Labeling theory

Labeling theory
The labeling theory is one of the various social behavior theories that seek to explain the cause of deviant behaviors within the society. Here, the theorists tend to describe deviant behavior as behavior that which becomes deviant only when labeled so. This approach tends to explain why the labeling theorists are not much interested in what causes the primary deviation. They tend to shelve the question of what causes primary deviation and tend to assume that the infarction of norms is distributed fairly evenly throughout the different social groups but they take the line that for various reasons that authorities notice and label only certain individuals. The labelists assume that all are fundamentally alike, before the effects of labeling sets in. They tend to assume that no individually is innately motivated to act in a deviant manner and no one has some traits impelling him to do so. This approach is in sharp contrast with the traditional approaches and theories on deviance, which asserted that people develop specific behavioral trends s a consequence of influence exerted by ‘criminogenic’ factors.
By labeling, it is often inferred that the identity ascribed to an individual is in some way deliberately done so and altered to his discredit because of an alleged deviation. This sets in the concept of stigmatization, which describes the process of attaching visible signs of moral inferiority to a given person or people in the form of unpleasant marks, labels, brands, or publicly disseminated in formation. Hence, labeling starts or begins when an individual is alleged to have deviated in a particular manner. Here, there are two types of deviance, the ascribed deviance and the achieved deviance. The ascribed deviance shows up in the form of those not complying to the norms possessing a special physical or visible ‘inadequacy’. Such deviance is manifested independently of the individual’s own behavior and intention. A common example is the case of physically handicapped individuals or those seen to be physically divergent (say for being dwarfs, ugly, too short) are subjected to treatment specifically in line with their oddness and that this treatment leads to secondary problems. The achieved deviance on the other hand must come through the individual’s own actions or commissions, he must be directly responsible for coming an act (Knutsson J., 1977: Pp 40-44).
Labeling comes with the negative consequences, some of which are obvious in the contemporary society. Disadvantaged groups are more likely that other groups to experience labeling. For instance, aggressive policing in areas that are considered to be lower class residential will automatically raise the chances of these residents coming into contact with police intervention. Here, the minorities as well as the disadvantaged groups often carry the image of criminality and being dangerous, even where these claims have no facts behind them. This means that members of such groups will be readily stigmatized, policed, sanctioned even in cases where there is no actual crimes committed. According Bernburg J.G., (2009), the encounters between the police and citizens are more likely to lead to the apprehension of the citizen if he belongs to the minority and not due to the nature or the seriousness of the offense. It is also apparent that the minorities and people from lower social class tend to receive more severe sentences due to the effects of labeling as opposed to their history of offence or nature of the offense. This is how labeling leads to discrimination in the contemporary society.
There are outstanding consequences that come with social labeling and the perceptions that get formed in the process. The issue of social exclusion as a result of labeling comes through two main ways, the first is the conventional others, which may include peers and community members as well as the gatekeepers in the opportunity structure, who may show dislike and bias towards the labeled individual. Here, the stereotyped images of criminality will form most of the definitions that accompany the labeled person. This may bring the negative perceptions and reactions from the people who may be propelled by bias, mistrust and even fear. Secondly, labeling has the potential effect of resulting in withdrawal due to the rejection that the individual is expecting from the society or the people surrounding him. It is evident that the social interaction between the so perceived normal people and the labeled individual is that of mistrust, uneasiness, stigmatized, ambiguity and full of impression management efforts. Labeled individuals tend to internalize the beliefs of devaluation and negativity that are associated with the labeled deviants. The labeled individuals will hence expect others to devalue them and even reject them. This fact often results in withdrawal from the societal norms and practices hence having a narrow or thin social network. Since these labeled individuals will have that constant belief in them that no matter what they do, people will distrust, devalue and reject them since they have been labeled as criminal offenders, they may end up avoiding the routine social contacts or engagements that most of the other people not labeled find no reason to avoid since they are vital in maintaining social ties to the mainstream groups (Scimecca J., 1977: Pp 654).
There are other unexpected or unconventional consequences of labeling which are practical and often occur in the society. Deviant labeling is known to result in an individual belonging to deviant groups which then put the individual in the risk of deviance and crime. The deviant groups in this case act a s a source of social support where the deviant labels are readily accepted. These groups also provide the collective rationalization, opportunities and attitudes that are shared among the members. The youth or the juvenile are likely to engage in deviant peer groups due to three major factors. The first is that labeling is likely to come with rejection from the conventional peers of the juvenile and from the wider society which may mistrust hence fear them. By associating with the deviant groups, the delinquents are likely to get a more positive image of themselves from the perspective of the significant others in the group. Secondly, through the labeling of the juveniles, they are likely to withdraw from the encounters with the conventional peers since such meeting may result or have in them aspects of embarrassment, shame and uneasiness between the perceived normal group and the labeled juveniles. The last reason is that juvenile often tends to associate closely with those who are similar to themselves, hence those labeled as deviant will tend to seek acquaintance with those who share the deviant self concept (DeRoche C., 2015).
Labeling is commonly practiced in the society, though few can actually place a finger on it and identify it. But even among those who can identify what labeling is, few among them know that this practice has such adverse effects on the labeled individuals and even the society at large. It is one of the social and behavioral phenomenon that is inalienable from the society from historical time to the contemporary days, yet it constantly divides our society.
References
Bernburg J.G., (2009). Labeling Theory. Retrieved September 30, 2018 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226795096_Labeling_Theory
DeRoche C., (2015). Labels in Education: The Role of Parents and Parental
Cultural Capital in Acquiring Diagnoses and
Educational Accommodations. Retrieved September 30, 2018 from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&ved=2ahUKEwjb_Z2ZsOTdAhWlx4UKHUPiAzsQFjAHegQIChAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjournals.sfu.ca%2Fcje%2Findex.php%2Fcje-rce%2Farticle%2Fdownload%2F1870%2F1811&usg=AOvVaw3b_VVgVRHmUTXFWRl09WTE
Knutsson J., (1977). Labeling theory: A critical Examination. Retrieved September 30, 2018 from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/47664NCJRS.pdf
Scimecca J., (1977). Labeling Theory and Personal Construct Theory: Toward the Measurement of Individual Variation. Retrieved September 30, 2018 from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a3df/cc1e933604b2e4efdfc37912f942c6e535be.pdf