THE NORM, THE DISABILITY, AND THE SOCIETY

How Does Society View and Treat People/Ideas That Go Against The Norm?

According to the Cambridge English Dictionary norm  is defined as an accepted standard or a way of behaving or doing things that most people agree with.

NORMS are an integral part of the organization of all societies, from small tribal groups to modern industrial societies. A majority of these societies expect each member to act according to the laws, morals, acts, and values set by that society. Norms are learned and transmitted in groups from generation to generation. In this way, individuals have incorporated into their own life organization of the language, ideas, and beliefs of the groups to which they belong. Human beings thus see the world not with their eyes alone, for if they saw only with their own eyes, each would see the same thing; rather, they see the world through their cultural and other group experiences. 

Norm can also be defined in terms of Deviance. At the simplest level, deviance refers to something that is different from something else. Deviants are not like “us.” “They” behave differently.

In the past and even for some present societies, a deviant person is often being judged and condemned. In the past, during the eras of extermination and ridicule, people who go against the norm, like those with disability are treated badly and is secluded in the society.

In the animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Esmeralda asks God for deliverance and help for the outcasts. Deviant people during those times are considered outcasts and are kept hidden in the society, like the main character of the story, Quasimodo. 

Disability can be regarded as deviant from a number of perspectives. A person with a disability, because of the limitations imposed on the disabled person's range of activities, but chiefly because of the self-reaction to the person's disability, is often thought to occupy a deviant status, much like that of a minority group member who may experience prejudice and discriminatory treatment from others. (Deegan, 1985)

Not everyone considers persons with physical disabilities to be deviant. 

The reaction of others seems to depend on certain characteristics of the person, the disability, and the social situation. But insofar as disabilities entail departure from social expectation, social stigma is always a possibility for persons with disabilities.

Reference: Sociology of Deviant Behavior (7th edition) by Marshall B. Clinard & Robert F. Meier