- This is as a result of societal reaction - that is, of labelling. Show Sets with similar terms
enerally express the conviction that some kind of threatening social evil exists that must be combated. They can be seen as moral crusaders, who are concerned chiefly with the successful persuasion of others, but are not concerned with the means by which this persuasion is achieved. Successful moral crusades are generally dominated by those in the upper social strata of society (Becker, 1963). They often include religious groups, lawmaking bodies, and stakeholders in a given field. There is political competition in which these moral crusaders originate crusades aimed at generating reform, based on what they think is moral, therefore defining deviance. Moral crusaders must have power, public support, generate public awareness of the issue, and be able to propose a clear and acceptable solution to the problem (Becker, 1963). Becker points out that many people occasionally commit nonconforming acts without becoming involved in a sustained pattern of deviant activity. The main reason for this is that most people do not get caught in their nonconformity and remain "secret deviants." One of the most important steps in the process of involvement in a deviant career, according to Becker, is "the experience of being caught and publicly labeled as deviant" (1963: 31). No matter who the person was before being labeled, others' reactions to this person now become focused on one overwhelming aspect of his or her identity—the label or deviant status of fairy, dope fiend, nut, etc. As a result of these reactions, one of the next steps in the developing deviant career is that "one tends to be cut off. . . from participation in more conventional groups" (1963: 34). A person who has been labeled as a homosexual or a drug addict, for instance, may be denied employment in a "respectable" job and subsequently "drift into unconventional, marginal occupations where it does not make so much difference" to be this kind of deviant (1963: 34). In fact, the deviant may have no choice but to enter into the very kinds of pursuits typically expected of such a person—deviant activities. The final stages of the deviant career come with the person's increasing involvement with others who have been similarly labeled in organized deviant groups. Membership in a deviant group confirms one's self-identity as the kind of deviant he or she has been labeled. In addition, members of such groups share a deviant subculture, "a set of perspectives and understandings about what the world is like and how to deal with it" (1963: 38). This subculture provides the deviant with rationalizations and justifications for further deviant activity. Thus, the deviant who eventually ends up in an organized deviant group and shares in its subculture "is more likely than ever before to continue in his ways" (1963: 39). Conflict "Modern situations are not simple organizations in which everyone agrees on what the rules are and how they are to be applied in specific situations. They are, instead, highly differentiated along social class lines, ethnic lines, occupational lines, and cultural lines" (Becker, 1963, p. 15) "Differences in the ability to make rules and apply them to other people are essentially power differentials (either legal or extralegal). Those groups whose social position gives them weapons and power are best able to enforce their rules. Distinctions of age, sex, ethnicity, and class are all related to differences in power, which accounts for differences in the degree to which groups so distinguished can make rules for others" (18). "The rules created and maintained by such labeling are not universally agreed to. Instead, they are the object of conflict and disagreement" (Becker, 1963, p.18) What happens when a person is Labelled as deviant according to the Labelling theory?Once a person is identified as deviant, it is extremely difficult to remove that label. The individual becomes stigmatized as a criminal and is likely to be considered untrustworthy by others. For example, convicts may struggle to find employment after they're released from prison because of their criminal background.
What is deviant Labelling theory?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.
What are the 4 theories of deviance?While there are many different sociological theories about crime, there are four primary perspectives about deviance: Structural Functionalism, Social Strain Typology, Conflict Theory, and Labeling Theory.
What are the 3 types of deviant behavior?Three broad sociological classes exist that describe deviant behavior, namely, structural functionalism, symbolic interaction and conflict theory.
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