Social Labeling Paper

According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, meaning and reality are constructed through social interaction; through sharing and communication of symbols (Cartwright, p.156). Through this concept comes the idea of the labeling perspective, which states that deviance is a social construct. Using a number of theories connected to the labelling perspective such as primary/secondary deviance, self-fulfilling prophecy and master status, will demonstrate the subjectivity that many would consider it to be deviant.

The labeling theory, an example of constructivist perspective is the theory put forth to define how deviance is experienced and why people continue to be deviant. The labeling theory was developed by a group of sociologists in the 1960’s. It is a version of symbolic interactionism defining deviance as a collective action involving the acts of more than one person, and the

Under Edwin Lemert’s labeling theory the individual facilitates and impact’s their label. The process starts with deviation, sanctions for those behaviors by others, decision from the individual to imbed the label or challenge it, the individual then gets more reaction for their action from other and finally the individual chooses to accept the label and consistently acts within it. Primary deviance takes place when the individual engages in the initial act of defiance. In Lemert’s term, such acts under traditional labeling theory are examples of primary deviance and they occur in wide segments of the population. We all transgress now and then: some youth shoplift, others commit vandalism, and still others use illegal drugs. But suppose a youth, say a 15 year-old male, is caught vandalizing or using an illegal drug, His arrest, fingerprinting, and other legal measures make him think of himself as a young criminal. Parents, friends,

Labeling theory holds that individuals come to identify and act as per their labels. The major tenet of this theory is that the behavior and self-identity of individuals is affected by the way they are described by other people (Vold, Bernard, Snipes, & Gerould, 2016). According to this theory, the act of deviance is not implicit in a particular act, but is hedged on the inclination of the majority to ascribe labels to minorities in society who deviate from standard behavior. Labeling leads to dramatization of a particular act – which propagates the behavioral clash between the individual and the community. Through ascribing labels, the individuals acquire a negative self-image. The individuals accept themselves as labeled by the

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.

Associating with the self-fulfilling prophecy, master status, and symbolic interactionism, Howard Becker’s labeling theory, views deviance as not an innate act, but rather, elects to target society impulse to engage in stigmatization (Cartwright, 2011). In this paper, I will discuss the implications of labeling specifically in the articles “The Saints and the Roughnecks” by William Chambliss and “On Being Sane In Insane Places” by David Rosenhan. Additionally, I will be discussing the far-reaching effects of negative labeling an individual, with respect to concepts such as labeling theory, the self-fulfilling prophecy, and master status.

All around us we see people who society perceives as being“different” from everybody else. Examples of these type of people are pedophiles, murderers and burglars. What all these people have in common is they have a deviant identity. These groups of people have been caught in a deviant act, and through a process have been labeled with a deviant identity (alder 2015.) But how does a deviant identity come to existence? To understand deviant identity development, we must look at the concepts of seven stages of deviant identity development , excuses, techniques of neutralization, stigma management, deviant career. Examples that will help explain these concepts are the class readings and the case of Jerry Sandusky.

Based on Howard Becker’s symbolic or labeling theory, all acts of deviance and the person seen to be acting in a deviant manner are given labels. These labels generally come from someone in there community or group who are in hierarchy or authority figure. That means no action is deviant unless specified by the particular community or group (Bessant & Watts 2002). Becker’s labeling theory concentrates on the lower class, and anything apart from what the group expects is labeled as deviant. The term Once a criminal always a criminal is familiar, it is these type of labels that maybe detrimental in terms of a person internalizing labels as truth, and how others sees them (D. Conley 2008). The labels and or judgments given negatively, isolate the person from the group, and may hinder the person’s opportunity to reach their full potential. The strains put on a person to conform to the particular cultures norms and values, does not allow any person to differ in nature or thought. When one is pressured to perform in ways that may be foreign or

I have chosen to examine Irving Goffman’s contributions to the theory of social stigma, specifically through the perspectives presented in Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. My analysis of this work leads me to imagine communication as a mask, possessing the ability to shield the wearer’s actual social identity from observers.

