Labeling theory is an approach in the sociology of deviance that focuses on the ways in which the agents of social control attach stigmatizing stereotypes to particular groups, and the ways in which the stigmatized change their behavior once labeled. Labeling in the Classroom, 7 secondary deviance: the reaction society has to the individual now identified as being a criminal (Lilly, Cully, & Ball, 2007). The community where they live is likely to support and treat it as any other marriage. Criminology. The theory explains automatic responses, though not the influence of other factors such as personality and genetic factors. History has shown that society has and will change to accept criminal behaviour or to make legal behaviour illegal. The main point of view is whether he or she has accepted the criminal label. Labelling can have different aspects as well. This way, the labeling theory plays a role in strengthening society's structure. Some studies found that being officially labeled a criminal (e.g. Any misbehavior may be explained entirely by how that individual is labeled as a criminal (Travis, 2002). This is the precursor to the social reaction or labeling theory which has present day acceptance and includes many of the same concepts. In the early 1990s, the Chinese government frequently had political and social drives to deter crime and deviance through mobilizing the masses to punish deviants (Zhang, 1994b). The first phase is known as the Primary deviance phase. His theory basically states that a person experiences social deviance in two phases. , Is my teacher marking my work unfairly?? Plummer, K (1979). Labelling Theory (Education) Labelling theory was developed by Howard Becker and is most associated with the sociology of deviance. He said that in tribes where good oratory skills were not expected, there was no negative reaction and hence there was no deviance of the above type. Using this essay writing service is legal and is not prohibited by any university/college policies. These people learn to define what they are and what they do on the basis of how they see the attitudes of the people around them (Bernburg, 2009). Once they start to believe in their negative labels, self rejection occurs which plays a major role in the social rejection theory. His main concept was the dramatization of evil. Becker proposed that criminal behaviour is dynamic in nature and changes throughout time. Labeling Theory in Criminology and Sociology, 9 Trends In Hardware and Software to Bring You Up to Speed, Crime and Community by Frank Tannenbaum (1938), Social Pathology, New York: McGraw-Hill By Erwin Lemert (1951), Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, New York: The Free Press of Glencoe By Howard Becker (1963), The Colonizer and the Colonized by Albert Memmi (1965), Criminology, New York (8th edition) by J.B. Lippincott (1970), Human Deviance, Social Problems and Social Control (2nd edition) by Edwin Lemert (1972), Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Sentencing in the Juvenile Justice System: Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by Austin Turk (1973), Labeling Theory and Criminology: An Assessment by Charles Wellford (1975), Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs by Paul Willis (1977), Criminology: Theory and Context Essex: Pearson Education Limited (2nd edition) by John Tierney (2006), Criminology, London: OUP Oxford by Stephen Jones (2009), Labeling Theory and Life Stories of Juvenile Delinquents Transitioning Into Adulthood by Prince Boamah Abrah, DOI.Org (2018). But now, homosexuality is an accepted fact in society and there are little or fewer stigmas and or labelling attached to it. In the heavily collectivist, family-centered Chinese culture, those who were labeled as deviant were significantly more likely to be rejected by friends and neighbors than parents and relatives (Zhang, 1994a). Gouldner (1968) argued that labelling theorists made the individual look innocent by the application of labels by control agents such as the police and society. He or she is then labelled criminal but has yet to accept the label. Thus most of the drawbacks can be explained. Howard Becker (1963) is held to be the architect of the modern labelling theory. Criminology : Theory and Context. Erwin Lamert (1951) founded the societal Reaction theory. This lack of conventional tires can have a large impact on self-definition and lead to subsequent deviance (Bernburg, 2009). He is also responsible for coining the term moral entrepreneur which is a term used to describe law making officials who get certain criminal behaviour illegal. Although in most cases secondary deviance will be accomplished in which the person accepts the label of criminal and begins to associate with similarly branded people, losing contact with friends who conform to societies rules (Becker, 1963 cited in Labelling Theory). The daily mail ran an article which stated that some people were more likely to smoke if they saw Smoking Kills on it. Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher? The biggest drawback one may say that affects labelling theory is that it has not yet been empirically validated. If I'm on a project, I'm going to make sure to stick with it to the bitter, bloody end." Although this might sound like a strength, it's actually a weakness in disguise! Becker, H. (1963). Research has shown that many of the youth gangs who come from the lower class get arrested and are labelled further as criminals. These are the sources and citations used to research Strengths and weaknesses of labelling theory. The labeling theory does not seem to stop being a hot topic, attracting debates and criticism. How Does the Labeling Theory Explain Deviance? Crime statistics are more a record of the activities of control agents than of criminals. Disadvantages. One of the other drawbacks also mentions the aspect of self-labelling. Tannenbaum (1938) is widely regarded as the first labelling theorist. (2007). Thus as shown in the above essay, labelling theory has many strengths and weaknesses. Noting this discrepancy, Sherman and Smith (1992) aimed to examine the effect of arrest for domestic violence on subsequent violence and found that arrest for domestic violence increased the likelihood for subsequent arrest for domestic violence, but only in cases where the perpetrator was unemployed. They will be labeled deviants.. The most frequent use would be recreational. Howard American Sociological Review, 609-627. All their other associations and labels such as that of parent, employee, and so on take a back seat. Labeling theory recognizes that labels will vary depending on the culture, time period, and situation. This is caused by a transaction, where someone projects themselves into the role of another and seeing if the behavior associated with that role suits their situation (Mead, 1934). Those that were not able to conform to the rest of the tribe i.e. He said that labelling theory and the mentally ill have no influence on one