t need it.
It may be different if anonymity were used, rather than having to face the person who is performing positive deviance, since that may make it more embarrassing. I was anonymous in most of my random acts of kindness, and those that weren’t anonymous were somewhat awkward, but no one refused anything — I believe.
I did leave nice sayings inside those library books, and I would like to think that someone will eventually open each book and feel positive about what they find, but it is possible that someone may notice the note and only throw it away without thinking about it. I should mention that I would never run away from free coffee, but to each their own.
Reflecting
I think I have had an obsession with negative deviance or rebellion because I have always been bothered by groups of people because they seem untrustworthy. Besides preferring certain behaviors that may not be considered the norm, the call to be “different” may be what inspires some deviances — aside from poverty, greed, and mental illness.
I never thought to consider positive deviance as a way to be different without creating chaos. Random violations of social norms, in a helpful way, could definitely make more of difference. Sure, negative deviance makes a difference, but it is not done in the same way.
Marsh, Schroeder, Dearden, Sternin, and Sternin focus on the basic needs of a society, and how people begin to copy each other since “behaviours are so affordable and accessible (such as a clean blade to cut a newborn baby’s cord) that enthusiasm for immediate adoption ripples through the community, even before the formal intervention starts.” Since there are varying developmental levels of altruism, I imagine that my intentions fall on a medium-low level. Community service does receive some attention, but a job or internship may seem preferable for experience and personal gain, and I imagine that this may continue to influence many young people unless they witness the benefits of helping others.
I felt socially awkward about every single one of my actions. Social anxiety is my crutch, but I know that I have always been interested in the idea of being kind to strangers especially the ones that have an obvious miserable look about them. This was another opportunity to practice my personal ideals in a practical way, and it did make me smile. I think I could have done more for each person, and I probably should have attempted to reach more people.
I guess I understand how every single individual makes a difference in the world because every small action, whether negative or positive, can affect somebody else — at least for a handful of minutes.
I don’t think many people are accustomed to random acts of kindness because daily life can be chaotic enough that many do not feel able to pause or travel a very short distance to do something positive for a stranger.
This short experiment caused me to think about all of this, and while I was glad I was able to do a few things, I wish I could do more on a regular basis. I am not a bad person, but I’m not really a good person, either, and these small acts of positive deviance may be the difference between being forgotten as an average person or being remembered as the person who randomly fostered joy.