Many laws are enacted to punish criminals and protect individuals from violent deviant actions. Privileged Deviance is economically costly because some powerful individuals attempt to escape the consequences of deviant actions. Deviance occurs through interactions between individuals and groups. The labeling theory discusses the social behavior of how and why individuals continue deviant activity to maintain their identity or label. Thio, Taylor, and Schwartz state “the word interaction deviance is a human activity involving more than one person’s act” (Thio, et. al, 2013, p. 35). The theory suggests individuals reflect on their behavior and how others view their actions. The labeling theory can be linked to the symbolic interaction foundation perspective. Understanding deviance and criminal behavior are addressed through the labeling theory. Thio, Taylor, and Schwartz suggest that the deviant act begins with the hypothesis that no act is essentially criminal. Criminality is recognized by individuals who feel powerful through the design of laws and the interpretation of law enforcement. Deviance is determined by the interaction between deviant and nondeviant actions and how the community interprets the actions. Individuals who adhere to the law and promote acceptable behaviors are the main source of labeling. For example; this may include police officers, courts, or school authorities. Defining specific

The symbolic interactionism is one theory of deviance, and it explains about how your everyday situation can be described as deviance. Labeling theory is one theory of the symbolic interactionism. According to Ferris & Stein (2014), “Labeling theory is Howard Becker’s idea that deviance is a consequence of external judgments, or labels, that modify the individual’s self-concept and change the way others respond to the labeled person” (p.159). In addition, Labeling theory has three category of deviance. It consists of primary deviance, secondary deviance, and tertiary deviance.

Furthermore, there are two types of people in the world—those who are stigmatized, and those who are “normal.” Goffman defines “normals” as being without stigma, and easily accepted in society. Stigma focuses on the interactions between these individuals within social settings. During these interactions, if a person’s stigma is plainly known and seen, the person may be considered discredited. There are “symbols” used during interactions that convey social information. There are both “prestige symbols” and stigma symbols, which can convey high status or identity discrepancies. Who one associates themselves with also reflects one’s social identity, conveying that individual’s social identity.

The label of being a deviant is bestowed upon people who commit crime. Such individuals bearing this status are subject to public scrutiny and have their lives completely altered as a result. However, this occurrence raises the question as to whether deviance is deeply rooted in certain behaviours, or is pronounced by a community that perceives the observed action to be abnormal before analyzing the impact of a label when individuals transition out of crime. These points will be analyzed in depth after discussing the importance of symbolic interactionist perspective, labeling theory, primary and secondary deviance, master status, and the self-fulfilling prophecy placed in action by two articles, one written by Chambliss and the other by Rosenhald.

In this paper, I will discuss the deviant act I committed. Deviance happen in everyday life. Most deviant acts are more accepted than others because of how society reacts to those them and then stigmatize the people who carry out those acts that does not fit the status quo of normal social behavior. In sociology, there are things in society based on norms, mores and Folkways that society deems as daily activities that do not disrupt society. I find that the deviant act I committed as breaking a folkway. Folkways “are traditional behaviors or ways of life that are a part of a group of people or culture” (Inderbitzin, Bates, Gainey 2015:62). The breaking of Folkways usually are stigmatized or labeled because they are a part of everyday life and people within these cultures expect that they are neither broken nor infringed upon. The labeling theory by Howard Becker is the sociological theory that will be the basis of my deviant act. Labeling theory “is linked to the symbolic interactionist perspective and it is rooted in the idea of the social construction of reality and it is based off an assumption that no act is intrinsically criminal. The definition of what is criminal is established by those in power through laws by the police, courts and correctional institutions. To understand deviance we must understand why some people are labeled and others are not” (Crossman, Ashley. 2017. “How Labeling Theory Can Help Us Understand Bias and Criminal Behavior). In American society we

According to Howard Becker’s labeling theory, ‘deviance is not a quality of the act person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an “offender”.’ (Becker