Saints and Roughnecks: Deviance, Labeling, and Social Theory

Introduction: Labeling as a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

As Chambliss demonstrated in his study of the "Saints and Roughnecks," the label of deviance can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. This finding accords with what Lemert called the issue of primary and secondary deviance — primary deviance being largely accepted and unpunished, while secondary deviance leads more readily to punishment and the feeling of being an outcast (Liberman, Kirk, and Kim). It also aligns with the concept of social strain theory, in which an individual is pushed toward deviance by society because of an inherent hypocrisy that angers the deviant and compels further acting out in response (Agnew). Thirdly, it aligns with social control theory, which holds that deviants act as they do because they wish to break from social controls and gain some measure of power for themselves (Schreck and Hirschi).

Three Theories Applied to Saints and Roughnecks

All three theories can be used to explain the situations of the Saints and the Roughnecks. The Saints were not punished for their deviance because society viewed them as good boys overall — young men who came from good families and who would go on to do good things. As a result, they went on to have successful lives and never felt the need to lash out, as per Lemert's theory of secondary deviance, strain theory, or the drive to gain social control.

The Roughnecks, on the other hand, were punished for their deviance because society deemed that they came from bad families, had little to offer, and would most likely lead troubled lives unless corrected early. As a result, only one-third of the Roughnecks went on to succeed. The remaining two-thirds lapsed into the self-fulfilling prophecy of deviance. Their secondary deviance pushed them into a state of social strain, wherein they sought to gain social control through continued deviant behavior.

Symbolic Interactionism and Social Behavior

From the Symbolic Interactionist perspective, one can see that social behavior is a product of everyday interactions. People have a profound effect on one another — an effect that runs deep, alters psychology, and shapes the way individuals live, think, and behave. The evidence from the Saints and Roughnecks study shows that when people are treated like saints and respected as such, they tend to go on to lead better lives. Conversely, when people are treated like deviants — like Roughnecks — they tend to internalize that identity and embrace a life of deviancy, since that is the role society has assigned to them.

What compels society to push some toward good lives and others toward bad ones? The study revealed that this dynamic was driven by society's perception of environment. Those from lower-income backgrounds and lower socioeconomic circumstances were viewed as morally inferior to those from middle-class backgrounds. This tendency to associate material wealth with moral worth is deeply ingrained in American culture and illustrates the extent to which bias and prejudice can construct narratives that impact psychology and shape sociological expectations. Moreover, when groups view other groups as inherently prone to deviance due to their socioeconomic background, the latter groups are more likely to fulfill that expectation, acting as deviants because that is what society appears to demand of them.

Works Cited

Agnew, R. "Strain Theory." In V. Parrillo (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Social Problems (pp. 904–906). Thousand Oaks: SAGE, 2009.

Lemert, Edwin M. "Primary and Secondary Deviation." DR Cressey y (1969).

Liberman, Akiva M., David S. Kirk, and Kideuk Kim. "Labeling Effects of First Juvenile Arrests: Secondary Deviance and Secondary Sanctioning." Criminology 52.3 (2014): 345–370.

Schreck, C. and T. Hirschi. "Social Control Theory." 21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook. Thousand Oaks: SAGE, 2009.