Labelling Theory And The Consequences Of Deviance In Society

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Labelling theory maintains that an act is deviant when people notice it and then take action to label it as a violation and apply appropriate sanctions (Lorber, 1967:303). Moreover, in this theory, deviance is perceives not as psychological or physical flow but as the outcome of social process which involves conflicting values of social groups, social language of labels, social reactions and expectations (Lorber, 1967:303). Lorber (1967:303) maintains that deviance as a label given by the society has different consequences depending on the type if deviance inferred by the label. He further maintains that one of the social label of deviance attributes maliciousness of the deviance and carries with it the consequences of the punishment (Lorber, 1967:303). The second kind of deviance is accidental, meaning attaining something without the individual wanting to be deviant. The kinds of deviance defined as socially accidental includes illness, crippling or inherent defects (Lorber, 1997:303). …show more content…

Today society is more likely to provide therapy to individuals who are defined as ill, that is, accidental deviance and impose punishment to those who are defined as criminal (deliberate deviance). If the individual fails to adhere to the norms of the society or fail to meet the level of conformity, that individual will then have her behaviour socially defined as accidental rather than deliberate (Lorber, 1967:305). If the individual believes that his deviance is not her fault, she can then work on convincing the member of the society to believe her. However, if the individual label her behaviour as something that was done deliberately, she can still attempt to show that she deserves merciful treatment by pretending she’s not responsible for the deviant act

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