Marginal behavior - what is it? Features of marginal behavior

Surely you are familiar with the concept of marginal behavior. Real life examples that illustrate it are numerous. In this article we will try to highlight what these examples have in common. It presents characteristics of marginal behavior. You will learn what it is, what it relates to, what its types and features are. The term "marginalized" has become quite common, if not fashionable, in recent years. After the breakdown of the state system and the transition of our country to market relations, this word became entrenched in the vocabulary of Russian residents along with “golden youth”, “oligarch”, “skinheads”, etc.

Boundaries of the term “marginality”

It is not easy to define what constitutes marginal behavior. In our country, many scientific works have appeared that are devoted to this issue. Unfortunately, it should be noted that different authors of these works do not always mean the same thing by “marginal”. For example, today even jurisprudence has become marginal, just like law. In other words, this concept relates not only to personality.

In addition, the phenomenon of marginality is seen today not only as negative, with which it is associated with the majority. It is sometimes assessed as evidence of the support of advanced ideas by the bearer of this quality. In this context, marginal behavior is something that can be evaluated positively.

Who can be classified as a marginalized population?

Marginal means non-standard. Representatives of sexual or national minorities are also sometimes called marginalized.

And yet, all these definitions are very vague and do not provide any specifics. Then how to determine whether a person belongs to the marginalized or not?

It turns out that a marginal lifestyle can be led by both an individual and a whole group of people. In the case of a whole group of people, an entire marginal environment arises within an already formed society (such as religious sects, national diasporas and ethnic minorities).

One of the striking examples of the marginalized in our country are emigrants from Central Asia (former republics of the Soviet Union). Families in which a man is forced to work, improve his language skills and interact with a new society, the children of this family go to local schools, where they socialize, interact with people of a different culture and learn a different language. And the mother of this family, for example, may not even know the Russian language and may not interact in any way with the local population, but this will not prevent her from living in a completely different, unfamiliar society, walking the streets and shopping in stores. It turns out that the mother of the family is already cut off from her society, but has not yet been socialized in the new society.

From here we can conclude that a person can become marginalized both voluntarily (a striking example of which are representatives of countercultures, a number of youth subcultures or individuals with a different perception of the world from the generally accepted one), or as a result of political, economic or other circumstances that we are more Let's look at it in detail below.

Non-judgmental concept

By and large, this concept is non-evaluative. For example, I.V. Malyshev points out that marginal behavior is “neither good nor bad.” He also notes that the concept of “marginal” does not have a permanent detonation. What dominates today will be on the margins of the structure tomorrow. Indeed, someone who recently was a “black sheep” often becomes a role model. He transforms from a fringe into a representative of the ruling class. This was the case, for example, with the “new Russians” – aspiring businessmen in Russia.

E. Starikov formulated a rather original approach to understanding marginality. This researcher noted that marginal behavior is behavior that is neutral in relation to evaluations (positive or negative), but at the same time has a multi-vector nature. Marginality is the process of reassembling the mosaic of society, when large masses of people move from one social group to another. The researcher noted that this disease is evidence of the growth of a social organism.

Is marginality good or bad?

It is not correct to use the word “marginal” as a curse word, because what marginal means is a sociological term. It just means borderline, an intermediate position between different groups of society. It is difficult to attribute him to a certain group.

A marginalized person is not in all cases a “flawed person” or an outcast.

At one time, many famous personalities were marginalized.

For example, people of that time represented Jesus Christ as marginal, because he did not have a clear place in society, income and family, and he did not even belong to traditional religious movements.

A marginalized person does not in all cases come to terms with his uncertain status. On the contrary, he may even try with all his might to join the social structure. It is precisely because of this factor that experts claim that some emigrants in business and science have reached great heights.

Any life situations and aspects can be viewed from two sides: good and bad. And marginality is no exception.

The benefits of marginality

:

• Individuality and distinctiveness contribute to the development of “outside” the herd movement. It is these people who often become famous artists and scientists. And due to this they make a valuable contribution to the history of society.
• This same feature contributes to the creation of a business that ordinary people have not thought of.
• Marginalized people are very flexible and are not tied to anyone or anything. This makes it easier for them to reach their goal. They easily move to another city or country for work.

