NCJ Number
94323
Journal
Deviant Behavior Volume: 4 Issue: 3-4 Dated: (April-September 1983) Pages: 297-311
Date Published
1983
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Violence directed at airline personnel by passengers while an aircraft is in flight presents an interesting and uncommon form of deviant behavior that can inform the study of deviance in general.
Abstract
Such behavior has been identified by various observers as a growing social problem. This paper explores the phenomenon of assaults against flight attendants through analysis of official data including both case files and statistics, interviews with officials, and a multidisciplinary literature review. Specifically, we identify factors related to both the etiology of, and reactions toward such behavior. Factors related to etiology include (1) the physical environment of an aircraft; (2) the juxtaposition of status roles between passenger and attendant; (3) the exercise of authority as a precipitating event; (4) the pervasiveness of sexual stereotypes; (5) the consumption of alcohol and drugs; and (6) psychological changes related to the experience of flying. In examining the responses to assaults we discuss (1) the statutory laws regarding aircraft assaults; (2) patterns in official statistics; (3) factors related to the underreporting of such incidents; (4) reactions by companies, unions, and the government, including the politics of deviance-defining; and (5) changes in patterns of response. Unlike common assaults, the offenders are almost exclusively middle- and upper-class persons. Suggestions for further research are offered. (Publisher abstract)