Paper short abstract:

Cultural and societal contexts shape definitions and perceptions of anti-normative behaviour. From an interactionist, comparative and qualitative point of view, we examine those definition processes and explore how deviant youths in Japan and Germany perceive their own misconduct.

Paper long abstract:

There seems to be little in common between deviance in Japan and in Germany. Well-known stereotypes suggest differing dispositions towards non-conforming behaviour: while Japanese juveniles are often depicted as group-oriented and disciplined, and thus less willing to engage in rule-breaking behaviour, their German counterparts are said to be individualistic, which is believed to make them less reluctant to break social rules. However, the issue is not as simple as it seems, with evidence of excessive rule-breaking in Japanese schools and of German youths with a high tendency to conform to social norms proving the complexity of social realities and the simplistic nature of cultural stereotypes.

In Criminology it is agreed that cultural and societal contexts have a great impact on crime, particularly in terms of shaping definitions and perceptions of norms, deviance, and (im)proper behaviour. However, the interactionist approach to crime points to the variability and flexibility of definitions of crime—even within certain social and cultural settings—as it understands definitions of crime as the result of social processes, and therefore shaped by individual interpretations (Becker 1981).

Studies that deal with these issues and take a closer look at definition processes are rare, especially when it comes to subjective, individual perceptions and intercultural comparisons. In our paper we therefore focus on individual perceptions of misconduct and analyse the processes that lead to the interpretation of certain behaviours as problematic. Inspired by Narrative Criminology (Presser/Sandberg 2015), and based on interviews with deviant Japanese and German middle school students, we explore (1) how deviant youths themselves interpret their own behaviour, and (2) which rules and normative regulations shape their interpretations.

Our results suggest that in both our German and Japanese samples, school rules seem to be of significance for interpreting and judging (one's own) actions. However, young people still develop their own normative standards that are crucial for their understanding of proper and improper behaviour. In sum, we identify intra- and intercultural differences and commonalities that demonstrate the relevance of international comparisons for understanding crime.