The labelling theory is a micro interactionist attack. this is because it focuses on how persons construct the societal universe through face-face interactions. It recognises the construct of the ‘procedural self’ where 1s individuality is continuously constructed and recognised in interaction with important others. this consequences in the individual’s behavior. including that related to offense and aberrance.
Significant others are those who are in high societal power and therefore able to order influence and actively find an individual’s life. Such persons may include constabulary officers. prison officers. politicians. parents and instructors. Feminists would reason nevertheless that these are all the males in society. finding and commanding the lives of females. maintaining society patriarchal. The influence that important others place on persons lives is through the usage of labels. the labels aren’t normally based on single features. more so stereotypes. working premises and professional cognition. For illustration Cicaurel found that constabulary patrolled working category countries more intensively. ensuing in more apprehensions. this is due to the police’s stereotyped position that delinquent persons are portion of the on the job category.
Lemert distinguishes between primary and secondary aberrance in society. Primary aberrance involves minor offenses such as hooliganism or smoke underage and these Acts of the Apostless are normally uncaught or undistinguished. However an person may be caught for such Acts of the Apostless and inturn be labelled as delinquent or pervert. the societal reaction of this label consequences in the development of secondary aberrance: more serious offenses such as assault or drugs. This therefore illustrates that it is non the act itself but the hostile social reaction by important others that creates serious aberrance. therefore offense and aberrance being merchandises of the labelling procedure. Support for this thought is research conducted by Jock Young on hippy marihuana users. Drugs were associated with flower peoples which demonstrate primary aberrance. Police so labelled and persecuted flower peoples for their behavior. excepting them from normal society. AS a consequence a aberrant subculture emerged where flower peoples retreated into closed groups. grew hair out long. wore bizarre apparels and drug usage became a cardinal activity.
Gove argued that there are two effects of labelling: creative activity of sigma. alteration of ego images. Stigma is the negative stigmatization of an person and refers to the public disapprobation and exclusion of the felon. The media tend to overstate the behavior of such people. doing increased fright and moral terror in society. ensuing in turning away and invariably being treated with intuition. Becker refers to a ‘master status’ where one time a individual is labelled all of their actions are interpreted in visible radiation of the label and merely negative facets of that individual’s behavior are focussed on. Because of the stigma created from the label a alteration of ego image occurs in the person. The single basically lives up to their aberrant label. going the individual described in the label.
The procedure of deviancy elaboration whereby any penalties or intervention hence reinforce the single perceptual experience of the condemnable. therefore more offenses suiting to the label are carried out. This theory can nevertheless by criticised because it is determinist. where persons have n control over the procedure and one time they have been labelled they will necessarily turn aberrant or condemnable. Social action theoreticians believe in free will and individual’s pick to reject their label. In add-on the label may do the opposite consequence where an single seeks to actively turn out their label incorrect by booming and wining in their work/ life.
Furthermore the labelling theory claims that deviant and condemnable behavior merely occurs when a label is given. it does non account for offenses committed by those who have no labels placed upon them. Marxists. for illustration. would reason the theory fails to explicate in-between category. white neckband or corporate offense. since the wrongdoers have high societal power and would be important others instead than the persons labelled.
In decision although the labelling theory offers some account as to the offense and aberrance in today’s society there are many spreads. Other account such as subcultural offense and aberrance would reason that it is non the interaction of persons but the illicit chance constructions within society that consequences in offense and aberrance.
