standard deviation theory

The proximity of a person to another individual depends upon many factors. One of the many factors is standard deviation as we would prefer to call it. Well let me explain what standard deviation is.  In  scientific parlance standard deviation is known as the deviation of data points from the average value. But as i see it there is a standard deviation that is silently working in our lives, making living  and interacting with individuals constitute  a set of data points which on deviation from a set mean value would mean chaos. Let me explain!!

There is an equilibrium surrounding  an individual depending on whether he obeys the rules of engagement. The rules dictate that certain actions or inactions could get him in trouble and they would be taboo to any individual in a society(meaning a microcosm). These rules have been made by an ever changing society which dictates what we wear to what we must eat.  Any obvious deviations from following these universally acceptable norms would lead to chaos in the life of the individual. Society is happy with just terming the individual as the culprit and moving on. In the Indian psyche this would mean forgetting the past and moving on, as has happened in many instances of terror thrown at us.

Man has always been living in the extremes whether for survival or just for the fun of it.  There  are socially acceptable outlets like bungee jumping and other activities which would scare some out of their wits. But those who love living on the edge the mean lies  at a different level.  There is another quite unacceptable extreme that an individual is faced since the inception of creation. A recent article on Shiney Ahuja in the Times  makes us aware of the stark  nature of this extreme nature of it as has been termed called by the news paper.

Lets call the rules set out by society for the existence of the individual as the Mean or average . While as i mentioned in a scientific experiment there has to be a standard deviation to any mean which is acceptable to statistical thought, there has to be a level of acceptance or standard deviation that society can accept .   It would mean that if a person has an acceptable standard deviation form this mean then society will not consider him an outcast. But suppose he does cross these acceptable limits of standard deviation there will obviously be a justification to be given for the same. Interestingly research gives  a person the opportunity to repeat the experiment until an acceptable standard deviation is achieved, a second chance so to say. But in society that second chance  has a bearing on ones relationships, time and other factors that may or may not be in control of the individual, quite frankly a standard deviation begins to set in.

For example a professional relationship is defined by how the individual is accepted in a certain environment, or more so what he brings via his interpersonal skills to that environment. It depends on how he work, how quick he/she learns from mistakes, and how confident he/she is.  Thus it would be safe to say that the acceptable mean or the basal equilibrium is defined by that particular environment. The acceptable standard deviation is to a large extent decided by the Boss, his interactions with the individuals in the team, so to say the standard deviation is set by the boss. Preferential behaviour towards a particular individual in that microcosm by the leader changes the equations. Bias is another aspect which is a factor in the deviation theory which to a large extent sets the mean for each individual. Human nature is unbiasedly biased, so the means as i mentioned keep changing with respect to different individuals in that area.  A constant mean within a group would mean an unbiased environment, but that seldom happens.

To sum it all up the sum total of what we do decides the standard deviation.