Sociology Of Homelessness

The homeless situation around the world has reached epic proportions and the tropical paradise of Hawaii is no exception. Honolulu is the most densely populated cities in Hawaii, home to 387,170 of Oahu's people (US Census Bureau). “The counts estimated the total number of homelessness on Oahu as of January 2015 to be 4,903” (City and County of Honolulu Homeless Point-in-Time Count 2015 7). While there are wide variations of the meaning of homeless, homelessness goes further than not just having shelter. For those living on the streets it additionally denotes uncertainty, lack of security, and the denial of safety.

Performing random acts of kindness (RAOK) can yield quite different levels of reactions depending on the social standing and the

I decided to test this hypothesis after examining how most homeless members of our society are automatically deemed as deviant because they do not conform to society’s norms. Homelessness is often considered deviant because of the correlation of being homeless with substance abuse and filth. However, not all homeless individual fit this general stereotype. For example, the subject in the first experiment was scarcely groomed and probably embarked on his endeavors reasonably clean and later became soiled after rummaging through garbage receptacles in search of cans and bottles. While subjects two and three fit the profile of how most societies view the homeless. Moreover, unlike the first subject, subjects two and three appeared and smelt as if they hadn’t bathe in weeks and the stench of alcohol was very pronounced on the two subject’s breath. Nevertheless, the first subject exhibited a more deviant comportment because he contravened a formal norm by disregarding the store’s loitering policy. Therefore, homelessness can be discerned as a more deviant act depending on the condition and environment the person is