Secondary Deviance: What´s Labeling Theory?

Labeling theory is defined as “the belief that individuals subconsciously notice how others see or label them, and their reactions to those labels over time from the basis of their self-identity,” (Conley, 203). It is the idea that a person will notice how other people view them subconsciously and the reactions that happen because of those views will affect the identity of the person being viewed. The initial act that would cause a person to be labeled deviant, when speaking in terms of the labeling theory, is known as primary deviance (Godwin, PPT). A personal example of this is when I was in elementary school I stepped outside wearing the normal Gap and Old Navy brands that all the girls in my class loved wearing, and I wore a boy’s brand t-shirt, because of this …show more content…
That is an example of secondary deviance, because it was the result of me being called deviant that developed my identity in elementary school which has followed me throughout life. Labeling theory could help us better understand the variations in crime across time and different social groups, because it would show that if a person is in fact called deviant and told that what they are doing is not normal, it will then in turn affect how that person develops a deviant identity. For example, if a person grows up in a social groups where crime rate is higher than others and they are initially labeled deviant because of their social group this would then lead to them becoming a person who is deviant due to the fact they were constantly told how deviant they were. In conclusion, labeling theory is a theory that states a person will recognize how others label them subconsciously. Primary deviance, which is the initial act of deviance, and secondary deviance, which is the identity that is developed by the person who is being labeled deviant, both play roles in the labeling