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What is it? Why is it Deviant? Is it worth further investigation?

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The survivalist, or doomsday prepper, movement consists of individuals who are anticipating either natural or man-made disasters that would cause the collapse of civil society, and prepare accordingly. This “prep” often includes building bunks, stockpiling on food, fuel, water, medicine, and weapons, and being overtly self-sufficient. Survivalism culture is thought to have begun around the 1970s due to the collective fear of surrounding cold war propaganda and threat of nuclear wear (3).

Individuals within the survivalist culture movement are deviant because they violate societal norms surrounding the extent to which people prepare for disasters. Preppers dedicate time, resources, and money for the anticipation of various kinds of disasters or chaos. Whereas, individuals not within the survivalist culture would spend the same time and resources for more guaranteed events of the future.

Doomsday prepping is an intriguing, and mostly American, subculture surrounding the threat of civil unrest that has expanded into popular culture through shows, movies, and videogames (such as the Hunger Games and The Walking Dead) (4). Despite survivalist culture often being associated with fictional shows, actions of preppers are not entirely overdone. Both the Red Cross and FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) have recommendations for households to have disaster supplies kits (3). Preppers are worth further investigation because to what extent are preparations for disasters rational and necessary? Especially considering our society has recently survived and continues to survive through the COVID-19 global pandemic.

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Adler & Adler discuss that people can be labeled deviant through the ABC’s of Deviance (1). In the case of doomsday preppers, their behavior and intentional actions are why this group is deviant.

As it relates to the interpretation of deviance, (the 3 S’s), survivalist culture would be considered selection because they choose to prepare for natural or man-made disasters and this decision is within their control. Preppers are choosing to engage in deviant acts by intentionally building a safety bunker or stockpiling fuel, water, and more.

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How do Sociological Theories on Deviance help describe this behavior?

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Deviant Behavior: Goffman and Conceptualizations

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Deviant Behavior: Goffman and Conceptualizations

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The actions of preppers goes against the positivist conception of deviance, which is the assumption that there is a general set of norms for behavior that we all agree upon (2). In the case of survivalist culture, the majority of society is not constantly awaiting a disaster or state of civil unrest and dedicating time and resources to prepare for it. Instead, individuals who are not considered preppers focus on their current livelihoods rather than the possible livelihood they would have during an apocalyptic scenario. Thus, Is it seen as deviant to be prepping for the unknown or for what if scenarios.

As it relates to the stigma of this culture, in Goffman terms, survivalists’ stigma is blemishes of individual character (2). Preppers have several rigid or core beliefs which include a mistrust of the federal government, the idea that individuals are responsible for themselves and their families in cases of survival, and doing “something” is better than nothing (3). Despite having these core beliefs in common, specific preppers have different, distinct rigid beliefs surrounding the event they believe might occur (such as nuclear war vs a global pandemic). Additionally, preppers have a discreditable stigma. Despite the survivalist culture being predominantly male, being a prepper cannot be determined based on appearance. It is the behavior of the preppers, such as stockpiling supplies and weapons for the sake of a possible natural disaster, that stigmatizes them. So, preppers, generally, do a good job of “passing” - managing the information that would reveal them as doomsday preppers to the general public. However, the extent of passing would vary depending on how often preppers are shopping and stockpiling supplies in public.

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Doomsday preppers likely view their own behavior as smart, necessary, and rightfully self-sufficient. In the case of societal collapse or apocalypse, who will be left in the future? For the survivalist culture, it is the self-sufficient, incredibly prepared, and autonomous individuals (4). Many even view themselves as plotting themselves into world history because they will be around in surviving the chaotic future while others aren’t (4).

Although specific actions such as stockpiling supplies and building bunkers could be seen as one-time aberrations for preppers, it is more of a deviant career for these individuals. They hold core, rigid beliefs such as distrusting the federal government and believing that it’s necessary to dedicate resources towards possible disaster. Additionally, survivalist prepping is built upon masculine performances of self-sufficiency and paramilitary violence, and traditionally ‘manly’ skill sets are understood as critical when modern society collapses (4).

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The deviant behavior of survivalist culture has a mostly positive impact on society. As I’ve discussed previously, both the Red Cross and FEMA have recommendations for households to have disaster supplies kits. Also, society recently dealt with and continues to deal with the global pandemic of COVID-19. Many individuals turned to stockpiling supplies during this time (such as when there was a toilet roll shortage), whereas survivalists most likely already had a surplus of supplies ready to deal with a pandemic. In addition, society has reacted positively and intriguingly towards survivalist culture with the presence of tv shows, movies, and videogames surrounding the apocalypse and doomsday prepping.

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There is quite limited sociological research done on survivalist culture. However, some studies from academic scholars have analyzed the start of the movement to have been after the Cold War due to the threat of nuclear war between the United States and Russia (3). Generally, survivalist culture is characterized by hyper masculine ideas of competitiveness, aggressiveness, self-reliance, and stoic rationalism. Where the collapse of any feminized society is seen as a solution to the crisis of manhood which would be beneficial for survival (4). Preppers exist all across the United States but unite through online communities through forums or print publications, which have expanded since the 1990s. One study included researchers analyzing messaging on one forum about doomsday prepping. Preppers shared survival tips, home remedies for sickness, and utilized specific jargon surrounding survivalism and societal collapse including the “WTSHTF scenario” (when the shit hits the fan scenario) (3).

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1) Adler, Patricia, and Peter Adler. 2015. Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context, and Interaction. 8th edition. Boston: Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1305093546.

2) Goffman. Erving, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. New York:
Touchstone (Reissue edition). 1986. 2 ISBN: 978-06716224422

3) Kabel, Allison and Catherine Chmidling. 2014  “Disaster Prepper: Health, Identity, and American Survivalist Culture”. Human Organization 73 (3): 258–266. doi: https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu/10.17730/humo.73.3.l34252tg03428527

4) Raipola, Juha. 2019. “Confronting the Apocalyptic Utopia: Comic Survivalism in Laura Gustafsson’s Wilderness Warrior”. Utopian Studies 30(2): 174–192. https://doi.org/10.5325/utopianstudies.30.2.0174