COPING WITH A DEVIANT IDENTITY

Most interactionist literature dealing with the creation of deviance f ocuses on one of two major areas: acquisition of a deviant identity an d coping with a deviant identity. In the present paper, we explore the coping strategies used by members of a national weight control organi zation to deal with the devalued character of obesity. Data were gathe red using the ''triangulation'' of direct observation, structured and unstructured interviews, and personal experience. We found five generi c coping strategies used by our respondents. We call them: (1) Avoidan ce, (2) Compliance, (3) Reaction Formation, (4) Compensation, and (5) Accounts.