Flaws

:

• Marginality arises due to revolutions, wars and unfavorable conditions in the state.
• It is difficult for the marginalized person to organize his own comfort and meet basic needs.
• In most cases, a craving for activities outside the law develops, and then the marginalized become dangerous for the people around them.

Types of marginalized people

Marginals are divided into 6 types:

1. Political
   people are people who do not agree with the political regime in the country and its laws. They actively oppose the existing government. They have no civil liability. If a group that a person supported comes to power, he then opposes himself to it. In addition to the fact that they do not recognize the laws, they also violate them for their own self-expression. The fall of a country's regime, a change in the ruling party, and the loss of trust of well-known political leaders contribute to a person's involvement in an established group. Because of this, a person is stuck between two realities. Most often, political outcasts become emigrants or refugees. A lot of political fringes can be found in Turkey, Syria, Cuba, etc.
2. Ethnic
   are people who come from interethnic marriages. As a result, a person does not consider himself to be either the nationality of his mother or the nationality of his father. Because of this, he is not accepted anywhere. Ethnic marginals are also called national minorities, which represent a very small nationality living among other nationalities. And the third group, related to the ethnic type, is people who have become marginalized due to migration. Especially when it comes to forced refugees, it is very difficult for them to overcome the language barrier and cultural and even external differences. Because of this, they take a long time to integrate into a new environment. For example, a person who has become a refugee cannot adapt to the laws of a new country, religion, order and mentality for a long time. The peculiarity of this type of marginalized people is that they acquire this status because of the indigenous people who refuse to accept them into their society.
3. Religious
   are people who do not represent any religion existing in the world or who identify themselves with fictitious denominations (for example, the Church of Bacon). Among such marginalized people there are many false prophets who create their own religions.
4. Social people
   are people who have lost a decent place in one society and cannot find it in another. They appear most often during revolutions, cataclysms, or during an unstable state of society. This group also most often includes people whose social status has changed dramatically for the worse or for the better, or who have experienced emotional disappointment in all individuals. In both the first and second cases, the person withdraws, withdraws from society, is emotional and behaves defiantly. Society perceives the marginalized people of this group as a resource for overcoming obstacles to the main goal. Due to life circumstances, a transition from one social group to another may occur. Moreover, both in the downward and upward directions. (unsuccessful marriage or vice versa, acquisition of a new partner). Due to other habits, values ​​or lifestyle, a distance appears with the new environment. In Russia, after the revolution of 1917, representatives of the noble class became social marginals.
5. Economic people
   are either very poor people or very rich people. Both the first and second categories of the population are cut off from society. The former save on the essentials, cannot afford anything and consider themselves worse than others, while the latter, on the contrary, do not see any problems and bathe in luxury and consider themselves much better than others. In both cases, one characteristic applies - impulsiveness and a negative attitude towards others, constant attempts to clearly prove that in fact they are much better than others. People most often acquire the status of economic marginals when they lose their source of income and property, when it is no longer possible to restore everything. This category of citizens increases most during financial crises.
6. Biological
   - this category includes people who were admitted due to a serious illness, congenital defect or age. Society, even in the modern world, is not ready to accept HIV-infected, terminally ill and disabled people, who become outcasts.

Marginality is also divided into natural and artificial. There is a “bottom” in society, consisting of ruined and devastated individuals, as well as anti-social objects who were expelled by society itself. An example of mass artificial marginalization is the Holocaust of the Jewish nation in the mid-20th century, which was carried out by Nazi Germany.

Artificial marginalization reached great proportions during the era of Stalinism. Members of the families of “enemies of the peoples”, special settlers, etc. became marginalized at that time.

What can the marginal status lead to?

What exact result will result from an individual’s entry into a society that is initially unfamiliar to him or her depends on many factors. When the most negative scenario develops, the conflict situation escalates the most, which can be of a multidirectional nature:

1. External
   - the marginal responds with aggression to the active attacks of others.
2. Internal
   - due to the fact that the marginalized cannot find their place, they are torn apart by contradictions.

But if the marginalized group is flexible, ready to adapt and open to everything new, and the group is tolerant, then this will help bridge the gap and level out differences.

