Labelling People

898 Words2 Pages

Labelling A label defines an individual as a certain kind of person. Defining an act as deviant or criminal is not a simple straight forward process. A label is not neutral, it contains an evaluation of the person to whom it is applied. It is a ‘Master Status’ in the sense that it overshadows all the other statuses possessed by the individual. If an individual is labelled as criminal, mentally ill or gay, such labels tend to override the individuals status as father, husband, worker, friend or neighbour. Whether or not the label is applied will depend on how the act is interpreted by the audience. This in turn will depend on who commits the act and where and when it was committed. Deviance is amongst other things a consequence of the response of others to a persons act. Students of deviance can not assume that they are dealing with a homogenous category. When they study people who have been labelled deviant (Howard Becker) If the agents of social control define youngsters as delinquents for breaking the law, those youngsters become deviant. They have been labelled as such by those who have the power to make labels stick. However Becker argued ‘deviance is not a quality that lies in behaviour itself but in the interaction between the person who commits an act and those who respond to it’. From this point of view, deviance is produced by a process of interaction between the potential deviant and the agents of control. Becker then examined the possible effects on an individual being labelled as deviant and that a deviant label can lead to further deviance. However, Becker argued that this process is by no means inevitable, ex-convicts do get jobs and go straight, drug addicts do sometimes give up their habit ... ... middle of paper ... ...e due to lack of empirical support and a conservative political climate (www.mpcc.cc.ne.us). Becker (1963) believes the future of labelling lies in the widespread empirical study of deviance and the various kinds of deviance. In conclusion, once an individual is labelled deviant, the pressure within society to conform to the ‘said norm’ is an ever demanding and increasing pressure. Whilst the intention of the said individual may well be to follow the path of ‘ normal individuals’, once labelled, for whit ever reason it is ever increasingly difficult to return to the ‘normal way of life’ without this shadow overwhelming most. References Becker H.S. 1963 Outsiders The Free Press New York (Pg 9) Becker H.S. 1963 Outsiders The Free Press New York (Holstein 1993, www.sscf.ucsb.edu) (www.mpcc.cc.ne.us)

Show More
Related

  • Crime is a contested and complex concept. Discuss

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    Labelling theory: The theory that the terms crime, deviance, or punishment are labels, variously applied by act of power and not some natural reflection of events – American criminologist Howard Becker

    Read More

  • Deviant Behavior: Deviance: Positive, And Consequences

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deviant behavior is sociologically defined as, when someone departs from the “norms”. Most of the time when someone says deviance they think against the law or acting out in a negative behavior. To sociologists it can be both positive and negative. While most crimes are deviant, they are not always. Norms can be classified into two categories, mores and folkways. Mores are informal rules that are not written; when mores are broken, they can have serious punishments and sanctions. Folkways are informal rules that are just expected to be followed, but have no real repercussions.

    Read More

  • The Sociology of Deviance Disputing it is Dead

    1614 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sociologists suggest deviance is a violation of any societal norm. Yet some have suggested deviance is a socially outmoded concept based on a Durkheim’s model of social solidarity. Therefore suggesting now it is obsolete, there is no longer a use for it in a (post) modern progressive and diverse society like Australia. According to Roach Anleu (2004) Colin Sumner was one such claimant. Sumner suggested that the sociological concept of deviance and any coherent theoretical development stagnated in mid 1970s, as no agreement on how deviance should be set never happened, therefore there was never an answer to the question, “deviant from what”? Secondly, Sumner states there is no explanation for why deviance is the chosen subject of research, instead of the norms that specify deviance. He believed it only made sense to examine deviance within the framework of social disapproval. Sumner also believed the relationships between deviance, crime, and difference to be unclear. Lastly he thought that the search for a general concept to encompass such a assorted range of activities, problems and situations was misguided because there can be no behavioural unity for such a diverse range of practices. Sumner (1994) suggested that the focus should analysis how deviant categories are constructed and managed by the power relationships that are continually changing. (Sumner 1994), (Roach Anleu 2014) Roach Anleu (2014) describe norms as reflecting some level of consensus and can be laws, rules, regulations, standards, or unspoken expectations. However, within large communities, there can be individuals, and groups whose behaviour is perceived as deviant according to the accepted norms. Those individuals and or groups may not necessarily be consider...

    Read More

  • Positivist and Constructionist Theories: Basic Differences

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    There exists conflicting theories among sociologists in the area of determining why a person is considered to be a deviant, and the reasons behind why he or she has committed a deviant act. From a positivistic perspective, deviance is based on biological or social determinism. Alternatively, from a constructionist perspective, deviance is created and assigned by society. Both perspectives seek to give a theory for why a person may become known as deviant. Although they both view similar acts as deviant, the basic differences between positivists and constructionists theories are clear.

    Read More

  • The Conflict Theory Of Deviance In American History X

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Labeling theory of deviance suggests that when one is labeled constantly on the basis of any minority it gives rise to deviant behavior in order to prove the strength of the minority. The minority has been labeled so by people for a long time. They have been labeled because of their race. The gang is labeled anti-social because of their criminal behavior which turns them further to deviance. The use of the labeling theory can be seen being implemented very judiciously

    Read More

  • The Medicalization of Society by Peter Conrad

    1544 Words  | 4 Pages

    Thoit, Link, Bruce G., and Jo C. Phelan. "Labeling and Stigma." Handbook of the sociology of mental health. Springer Netherlands, 2013. 525-541.

