Transcript Labeling Theory

Labeling Theory
1) Symbolic Interactionism
2) Primary Deviance
3) Secondary Deviance
Symbolic Interactionism
Symbols are very powerful (they represent
something else to more than one person)
We use symbols to convey a particular
meaning
Symbolic interactionists have developed
labeling theory that focuses on significance
of labels (names, reputations) given to
people
Two “hoodies” of the same color
$ 60.00
$ 15.00
Did you know that…
“Banana Republic” (middle class, middle age)
“Gap” (less expensive, young people as well
as people at their 30’s)
“Old Navy” (least expensive, teenagers and
young people, democratic interior)
One owner
One company = several Brand Names
Gap was established by Davis Fisher, 1969
1983, the Gap, Inc. purchased the failing
“Banana Republic” chain and turned it into
an upscale “Gap”
Gap Inc. is proud of covering all
demographics
Label can change the attitude
$ 10.00
$ 25.00
The power of Labels: The Saints and
the Roughnecks
Both groups were “constantly occupied with
truancy, drinking, wild parties, vandalism”
Not one Saints had been arrested (no arrest ,
no negative label) (”Headed for success”)
Roughnecks had been in a constant trouble
with police (“headed for trouble)
Why? (social class allowed Saints to be less
visible, to be more sophisticated in
interactions)
The power of label and expectations
The Pygmalion Effect (1960’s) (p.210)
Teacher’s expectations influence children’s
performance
20 percents of the students were labeled
“blooming” academically
A year later the same intelligence test sown
that labeled students gained much more
points
Labeling Theory
Passive agents
We depend on what other people think
about us
How do we know who we are? (smart,
cute, independent, etc)
Power of deviant labels
Society creates deviants through a labeling
process
When we label something/someone we see
them differently (a biography of a famous
person is often reconstructed)
Labeled people might also see themselves
differently
Resisting a label
Labeling Theory
It's not the harm that makes an act
"criminal", but whether the label is
conferred on the act
The audience, not the actor, determines
when certain behavior becomes defined as
crime
Labeling Theory of Deviance
All people break rules and engage in
deviance at one time or another
They even break serious rules for which
they could be jailed (vandalism, rape,
drinking and driving, tax violations)
Yet, only some people get the label of
deviant...
Key Premises of Labeling Theory
Most people engage in some rule breaking
behavior that falls under the category of
primary deviance
Primary Deviance is nonconformity that is
temporary, exploratory, trivial or easily
concealed... This kind of deviance typically
goes undetected.
Key Premises of Labeling Theory
However, the situation changes significantly
if a person's deviant acts are discovered and
made public
The person may then be officially labeled as
"deviant" (e.g., as nut, weirdo, pervert,
criminal, etc )
Key Premises of Labeling Theory
This application of a label is a crucial event
A label is particularly powerful and "sticky"
when applied to a person
Labels can become a "master status" - i.e., a
status through which all other behavior and
characteristics become interpreted
Ex-convicts rarely can find a good job or
friends
Secondary Deviance
Secondary deviance is the process that occurs
when a person who has been labeled a deviant
accepts that new identity and continues the deviant
behavior (Kendall, 1998)
Labeling someone as deviant tends to force him to
identify himself as deviant and to associate with
other deviants, which in turn reinforces his
deviance and leads him down the path of a deviant
"career"
Four types of citizens (Becker, 1963)
The members of society that are rule-abiding and
free of labels are described as conforming
citizens
Those who are labeled without breaking a rule are
termed the falsely accused
Those citizens that exhibit rule breaking behavior
and are labeled deviant are referred to as pure
deviants
Those that break rules yet avoid labeling are called
secret deviants
Dance musicians (Becker’s study)
Participant observation study of the lives of
Chicago dance musicians to illustrate the social
life of a deviant subculture
Although dance musicians as a group are lawabiding, their unconventional lifestyles lead them
to feel as outsiders
Becker (1963) describes how being a dance
musician involves a change in attitudes and
opinions in order to conform to the subculture
Dance musicians (Becker’s study)
The culture of the dance musician is rich in
its own language and gestures
Many of the dance musicians live a
conventional family life during the day and
change into their role as musician at night
Thomas Scheff’s research
Application of labeling theory is in the area of
mental health
He describes how people are labeled mentally ill
in order to explain certain rule-breaking behavior
that society can't categorize
People labeled as mentally ill adopt the behaviors
of the stereotypical mental patient as portrayed
through the mass media
Thomas Scheff’s research
Scheff argues that those who express the
stereotypical behavior of the mentally ill are
rewarded by enterprising psychology
professionals
Everybody expresses the popular symptoms
of mental illness at some point in their life
and labels are attached to those without
power