Labelling Theory Essay

The labelling perspective views that emerges from social interaction which is always changing on its own. Labelling theorists feel rule breaking behaviour and deviance need to be separated. Becker argues that deviance is not in the act itself but in the reaction to the act and the consequences that follow. Labelling theorists argue that sociological understandings of deviance should go beyond rule-breaking activities. More focus should be applied to reactions and consequences to an action rather than the severity of the action itself. Becker claims deviance only occurs when society can put a label onto it, such as ‘thief’, ‘murderer’, ‘vandal’, etc. There are acts that are not illegal that are frowned upon; for example, cheating on your partner is frowned upon is most societies but it is not illegal. However, the person who cheated would receive judgment and ridicule for their action, even though no…

What is ‘labelling theory’ and what might be its limitations? Throughout sociology there are a wide range of theories all aiming to help explain crime and deviance. There is no exact explanation for what crime is and why certain people are more likely to be ‘deviant’; all theories put forward valid perspectives and are still regarded, to an extent, as relevant today. This essay will look into one of these theories in more detail, the interactionist theory, investigating in particular the…

quite powerful, for example politicians, religious institutions, media and scientists (Ehret 19 September 2016). In order to better understand the role that moral entrepreneurship and power have in society, we will examine the effects and influence that power and labelling theories have on moral entrepreneurs, as well as look at an example of a moral entrepreneur from the present day. Summary of the Readings Power Power is the main source of influence for moral entrepreneurs.…

Introduction A deviant act is the disassociation from what is considered normal, and legal in society. The labelling perspective has shaped the way society determines what is a crime, and what constitutes criminal behaviour. This case study will emphasise the labelling perspective in society in relation to the violent crime of homicide and the related offence of murder. This case study will use contemporary examples of labelling in order to establish that the determination of what the…

Literature notes that often society react to mental illness similar way to crime and the criminals (Marsh et al, 2000 and Pilgrim, 2005). Labelling theory is beneficial to understand the stigma of mental illness. This approach to deviance focuses on the reaction of others in maintaining and amplifying rule breaking or secondary deviance (Marsh et al., 2000). The labelling process can have a detrimental effect on a person's status and identity (Marsh et al., 2000 and Pilgrim, 2005).Their old…

The problem with giving custodial sentences to offending youth is that it may not be helping whatsoever. In fact, it may be making things worse. In 2010 the reoffending rate for juveniles stood at 34.1 per cent compared to 24.9 per cent for adults even though the number of adults that move through the criminal justice system is five times higher than that of juveniles (MOJ). So why is the juvenile reoffending rate so high? General Labelling theorists suggest that an official response to…

What is labelling theory? Outline the advantages and disadvantages of a label. Labelling theory is a sociological approach to the study of deviance, it emphasises the ways in which rule breaking and role failure are maintained by the reactions of others, and it’s focus is on the importance of the symbolic meanings of health and illness (Pilgrim, 2014). Diagnosis of mental illness has turned out to be progressively reified that is, Individuals are being labelled and are seen as being mentally…

Understanding why individuals engage in deviant behaviour in many opinion is important for people to investigate whether youth deviance has increased over the years as we need to understand the situations that may cause deviance and how deviance is learned. Many believe this is an important factor as, society now could be the cause of the behaviour. This assignment will investigate not only how and why deviance has occurred but also to see if deviance within youths is on the climb. There are…

The West Memphis Three and Labelling Theory On May 5, 1993, three eight year old boys named Steve Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore, were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The following day, their bodies were found in Robin Hood woods, tied and mutilated. In early 1994, three suspects named Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. were convicted of murdering the three boys. Damien, Jason and Jessie were referred to as the “West Memphis Three”. West Memphis was…

SLIDE 1 As stated in Howard Becker’s book ‘Outsiders’, Becker (1963) created the labelling theory and explains that the majority of social groups create rules, and at times and under a few circumstances, to attempt to enforce them. The social rule is defining situations and the type of behaviours which are appropriate, distinguishing a few actions as ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. Therefore, when a rule is enforced, the individual who breaks the rule is seen as one of a kind, someone unique; someone who…