Labeling Theory Of Deviance Essay

1.) Labeling Theory of Deviance is rooted in the symbolic interactionist perspective. It is the way in which one respond to the label of deviant. For example, if someone is given the label that they are a criminal and are treated in that way, they will start to act like one. The underlying assumptions of labeling theory of deviance are no act is intrinsically deviant, deviant behavior is behavior that is so labeled, deviance is a definition that is conferred on a behavior by an audience, and deviance designation is a process which includes antecedent contingencies and subsequent consequences. The factors affecting whether or not one gets labeled is generally based on the severity of the rule breaking behavior. However, in many cases gender,

The overall point here is there is disparity in the label of deviant. Certain groups are more likely to be seen as deviant than others. In Pager’s article, The Mark of a Criminal Record, she explores how race and criminal record plays a role on employment opportunities. First off, she found that employers are more likely to hire whites than blacks. Second off, she found that people without a criminal record are also more likely to get hired than those who have a criminal record. Although that is the case, she also found that whites with criminal record will more likely be hired than blacks with no criminal record. Society’s norm is that we shouldn’t break the law and if do so, it is considered a deviant

Despite this idea, in Boswell’s and Spade’s article, Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture, they examine rape on college campus. In their studies, they looked at behavior of men and women to determine the setting of fraternity parties (high risk fraternities versus low risk houses) in which rape happen on college campus. They found that setting plays a factor in the rape culture for heterosexual relationship on college campuses as well as behavior. This is to say that factors like setting can foster deviance behavior like rape. In Nack’s article, Identity and Stigma of Women with STDs, however, she discusses that women, more specifically college students are stigmatized and labeled when they have a sexual transmitted disease. Women with STDs had broken society’s norm and therefore looked at as deviance. Nack explores how women with STDs go about their deviance act and states that the first stage is denying that deviance identity. Then, they blame the person who they think gave it to them and finally they come to the realization to accept it and to tell their friends, family, and