In 1989, paternoster and iovanni explicitly formulated the propositions of the labeling perspective. My goal is to examine the grounds on which labelling theory calls itself critical. The first chapter identified the influence of the perspective on criminal justice policy in britain in the 1980s, particularly in relation to young people. Labeling theory, in criminology, a theory stemming out of a sociological perspective known as symbolic interactionism, a school of thought based on the ideas of george herbert mead, john dewey, w. The study of societal reaction and other symbolic interactions as a major driver of. Theory suggest that, people tend to act and behave as they are labeled by other people. Originating in howard beckers work in the 1960s, labeling theory explains why peoples behavior clashes with social norms.
Characteristics such as organised, determined, hardworking, punctual etc. The theory claims that for a criminal to be successfully labeled, an audience must be present to provide a reaction to the crimes committed labeling theory concerns itself not with the normal roles that define our lives, but with those very special roles that society provides for. It represented a major turning point in the sociology of deviance. Labelling theory is a result of the work of howard becker. Labelling theory sociology bibliographies cite this for me. The labelling theory suggests that most people commit deviant and criminal acts but only come are caught and stigmatised for it. Labelling theory underpins the role of society in defining behaviour. Becker, that is have created this page primarily to make things ive written and published in obscure places available to anyone who wants them. Becker, labeling theory reconsidered in the outsiders 2d ed. The labelling perspective has already made a number of appearances in this book, since it is impossible to discuss recent criminological developments without acknowledging its influence. Popularity labeling theory was popular in the 1960s and early 1970s. He interviewed 60 high school teachers in chicago, and as a result found out that they all shared the same idea of an ideal student and they judged pupils according to how closely they fitted that image.
Participant observation is beckers research method of choice. Scheff challenged common perceptions of mental illness by claiming that mental illness is evident as a result of societal influence. The stigma associated with mental illness results in discrimination, loss of socioeconomic status, lowered sense of selfworth, and increased symptoms. This bibliography was generated on cite this for me on sunday, january 11, 2015. Labelling has real consequences it can lead to deviancy amplification, the selffulfilling prophecy and deviant careers. Tannenbaum,1938 defines labelling as the process of making the criminal by employing processes of tagging, defining,identifying,segregating,describing,emphasising,making conscious and. He argued that society views certain actions as deviant. As howard becker 1963 puts it deviancy is not a quality of the act a person commits, but rather a consequences of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an offender. The main theorist within labelling theory howard becker illustrates how crime is the product of social interactions by using the example of a. Labeling theory is also connected to other fields besides crime.
Labeling theory is situated within the symbolic interactionist framework which suggests that one. Labeling theory emerged as the dominant perspective in the study of deviance in the 1960s, though its origins can be traced to. For example, a teenager who lives in an urban area frequented by gangs. Labeling theory implies a policy of nonintervention. Mental illness and labeling theory markowitz major. The earliest critiques of labeling objected to the theory s disregard for the actual behavior of the deviant and the image of the deviant being coerced by the labeling process into a deviant identity role. Following a consideration of the works of tannenbaum 1938, lemert 1951, becker 1963, turk 1969, and quinney 1970, schrag identifies what he considers the basic assumptions that distinguish. Labeling theory and life stories of juvenile delinquents.
In sociology, labeling theory is the view of deviance according to which being labeled as a deviant leads a person to engage in deviant behavior. Labelling perspective is regarded as one of the main theories developed by the interactionists, with howard becker being instrumental in its formation giddens and sutton, 20. Thirdly, labelling theory is supposed to cover all criminal activity and has an effect on everyone irrespective of their race, social class, sex and age becker, 1963. The labelling perspective and the criminal justice system. Labelling theory this theory argues that deviance is a social construction, as no act is deviant in itself in all situations. Beckers insistence that sociologists should interpret and confer meaning to. The effects of labeling and stereotype threat on offender.
A pioneer of labeling theory, becker 1963 stated that deviant behaviour does not exist until it is defined as such by members of society. In art worlds 1982, a book that greatly influenced the sociology of art. It is for this reason that emphasis should be on understanding the reaction and definition of deviance rather than the causes of the initial act. In 1966, labeling theory was first applied to the term mentally ill when thomas scheff published being mentally ill. In what follows, i will try to clarify the situation and process pointed to by this doublebarrelledterm. Labeling theory provides a distinctively sociological approach that focuses on the role of social labeling in the development of crime and deviance. Becker labelling, the deviant career and the master status. Consistent with labeling theory, formal labeling significantly increased future delinquency. In an effort to stimulate a new era of inquiry under the labeling perspective, they identified the four conceptual areas that must be evaluated to support a successful labeling theory. Outsiders him as either competent or legitimately entitled to do so. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext.