    Read More

  • Deviance in the Film Sleepers

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deviance is the behavior and the standards of expectations of a group or society. It is also behavior that is considered dangerous, threatening or offensive. The people that are deviant are often labeled to be weirdos, oddballs, or creeps. In the United States, people with tattoos, drug addicts, alcoholics, and compulsive gamblers are all considered deviant. Sociologists believe that everybody is deviant from time to time. They believe each person will violate a social norm in certain situations. People are considered deviant if they don't stand for the national anthem at a sports event, dress casually to a fancy restaurant, or skip classes. One category of deviance is Crime. Crime is a violation of norms that have been formally enacted into a law. Another category of deviance is humorous. Deviance is relative, what is deviant in one group or society may not be deviant in another group or society.

    Read More

  • Self-Categorization Theory: Tajfel And Turner's Social Identity Theory

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some suggest that the self-categorization theory that is imbedded within the Social Identity Theory is invalid. In the 1970s, empirical research was conducted to prove self-categorization theory, however, most fell up short. Apparently, many researchers couldn’t provide a consistent correlation between ingroup identification and ingroup bias; this also meant the self-categorization theory was inconsistent with the Social Identity Theory (Hornsey, 2008). However, others argue that the self-categorization theory is too broad and powerful to be proven false (Hogg & Williams

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Labelling Theory

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    Labelling theory was suggested by Edwin Lemert (1912- 1996) in 1951 and it was then developed by Howard Becker (b.1928) in 1963. This theory is related to the Social Action perspective. The labelling procedure includes deviancy and crime, certain acts are criminal because they have been labelled in that way, these labels are created by the powerful in society, such as the government. Frank Tannenbaum (1893- 1969) stated the self-fulfilling prophecy could occur when somebody is labelled as a 'criminal'. Self-fulfilling prophecy is when a prediction of something which then becomes a fact. If you have the label of 'delinquency' or 'crime' then the individual may find it difficult to get a job therefore earning less money which could result in them returning to crime. People in society will expect 'criminals' to behave in a certain way. The people with this label may find it challenging to fit into society. Moral panics is a definition which is given when a group of people become known as a threat to societies beliefs.

    Read More

  • What is Deviance?

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    Deviance is defined as actions or behaviors that violate socials norms. In turn the concept of deviance is dependent on the social observation and perception. “By it’s very nature, the constructionism through which people define and interpret actions or appearances is always “social.” ”(Henry, 2009 , p. 6) One’s perception of a situation may be completely different from another depending on cultural and social factors. The way someone talks, walks, dresses, and holds themselves are all factors that attribute to how someone perceives another. In some cases what is socially or normally acceptable to one person is deviant in another’s eyes. For this reason there is a lot of gray area involving the topic of deviance because actions and behaviors are so diversely interpreted.

    Read More

  • The Boy Next Door and the Psycho Killer: Producing Society’s Extremes

    3429 Words  | 7 Pages

    ...nes, ads, schools—the devastating effect is one that is constantly making deviants the outcast. These outcasts take on labels that usually have a negative connotation of a freak. Should these deviant groups stride to fit this "normal" expectation and assimilate into a culture that has rejected them or rather try to gain strength to add to their uniqueness? Each individual has a role on how he is perceived.

    Read More

  • Labeling Theory

    3342 Words  | 7 Pages

    Labelling theory, stemming from the influences of Cooley, Mead, Tannenbaum, and Lemert, has its origins somewhere within the context of the twentieth century. However, Edwin Lemert is widely considered the producer and founder of the original version of labelling theory. This paper, not a summary, provides a brief history of labelling theory, as well as, its role in the sociology of deviance. It attempts to explore the contributions made by labelling theorists, the criticism towards labelling theorists, and the discussion surrounding its reality as an actual theory. In essence, the main focus of this paper besides proving an understanding of Howard Becker, is to describe and evaluate `labelling theory` to the study of crime and deviance, by way of an in depth discussion.

    Read More

  • The Implications of Labelling Theory and how It Affects Individuals

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    The main focus of the essay will be the implications of labelling theory and how it affects individuals. It also will be focusing on the creation of particular categories of criminals when labelling theory is applied, in addition it will outline what labelling theory is, how it affects people and how it effects the creation of criminal categories. The purpose of this essay is to allow a better understanding of labelling theory and its implication on creating criminal categories.

    Read More

  • Formal And Informal Labeling

    198 Words  | 1 Pages

    Criminological studies suggest that when an individual commits crime at one point, increases the chances of re-engaging in crime (p.87). There are many variables that factor in to this issue. For example, labeling theorists believe that when an individual is tagged, or stigmatized as a criminal or a bad person, then this decreases the constraint against, and increase the motivation towards crime (p.88). In addition, it is important to understand that there are two types of labeling: formal, and informal. Formal labeling occurs when the person has been formally labeled by the police or the court, and informal is when the person is labeled by parents, teachers, and so fort, hence informally (p.88). These labels largely affect the individual’s

    Read More

  • Expressive Art Therapy: A Case Study

    1517 Words  | 4 Pages

    Stigmatization is one of the barriers that trigger other psychological issue that obstruct clients from recovery, and therefore treatments that could untangle/ remove the internal traumatic and discriminative effect causes by social and biomedical labeling (Murphy, 2007, Estroff, 1989) is recommended. Removing internal stigma and discrimination is also a matter of “human right” that protect the client’s accessing equal rights on career, education and social services etc. (Jacabson & Greenley, 2001). In long term, celebrating the human right can “advocate for the reduction and ultimately the elimination of involuntary commitment and other forced treatment” (Jacabson & Greenley, 2001, p.

    Read More

More about Labelling People

Open Document