Becker's Labeling Theory

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Introduction Imagine being labeled as a criminal and there is a certain stigma that would follow you for the rest of your life. Being labeled not only causes a person to be more deviant, it can lead to a decrease in social bonding. The labeling theory was influenced by Cooley, Mead, Tannenbaum, and Lemert however; Becker’s work was much more influential (Stogner, 2016).
There are many people in the world today who are struggling to live a meaningful life because of being labeled. Some people have committed crimes that cannot be reversed. Once a person is labelled, he or she will become the thing that they are described as being (Stogner, 2016). So, what is the purpose of labeling an individual? Is it protecting society? A person who is labeled
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Labeling theory came from the concept of symbolic interactionism (Stogner, 2016). During the early 1960’s, labeling theory challenged the functionalist version of anomie which was seen as the main archetype in criminological theory (Scimecca, 1977). This theory is viewed as a person who has being labeled as such based on the act that was committed (Stogner, 2016). This is saying that an individual who has committed an offense are more likely to adapt to that self- identity and develop a perpetual deviant behavior.
John Braithwaite came up with reintegrating shaming and saw labeling theory as having the potential to increase or decrease the odds of future offending (Stogner, 2016). Reintegrative shaming main focus was to bring individuals back into the community while disintegrative shaming was based on chastising offenders and keeping them out of society (Stogner, 2016). Braithwaite also suggested that disintegrative shaming increases recidivism indirectly through the stigmatization affecting bonds, associations, and opportunities (Stogner, 2016). Therefore, delinquents has adapted to crime as a result as being labeled as a criminal. Reintegrative shaming can be accomplished by incorporating forgiveness and decertifying the offender as deviant but not decertifying the behavior (Stogner,
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Labeling theory does not look at what particular groups commits more crime, but focuses more on why certain people are labeled as deviant and some are not (Stogner, 2016). What is intriguing about the labeling theory is the influence of labelling individuals. Labeling theorist has stated that majority of the people who commits crime at some point in their lives but not everyone becomes deviant (Trueman, 2015). What does it mean when a person is defined as deviant? For instance, say that there were a group of teenagers who were well known for breaking into cars. The police officers or investigators are aware of the crimes and by whom. They begin to stereotype about typical criminals in that area. By labelling they are using it as a way to predict the suspect’s deviant behavior. This parable is saying that an individual who matches the label are more likely to be apprehended and charged for the alleged crime. Furthermore, once a person is labeled as deviant, they are more likely to adapt to that

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