Marginal behavior is what? Features of marginal behavior

Surely you know such a thing as marginal behavior. Examples from life, which illustrate it, are numerous. In this article, we will try to identify the general that unites these examples. It describes the characteristics of marginal behavior. You will find out what it is that relates to it, what its types and features are. The term "marginal" in recent years has become quite common, if not fashionable. After the breakdown of the state system, the transition of our country to market relations, this word was fixed in the lexicon of the inhabitants of Russia along with the "golden youth", "oligarch", "skinheads," etc.

The boundaries of the term "marginality"

It is not easy to determine what marginal behavior is. In our country, a lot of scientific works have appeared that are devoted to this issue. Unfortunately, it should be noted that different authors of these works under the "marginals" do not always understand the same thing. For example, today even jurisprudence has become marginal, like law. In other words, this notion relates not only to the personality.

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

Non-cost concept

By and large, this concept is priceless. For example, IV Malyshev points out that marginal behavior - "this is neither good nor bad." He also notes that the concept of "marginal" does not have a permanent detonate. What is ruling today, tomorrow will be on the sidelines of the structure. Indeed, the one who recently was a "black sheep", often becomes a role model. He turns from a marginal to a representative of the ruling class. So it was, for example, with "new Russians" - beginning businessmen in Russia.

E. Starikov formulated a rather original approach to understanding marginality. This researcher noted that marginal behavior is behavior that is neutral with respect to assessments (positive or negative), but it also has poly-vectority. Marginality is the process of reconfiguring the mosaic of society, when the masses of people, significant in volume, move from one social group to another. The researcher noted that this disease is evidence of the growth of the social organism.

Interdisciplinary approach

So, it can be stated that in the definition of the content of such a concept as marginal behavior, there are still a number of difficulties. In particular, when using the term, various disciplinary approaches have developed (in social psychology, sociology, political science, culturology and economics). This gives a sufficiently general character to the concept itself, which becomes interdisciplinary. In addition, in the process of development, refinement of this term, several meanings have been established that relate to different types of marginality.

The origin and interpretation of the term "marginal"

This word came from the French term, in the translation of the signifier "in the margins, the side". As a rule, it means the following: inessential, insignificant, intermediate, secondary. Another meaning of the term, more characteristic of the French language and used mainly in the economy, is "almost unprofitable, economically close to the limit".

But for us it is more interesting to have another interpretation. In the dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron the following definition is given: marginalia are short notes made on fields in old printed books or manuscripts. They are intended to clarify certain places in the text. Speaking figuratively, the marginal is a person who is on a certain side, a threshold, and often someone who finds himself "overboard".

Everyone can be marginalized

In connection with the above, a natural question arises: how to define this face, to understand whether an individual is "behind the door" or is standing in front of it? What are the characteristics of marginal behavior?

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

• The social status of a person is not defined;
• Its tomorrow is not provided;
• His psyche and health are unstable;
• Random turns of fate are allowed;
• Any character trait, specificity of appearance, hobby or profession on the background of the others constitute an obvious minority and can be regarded as a deviation from the norm, which, in turn, is the reason for repression.

In the world, needless to say, there are absolutely healthy people, normal in all respects, prosperous, corresponding to some abstract ideas of classical philosophy about man. Nevertheless, this approach will not give us anything in the matter of determining the marginal. A. Greene argued that a marginal person is a comprehensive term. Including everything, this concept does not exclude anything. Consequently, this term should be used cautiously and only after determining its parameters.

The opinion of AA Nikitin

AA Nikitin considers marginality as a special form of social life of a person or group that adversely affects the structure of society and is characterized by deformation of values , social orientations and traditions. At the same time, interpersonal ties are destroyed, a person or group is alienated from a number of legal, economic and political processes. As a result of all this, a special type of marginal personality is formed.

Marginal personality

According to AA 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 former legal and social status, which are caused by factors external to the person. It also includes the interim legal and social situation, the development of double social adaptation, etc. Special legal properties are the absence, incorrectness or insufficiency of the legal regulation of the situation of persons belonging to the marginals. In addition, it is impossible to fully realize the rights and freedoms provided for in the legislation in relation to these persons. Their position in terms of law is either uncertain or ambiguous.

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

• A significant change or loss of the former social and / or legal status, the forms of which may be different (loss or loss of income, loss of work, housing or family, disability and health, the need to change the place of residence / residence, etc.);
• External factors associated with a profound and sharp 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 person in society, a weak perception of traditions, a loss of vital interests, etc.

Bio- and sociomarginals

Among marginalized, bio- and sociomarginals are distinguished. The first are flawed people for health reasons. Sociomarginals have moved away from their class or group due to certain circumstances that do not depend or depend on the individual. Their inclusion in their class or group is hampered by the fact that there are no socially useful connections in such people.

According to Dmitry Zaripova, the main forms of administratively and morally punishable types of marginal behavior are begging, vagrancy, and settled parasitism, which is currently subject to moral condemnation. In addition, sociomarginals are minors who are trafficked for offenses in the ATS. They also include people engaged in prostitution, drug addicts, alcoholics, and forced migrants-migrants. Biomarginals are patients with infectious diseases after long-term treatment (that is, cured), patients with tuberculosis, various infectious-venereal diseases, leprosy, and HIV-infected.

"Risk groups"

In the literature it was repeatedly noted that the marginal subgroups are the most vulnerable to criminalization (involvement in criminal activity). These are the so-called "risk groups". These include:

• Unemployed or fictitious;
• The poorest part of the population;
• Representatives of the so-called "social bottom" (street children, vagabonds, homeless people, beggars, etc.);
• Persons who have visited places of deprivation of liberty or returned from urgent military service;
• Forced migrants, refugees from "hot spots", people migrating to the city from the village.

These categories are available 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.

Levels of marginality

AA Nikitin distinguishes the following 2 levels of marginality: social and personal. Based on whether members of these or other groups are crossing the boundary of legitimacy, this researcher suggests dividing them into two marginal layers:

• A social group or a layer of risk;
• Asocial group or layer.

The first include such categories of the population as immigrants, internally displaced persons, refugees who do not have the status of forced migrant or refugee, unemployed, disabled people and persons who do not have a residence permit. To the second - neglected and homeless minors, prostitutes, homeless people, beggars, tramps, former prisoners suffering from drug or alcohol addiction, toxic addicts.

Border of lawful conduct

Is it possible to say that there is a marginal lawful behavior? The correct answer to this question will be the following. Marginal behavior is a phenomenon that is generally characterized by borderline behavior. It balances on the brink of wrongful and legitimate. This means that marginal behavior includes both the lawful, but existing on the border with the unlawful, and illegal. The criterion of assigning one or another marginal group to one of the two layers identified above can be considered wrongfulness (including asociality) and the legitimacy 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 the marginal lawful behavior? It is based on the following motives: personal selfish calculations, fear of responsibility, fear of condemnation by society, the state or others. Marginal lawful behavior (examples - alcoholism, vagrancy, etc.) is as if on the verge of antisocial. It leads a person to an offense. Nevertheless, it can be characterized as marginal legal behavior. In this case, the following driving forces "work" in the mental mechanism of the person's motivation: the fear of condemnation, the threat of possible punishment, etc. They keep the individual from violating the law.

Finally

So, the marginal behavior, examples and features of which we have considered, can be very diverse. Representatives of a number of social categories can show it. At present, there are many definitions of such a notion as "marginal behavior". Examples of some of them were given in the article. Science, of course, needs to clarify this term.