In the 21st century, a large number of people are adapting to a new culture. At the same time, a person can become nostalgic for old things and retain certain rituals and becomes an obstacle to personal fulfillment and the acquisition of stable connections in a new environment.

Reference! Many experts from the field of psychology and sociology believe that the marginalized act as a source of cultural growth. They give society new trends, views and ideas. They help members of society develop more, train their tolerance, see problems from both sides and broaden their horizons.

Examples of famous marginalized people

Some fairly well-known philosophers, psychologists and even sociologists believe that the marginalized are the most civilized, developed, advanced, mobile and agile, open to change and everything new.

Of the famous personalities, for the most striking example, let us single out Jesus Christ

, God-man in the Christian tradition. After his birth in a marginal environment, that is, in a stable, and throughout his entire life, he not only does not try to join any social group, but even contributes to the destruction of the norms of that society (at a young age he teaches in the temple, while being young, he disperses a money changer in it, earns his living by low-paid work, undertakes to teach fishermen, communicates with harlots and even dies among robbers).

At the same time, he became a well-known personality not only in the Christian environment, but also even in the secular one, introducing into it the foundations of ethics and high moral standards.

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There is another famous person who was also recognized as marginal - Leo Tolstoy

. He liked life in the village, and he denied most of the privileges of the noble class, composed and reflected on paper revolutionary publications for the consciousness of not only those times, but also today. Despite the fact that he interpreted Christian concepts, church ministers expelled him, even laying the foundation for a separate movement - Tolstoy.

In addition to Tolstoy, there are many more Russian writers, poets, playwrights who have become classics today, who at one time decided to leave one or another social group. It was cultural duality that pushed them to write world-famous works even now.

In the modern world, marginality has acquired a new round of development due to the spread of the Internet, which helps to overcome any boundaries. Every day there are more and more freelancers who work at home alone, rather than in a team.

Marginalized and lumpen - what's the difference?

We have already described who the marginalized are. Now let's tell you who the lumpen

and the difference between them.

Lumpen is a person who deliberately leads an asocial lifestyle and does not strive to improve it. In the modern sense, a lumpen does not own personal property, he gets by with temporary jobs and leads a vicious lifestyle. They are considered:

1. Persons without a fixed place of residence.
2. Drug addicts.
3. Conscious dependents.
4. Working class, whose cost of living is below the minimum.
5. People who abuse alcohol.
6. Criminals serving sentences who have never been able to return to normal social life.

All lumpen people have one thing in common - they have no motivation to act. They have no desire or goal to increase their material income or gain social status. Most often, lumpen communicate only with their own kind, and do not perceive others as their own.

An example of a classic situation in the life of a lumpen would be begging at a train station or in an underground passage in order to get money for alcohol and at least some food.

Very often, many marginalized people and lumpen people are identified as one whole, that is, they believe that these are people who are at the very bottom of society. But in fact, given that the word “lumpen” is translated from German as “rags,” there is no way a person who thinks and looks at the world can be anything other than a marginalized person.

In the table we will clearly show the difference between the lumpen and the marginal:
Differences between the lumpen and the marginal

Lumpen	Marginal
Material condition	Complete absence of movable and immovable property and even rights to it.	Availability of movable and immovable property.
Position in society	Lack of permanent employment and monthly income.	A person who receives a permanent income and has social significance.
Position in relation to generally accepted norms of behavior	Ignoring/neglecting most norms and forms of behavior that exert strong pressure.	Ignoring/neglecting most norms and rules of behavior at will.
Circle of friends	Lack of decent and appropriate behavior.	If necessary, behavior is appropriate in public, but it should not contradict personal norms and rules.
Life style	Submission to all the rules and laws of the country in which he lives.	Submission to all rules and norms established for a narrow social environment or on the basis of personal assortativity.

Based on the signs in the table, we can conclude that there is nothing in common between the marginalized and the lumpen, and these two concepts are identified by people who do not understand the characteristics of these two social classes.