another. Delinquency, situational inducements, and commitment to conformity. Thus we see that labelling though introduced to help society and make it a better place can actually make it worse. This essay will go on to show the origins of labelling theory, the theory itself and will show its strengths and weaknesses using various case-studies and examples. The conventions of these groups can have heavy influence on the decisions to act delinquently. Secondly is the process of self-labelling. Labelling can have different aspects as well. Marijuana for example is tolerated in Amsterdam and is legal in other parts of the world (Mexico allows four grams for personal use). Mental patient status, work, and income: An examination of the effects of a psychiatric label. Annual review of Sociology, 27(1), 363-385. They would be able to smoke it at one time and at others, they wont be able to. We can summarise the strengths of this approach as follows: Many other studies and analyses have supported these findings (Bernburg, 2009). He pointed out that deviance was created entirely on the whims of authority. This research is unique in that it examines informal labeling the effects of how other people look at an adolescent have on that adolescents behavior. Fourthly, it matters on who the audience is comprised of, as the level of denouncement an individual feels depends on the audiences reaction to the act. It was through his work as a musician Becker first became exposed to drug culture, which he would later study. This essay will go on to show the origins of labelling theory, the theory itself and will show its strengths and weaknesses using various case-studies and examples. Zhang (1994a) examined the effects of the severity of the official punishment of delinquency on the probability that youths were estranged from parents, relatives, friends, and neighbors in the city of Tianjin, China. Howard Becker is an American sociologist who produced Outsiders in 1963 that talks about the Sociology of Deviance. As deviant labeling is stigmatizing, those with deviant labels can be excluded from relationships with non-deviant people and from legitimate opportunities. Symbols, meaning, and action: The past, present, and future of symbolic interactionism. Developmental theories of crime and delinquency, 7, 133-161. Misunderstanding labelling perspectives in key readings in criminology (ed Newburn, T) pgs 220-223. Ian and Christian are males who love each other and want to get married. He would not label himself as a criminal as it was a necessary for him to do so. Labelling/Interactionist (action) theories of crime and deviance. In the future the mindset of society may change and acts that were previously considered to be criminal may be legalised. These norms are actually those that the powerful social groups have created. He said that in tribes where good oratory skills were not expected, there was no negative reaction and hence there was no deviance of the above type. al., 1989). Paternoster, R., & Iovanni, L. (1989). Classic studies on teacher labelling in education Walter Grove on the other hand was vehemently opposed to the theory proposed by Thomas Scheff. Those with criminal labels are distrusted and distained widely, and individuals may believe that criminals are completely unable to behave morally. www.simplypsychology.org/labeling-theory.html. In a similar vein, recidivism was also higher among partners in unmarried couples than those in married couples, unrestricted by the conventional bond of marriage. Simply Psychology's content is for informational and educational purposes only. According to him, society then places certain behavioural expectations on the individual and the individual subconsciously changes his behaviour to suit the expectations of society. But as mentioned before, the individual or group may seek to rationalize their behaviour, thus avoiding the prospect of self labelling. The theory of labeling was originated from Howard . is a consequence of external Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of LawTeacher.net. Looking for a flexible role? Labelling theory supports the idea of radical non-interventionism, in which policy dictates that certain acts are decriminalised and the removal of the social stigmata surrounding the acts. Becker proposed that criminal behaviour is dynamic in nature and changes throughout time. Becker, H. (1963). When individuals have little social support from conventional society, they can turn to deviant groups, where having a deviant label is accepted. American Sociological Review, 680-690. That is not a drawback but merely a statement of facts. In spite of these, the major drawback of the labelling theory is the lack of empirical data to support it. Official labeling, criminal embeddedness, and subsequent delinquency: A longitudinal test of labeling theory. Control Strategy: Control theory advances the proposition that weak bonds between the individual and society allow people to deviate. We are very interested to know your opinion. For example, Short and Strodtbeck (1965) note that the decision for adolescent boys to join a gang fight often originates around the possibility of losing status within the gang. Therefore Becker says that personal motives and the influence by society has nothing to do with criminal behaviour. In schools, those that come from a working class family or a lower class, the youth gangs are seen as trouble makers compared to the middle class gangs who are labelled as pranksters instead. The drugtakers. Formal labels are labels ascribed to an individual by someone who has the formal status and ability to discern deviant behavior. For example, some can explain juvenile delinquency as an aftermath of negative connotations to events or words that are usually seen in a positive light. Zhang, L., & Messner, S. F. (1994a). according to labeling theorists, although all individuals occasionally exhibit behaviors which could be termed deviant, not all such behaviors are so labeled. Proponents of the theory of labels interpret deviant behavior not as a set of traits inherent in individuals or groups but as a process of interaction between deviants and non-deviants. He would not label himself as a criminal as it was a necessary for him to do so. However, this can create rationalization, attitudes, and opportunities that make involvement in these groups a risk factor for further deviant behavior (Bernburg, Krohn, and Rivera, 2006). The labeling theory states that societys response to these behaviors determines whether that behavior should have a deviant label or not. American sociologist who produced Outsiders in 1963 that talks about the Sociology of.... Be criminal may be explained entirely by how that individual is labeled a. Deviant groups, where having a deviant label or not prohibited by any university/college policies howard Becker 1963. It worse Becker says that personal motives and the mentally ill have no influence on decisions... 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