the Competence/Deviance Hypothesis

http://independentlivingideal.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-competence-deviance-hypothesis.html

It is something he referred to as the Competence/Deviance Hypothesis. Simply, it is a way of understanding why we tolerate the differences we see in some people more than others, particularly differences that deviate from social norms.

Gold’s theory contends that the greater the amount of competence a person is perceived to have, the greater the amount of deviance from social norms the rest of us are willing to accept.

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http://apostrophemagazine.com/competence-deviance-2/

Dr. Gold formulated the competence-deviance hypothesis.  The premise is that the more competent an individual is, the more deviance will be tolerated in him or her by others.