Interdisciplinary approach

So, it can be stated that there are still a number of difficulties in determining the content of such a concept as marginal behavior. In particular, various disciplinary approaches have emerged in the use of the term (in social psychology, sociology, political science, cultural studies and economics). This gives a fairly general character to the concept itself, which becomes interdisciplinary. In addition, in the process of development and clarification of this term, several meanings were established that relate to different types of marginality.

Reasons for marginality

The process of marginalization can be forced and deliberate. A person is able, in a certain form, to stop connecting himself with the cultural and social environment, to break spiritual, social and economic ties.

The main reasons for marginality include:

• forced relocation, loss of normal environment, difficulties in getting used to other conditions, environment, new language, culture;
• loss of property, property, source of income;
• change in the political regime in the country;
• the formation of a new way of life, other habits, changing the existing worldview;
• choosing a new religion;
• loss of ability to work, disability.

Origin and interpretation of the term "marginal"

This word comes from a French term, translated meaning “in the margins, side.” As a rule, it means the following: insignificant, insignificant, intermediate, secondary. Another meaning of the term, more characteristic of the French language and used mainly in economics, is “almost unprofitable, economically close to the limit.”

But another interpretation is more interesting for us. The Brockhaus and Efron dictionary provides the following definition: marginalia are short notes written in the margins of early printed books or manuscripts. They aim to clarify certain parts of the text. Figuratively speaking, a marginalized person is a person who is on a certain edge, a threshold, and often the one who finds himself “overboard.”

Society's attitude

The period of “marginality” of a person may be a temporary phenomenon. This directly depends on favorable events and circumstances in his life. For example, if you arrive in a country with a completely different culture, language, and national-racial characteristics, at first you will become a marginal figure for this society if you have problems with the language and adaptation to the new culture.

But as soon as you adapt to a new society, get rid of the language barrier and get a job, you immediately cease to be a marginal figure for this society, even if you are a representative of a different culture and religious denomination.

The exception is usually people who have become marginalized by force, that is, refugees or those who have consciously chosen this way of life for themselves (these categories include radicals, extremists, revolutionaries and vagabonds).

It turns out that anyone who has chosen their life values ​​and beliefs can become a marginalized person.

How marginalized people influence society

By the way, many scientists from the field of sociology and psychology note that marginalized people make a separate contribution to the growth of culture, giving society new views on familiar things, ideas and setting new trends.

Everyone can be marginalized

In connection with the above, a logical question arises: how to determine this line, to understand whether this or that individual is “behind the door” or standing in front of it? What are the characteristics of marginal behavior?

The rules of the game established in society have some uncertainty, which can be significant at turning points. This leads to the fact that everyone, in fact, can be considered marginal if:

• a person’s social status is not defined;
• his tomorrow is not guaranteed;
• his psyche and health are unstable;
• random turns of fate are allowed;
• any character trait, specific appearance, hobby or profession compared to the rest constitutes a clear minority and can be regarded as a deviation from the norm, which, in turn, is a reason for repression.

In the world, it goes without saying, there are no absolutely healthy people, normal in all respects, prosperous, corresponding to certain abstract ideas of classical philosophy about man. However, this approach will not give us anything in defining the marginal. A. Green argued that a marginal person is a comprehensive term. Including everything, this concept does not exclude anything. Therefore, this term should be used carefully and only after defining its parameters.

Marginality in the modern world

The concept of “marginal” from the very beginning had a negative context, but in the modern world it can also have a positive connotation. Now it is even considered prestigious to stand out among others.

Marginalized people have higher social mobility than ordinary people. Moving to a more economically prosperous area, finding a job that brings more income, changing professions is not a problem for them;

In addition, the lack of similarity with other members of society helps such people create a certain business. The reason is that marginalized people often do not have permanent employment, which means they are open to new ideas and initiatives.

Marginal identity

According to A. A. Nikitin, it is characterized by the following two groups of properties: special legal and general social. The latter include a significant change or complete loss of the previous legal and social status, which is caused by factors external to the person. This also includes the interimity of legal and social status, the development of dual social adaptation, etc. Special legal properties are the absence, incorrectness or insufficiency of legal regulation of the position of persons belonging to the marginalized. In addition, this is the impossibility of fully realizing the rights and freedoms provided for in the legislation in relation to these persons. Their legal position is either uncertain or ambiguous.

