Deviant Behavior Analysis

Response 6 For my “deviant” behavior with a stranger, I did something very simple. Over the weekend, I had to go to a gynecologist and was waiting in line to check in for my appointment. Most of the time in the waiting room, people do not talk, especially while they are waiting in line to check in. However, I could tell that this woman was nervous to be in there so I broke the mild social norm and struck up a conversation with her. Before I deviated, I was a little bit unsure of how to start the conversation. How do you make small talk before seeing a gynecologist? Luckily, there was a large fish tank with many tropical fish. I made a joke about how Pixar has truth in its movies because Marlin and Nemo lived in a sea anemone, just like the
clown fish were doing in the fish tank. I think I was mainly nervous to start a conversation because I didn’t know if she would be in the mood to talk, or if she would reply with some kind of laconic response. Luckily, I received a positive sanction as she laughed at my joke and then responded with another one. Her response made me feel less awkward and more natural and I felt fine after the social deviation. However, if she would have responded with a negative sanction (i.e. if she would’ve ignored me or made me feel awkward for talking while waiting in line), then I would have felt much less confident. I would also be more hesitant to start future conversations in waiting rooms. Because of her response illustrating a positive sanction, we became acquaintances in those few seconds. Our encounter was heavily dependent on both of our actions. If I wouldn’t have broken that subtle social norm, we wouldn’t have started a conversation. And if I wouldn’t have received a positive sanction in response, we wouldn’t have continued talking. This presents a clear case of how our actions, behaviors, and beliefs are shaped by the way we think that we should act, and even others’ reactions can influence future behavior.