Minorities and Deviance

Book excerpt: Grounded in both current and original research, Minorities and Deviance, expands the definition of stress and its relationship to deviance, providing a better understanding the role stress can play in addiction, obsession, and self-harm. Focusing on ten types of relatively minor deviant behaviors, Pamela Black explores the stress engendered by minority group membership and the associated feelings of powerlessness and how this can serve as a significant source of stress in and of itself, but when combined with other stressors magnifies the possibility of deviance. Using theoretical constructs derived from Robert Agnew’s 1992 General Strain Theory, Black tests the effects of not only minority group membership and powerlessness as stressors, but also examines group differences in the effect of more traditional forms of stress: finances, health, and relationships.