The emergence of marginality is influenced by the following main factors:

• significant change or loss of former social and/or legal status, the forms of which can be different (loss or decrease in income, loss of work, housing or family, loss of ability to work and health, need to change place of stay/residence, etc.);
• external factors associated with a deep and dramatic transformation of the social structure in various spheres (national, cultural, political, economic, etc.);
• a significant change in the psychological state, which is characterized by a more complex process of self-identification of a given individual in society, a weak perception of traditions, loss of life interests, etc.

Examples of marginality

The most common example of marginality is migrants who came in search of a better life. They do not know the language of the country, belong to a different cultural environment, and cannot be fully included in the modern semantic space. One of the most numerous groups of such marginalized people are migrants from the former USSR. They come to get money, lead an unstable lifestyle, choose random work, which can be criminal.

In many cases, the term “marginality” has negative associations, since the lower social strata or even criminal groups are considered marginal. However, such a definition cannot be called correct. Successful people who do not belong to specific social groups can also be marginalized. An example is Leo Tolstoy, who rejected the established values ​​of his time.

In addition, refugees often become marginalized, and sometimes, for example, former military personnel who, after being discharged, have not yet had time to adapt to society. Often, after a break with a past life and lack of contact with a new one, a person is able to sink to the “bottom” of life.

Bio- and socio-marginals

Among the marginalized there are bio- and socio-marginal people. The first are people with disabilities due to health reasons. Socio-marginal people have moved away from their class or group due to certain circumstances independent or dependent on the individual. Their inclusion in your class or group is complicated by the fact that such people do not have socially useful connections.

According to D. M. Zaripova, the main forms of administratively and morally punishable types of marginal behavior are begging, vagrancy, as well as sedentary parasitism, which is currently subject only to moral condemnation. In addition, minors who are taken to the police department for offenses are socially marginalized. They also include people involved in prostitution, drug addicts, alcoholics, and forced migrants. Biomarginals are patients with infectious diseases after long-term treatment (that is, cured), patients with tuberculosis, various infectious and venereal diseases, leprosy, as well as HIV-infected people.

Types of marginality

Regardless of the reasons that threw a person to the margins of life, there are two main types of marginality: bio- and sociomarginality.

Biomarginals are people who were unable to adapt to a new social status after a serious illness and loss of ability to work. Large groups of such individuals often flood society after military conflicts or man-made and natural disasters.

Sociomarginality is associated with both external and internal factors that influence an individual and expel them from a certain social group. A person loses all socially useful connections and becomes asocial, so it is not possible for him to return to any layer of society.

Some types of marginality are administratively, criminally and morally punishable. From social categories, these include begging, vagrancy, parasitism, prostitution, and from biological ones - tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV infection.

"At-risk groups"

It has been repeatedly noted in the literature that marginal subgroups are more susceptible to criminalization (involvement in criminal activity) than others. These are the so-called “risk groups”. These include:

• unemployed or fictitiously employed;
• poor part of the population;
• representatives of the so-called “social bottom” (street children, tramps, homeless people, beggars, etc.);
• persons who have been in prison or returned from military service;
• internally displaced persons, refugees from “hot spots”, people migrating to the city from the countryside.

These categories exist in any society. In different countries, there is only a difference in the quantitative ratio of representatives of these groups and the “prosperous” part of society.

What is marginality?

Marginality (from the Latin word marginalis - located on the edge) is a term in sociology that denotes the intermediate position of a person between certain social groups.
This term appeared in the 1920s, arose thanks to the scientific works of sociologist R. Park from the USA. Marginal people were considered to be people who were outside the social and cultural context due to the loss of connection with the normal environment and society. In those days, they included villagers who came to the city, emigrants. Subsequently, the category of “marginality” acquired a broader meaning—asocial people who did not recognize social conditions and lived by their own rules began to be called marginal.

As a rule, marginalized individuals are highly susceptible to psychological crises, loneliness, fear about their future, and are subject to aggression from other people. Such people usually belong to certain social groups that are temporary and situational in nature.