Before him, frank tennenbaum 1938, edwin lemert 1951, john kitsuse 1962 and k. When an individual in the society is labelled as criminal, it compels him to commit more crimes. Howard becker 1971 carried out an important interactionist. This posits social control as an organizational problem of 1 adaptation to change, and 2 management of conflict within and between groups and associations. Becker argues that a deviant is someone who the label has been successfully applied. Deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label. Labelling theory assumptions the present analysis of labelling theory is drawn from the recent discussion of this perspective by schrag 1971. These are the sources and citations used to research labelling theory. Thomas, charles horton cooley, and herbert blumer, among others. The theory and politics of criminalisation centre for.
Propositions endemic to labeling theory, and variables particularly relevant to these propositions, are combined into a guiding paradigm. This shift in paradigm will inform the coping mechanism of more offenders, as well as the appropriate techniques and strategies to reduce recidivism. Howard becker theory of labelling social class and. Pros, cons, and effects on society the social reaction, or labeling theory as it is sometimes known, has developed over time from as early as 1938 wellford, 1975. Labelling theory of crime a summary revisesociology. Other theories of deviance attempt to explain the incidence or prevalence of concretely real acts with concretely real consequences robbery, adultery, murder, drug use, rape, and the like. Becker s most famous book, outsiders 1963, viewed deviance as the cultural product of interactions between people whose occupations involved either committing crimes or catching criminals. In light of developments in the understanding of the causes and treatment of mental illness, the theory has undergone modification from its original version to show how internalized stigma affects well. Deviancy is not a quality of the act a person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an offender. In the 1960s and 1970s, criminologists such as howard becker, kai erickson, john kitsuse, and p.
As such, behaviours become deviant when those that are conforming to the norms attach labels to those that are not conforming. It is the interactional elements in explaining crime that had previously been ignored or minimised labelling theory was an attempt to highlight the fact that crime cannot be explained without. Erikson 1962 had also used an approach called the social reaction approach or the social interaction approach as different from the structural approach used by merton, or the cultural approach used by cohen and cloward and ohlin. Becker 1973 argues that labelling theory was not intended to explain why people commit crimes, but the focus of it is on the interactional elements. Although there had been prior research into deviant labels, howard becker is hailed as the found of the modern labelling theory. The labeling theory has been critiqued at a very critical level. Frank fitch distinguished professional in residence in the department of educational psychology at miami university, 806 mcguffey ave.
The theory views the deviant a product of the reactions of the society towards him and his interpretative interaction with self becker, 1963. Central to my theory of victim labelling is the figural usage of the word victim, which stresses christs real human pain and suffering. According to my argument, images of a deeply suffering christ had become common features of religious art and festivities such as. Labelling theory applied to education the selffulfilling prophecy. Other criminologists have been doubtful of this part of the theory and hold that a persons race, social class and so on do have an effect. Labeling theory argues that, from a sociological perspective, what counts is this designation. Becker has consistently declined to be labeled in any other way but as a sociologist, he has made numerous statements that evidence his methodological and epistemological proximity to symbolic interactionism. Labeling theory is an explanatory framework that accounts for these effects. Howard saul beckers book outsiders was extremely influential in the development of this theory and its rise to popularity.
The first as well as one of the most prominent labeling theorists was howard becker, who published his groundbreaking work. Labeling theory view deviance from symbolic interaction and conflict perspective. Labeling theory article about labeling theory by the. Labelling theory is the act of naming, the deployment of language to confer and fix the meanings of behaviour and symbolic internationalism and phenomenology. Howard becker 1971 carried out an important interactionist study of labelling. Currently the social reaction theory proposes that when a person commits a crime. A reconsideration of the lemertbecker and, recently, quinney formulations redirects attention to an organizationcentered sociology, a neglected component in most labeling research. Components of this labeling paradigm are then tested in an experimentally controlled police diversion project in which juvenile offenders of midrange seriousness are randomly assigned to release, community treatment, and court petition conditions. The labeled individual might become more offensive towards the people who labeled. Becker 1963 in which he pursued insights developed by earlier theorists like tannenbaum 1938 and lemert 1951, and argued that acts are not naturally good or bad. From time to time ill add to whats here, as well as provide news on topics of interest to people who know me or are interested in what im up to. Labeling theory was developed by sociologists during the 1960s. It is that nature of societys reaction to the act which makes it deviant. Howard becker 1928 labelling is the process by which others usually those in powerful positions come to impose an identity upon us obyrne, 2011.
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