Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems

Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems and Physical Health

Labeling Approach to Deviant Behavior

Howard Becker, famous for his social reaction theory, developed the labeling approach to deviant behavior. In his book, "Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance," he discussed the political situation and social problems around that concluded him that deviance is a behavior that is being accepted by the social group and not what is really right or wrong. According to Becker (1963) on the online source, http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/becker.htm:

According to Becker (1963), studying the act of the individual is unimportant because deviance is simply rule breaking behavior that is labeled deviant by persons in positions of power. The rule breaking behavior is constant, the labeling of the behavior varies (Becker 1963). Becker (1963) views those people that are likely to engage in rule breaking behavior as essentially different than members of the rule-making or rule-abiding society. Those persons who are prone to rule-breaking behavior see themselves as morally at odds with those members of the rule-abiding society (Becker 1963).

There is no need to know the behavior of an individual to be able to understand what a deviant behavior is, as long as you are breaking the rules and behave badly it is already a deviance. A person that breaks the rule that the majority follows is considered to be a different one or a deviant.

Inter-actionist Perspective on Social Problems

The Inter-actionist Perspective of the Labeling Theory according to the two different authors based on the online source, http://www.delmar.edu/socsci/rlong/intro/deviance.htm:

Kendall (1998:196) argues that "delinquents and criminals are people who have been successfully labeled as such by others." The labeling, according to Howard Becker, is done by moral entrepreneurs. They are people who use their own views of right and wrong to establish rules and label others as deviant. Kendall (1998:196) contends that the process of labeling is "directly related to the power and status of the people who do the labeling and those who are being labeled."

Social reaction manifests the behavior of an individual, how he reacts with the situation and how he will behave with it. The first reaction is acceptable as long as it is light and tolerable but if you do harm to someone that is not acceptable it is a behavior that is unbearable and punishment should follow to the deviant individual. There are two deviance based on Becker that can be found on the online source, http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/becker.htm:

Primary deviance is the first "step," and this primary act may be either intentional or unintentional (Becker 1963). The second "step" on the way to secondary deviance and a career in crime involves the acceptance of the deviant label (Becker 1963). Becker (1963) describes how certain rule-breakers come to accept the label of "deviant" as their master status.