Werner Cahnman Labeling Theory

Labeling theory is the theory of how the self-identity and behavior of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them. Analyzing obesity as deviance from a labeling perspective is Werner Cahnman stating that obesity is a social phenomenon and stigma. He claims that obesity is "detrimental to health, a blemish to appearance, and a social disgrace." Further, he argues that obesity is morally reprehensible. According to Cahnman, there is a connection between socioeconomic status and obesity that is culturally conditioned. He says that deviance, rather than being an attribute of the deviant, becomes a label attatched to the person by others. He furthers this by saying that in one way or another, we indicate …show more content…
They proposed that in their experiment, whether or not a physically obese person is derogated will depend on how responsible that person is for their appearance. Their idea held true. Two experiments were conducted to look at how adolescent girls' attitudes would change when exposed to reasoning for a second girl's obesity. In both studies, the testee was asked to look at a folder containing a photograph and a statement that the girl in the photograph had supposedly written. It was demonstrated that unless the obese girl could provide a reason for why she was obese such as glandular disorder or recent weight loss, she was given a less positive evaluation and was less-liked. The results of these experiments demonstrate the derogation of the obese results from the presumption that the person is responsible for his or her …show more content…
In their work, Laslett and Warren provide an analysis that explores obesity as a form of deviance through studying a series of strategies used at a voluntary weight loss clinic in order to change the behavior of participants to make them thin. Erving Goffman's concept of stigma and Edwin Lemert's theory of secondary deviation are applied to these strategies. Laslett and Warren argue that the social labeling used in stigmatizing may also change behavior in the opposite direction- to normalcy. The major method used by the group in study was intensive stigmatization of the members as fat, and the continued application of the fat label as essential identity. Lecturers utilized the concept of the "fat identity" and emphasized lifestyle (behavior) change to those attending the clinic. The study concludes that under certain circumstances, stigma may in fact be used to change deviant behavior to normal, and that a deviant identity, deviant behavior, and deviant way of life do not always vary