Levels of marginality

A. A. Nikitin identifies the following 2 levels of marginality: public and personal. Based on whether members of certain groups cross the line of legitimacy, this researcher proposes dividing them into two marginal layers:

• social group or risk layer;
• asocial group or layer.

The first includes such categories of the population as immigrants, forced migrants, refugees who do not have the status of a forced migrant or refugee, the unemployed, the disabled and persons without registration. The second group includes neglected and homeless minors, prostitutes, homeless people, beggars, vagrants, former prisoners, drug or alcohol addicts, and substance abusers.

Characteristics of the marginalized

Regardless of the reason for moving from one group to another, the marginalized person finds himself in an intermediate status.
He begins to doubt his worth and importance. Avoids new contacts because he is afraid of being rejected and misunderstood. Assumes in advance that he will fail in any endeavor. Fear of humiliation and shyness coupled with the loss of previous connections lead to loneliness and isolation. A person becomes immersed in himself. The feeling of unfair treatment towards oneself intensifies, which leads to a negative perception of others and direct aggression.

Marginality can cause neurotic personality disorders and lead to deep depression. A person loses the meaning of existence and takes the path of self-destruction.

However, there is also a positive side to this phenomenon. By leaving his social group, an individual independently or forcedly leaves his comfort zone. This becomes an intense training of character and fortitude. As a result, a person opens a new area of ​​knowledge, combines information about two worlds, and acquires an independent, more rational view.

Limit of legality of behavior

Can we say that there is marginal legitimate behavior? The correct answer to this question is as follows. Marginal behavior is a phenomenon that is generally characterized by borderline behavior. It balances on the brink of illegal and legal. This means that marginal behavior includes both legal, but existing on the border with illegal, and illegal. The criterion for assigning a particular marginal group to one of the two layers identified above can be considered illegality (including asociality) and the legality of the behavior of its members. Criminologists are mainly interested in the second (asocial) layer, although people belonging to the first group (illegal migrants, for example) should not be overlooked, since the classification proposed above is conditional.

What is marginal legal behavior? It is based on the following motives: personal egoistic calculations, fear of responsibility, fear of condemnation from society, the state or others. Marginal lawful behavior (examples - alcoholism, vagrancy, etc.) is, as it were, on the verge of antisocial. It leads a person to crime. However, it can be characterized as marginal legal behavior. In this case, the following driving forces are “triggered” in the mental mechanism of a person’s impulses: fear of condemnation, threat of possible punishment, etc. They keep an individual from committing a crime.

What can a marginal status lead to?

No one will ever be able to say exactly how a person’s adaptation will proceed in a completely new social environment, since it depends on a large number of external and internal factors. But if we consider the most unfavorable scenario, then most likely a conflict situation of a multidirectional nature will arise:

* External - the aggressive attitude of the marginalized in relation to the attacks of society; * Internal - the marginalized person is torn by contradictions due to the fact that he cannot find his place in the new society.

But if they demonstrate their flexibility, skill and desire to adapt to the new society, the marginalized person has every chance of leaving this status as soon as possible, becoming part of the new society.

Marginal and lumpen: differences

Quite often, the concept of lumpen and marginalized in modern society is equated with one meaning - people who are at the very bottom of society.
However, even based on the definitions: “Lumpen”, the meaning of the word translated from German means “rags,” cannot in any way be a person who simply looks at the world differently, as an outcast.

Let us consider in more detail in the table below how Lumpen differs from Marginal

:

Socially significant position	Marginal	Lumpen
Material well-being	Availability of real and movable property, material assets	Absence of any property and rights to it
Social status	A socially significant person who has a constant material income	No permanent job, no monthly income
Attitude to generally accepted norms of behavior	Ignoring most norms and forms of behavior on purpose	Ignoring most norms and forms of behavior is forced
Circle of friends	If necessary, adequate behavior in public that does not contradict the norms and rules	Lack of appropriate behavior
Life style	Submission to norms and rules that are established in a narrow social environment, or based on personal preferences	Submission to the laws and rules of life of the social class in which the individual is located

Based on the data in the table, we can come to the conclusion that the lumpen and the marginalized have practically nothing in common.
The identification of concepts in society occurs only as a result of ignorance of the characteristics of social classes.