The Analysis Of Social Mentality Of Urban Deviant Underclass

The surge of deviance caused by the underclass has raised wide concern. Scholars attribute it to the vast changes the underclass has experienced in the terms of social mentality due to the fact that current China’s stratum polarization is clearly picking up and the class structure is rigidifying within the period of social transformation. Yet seldom do they think the other way around that deviance and "deviant" as a label itself will impact the life and the social mentality of the underclass so greatly as to marginalize them and push them further into the deviant way of living. It is within such context, the research chooses "the deviant underclass" as its object and tries to picture and analyze their social mentality generated from their life confined by the dual status of "deviant" and "underclass". The research shows that the social mentality of the deviant underclass has been significantly influenced by deviance and "deviant" as a label. The findings of the research are as follows:The urban deviant underclass tend to rationalize their own deviance and attribute it to external factors, in the hope that the public will pay less attention to their past.Their social mentality about social relationship varies in accord with their self-valuation. Those who see themselves as the weak in the society, often respond to other’s indifference and misunderstanding with anger. Those who feel themselves inferior and ashamed of their deviance and being poor, try to keep others at a distance.They find the government irresponsible and untrustworthy when their rights as citizens are neglected and depredated. Their distrusting the government results in the change of strategy and lack of motivation in the terms of interest expression.They expect no great improvement of the future life which the idea itself has reshaped their attitude to the life at present. They persuade themselves to love what is with the notion that "happiness consists in contentment".