Labeling Theory

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at labeling theory, explaining its development from symbolic interactionism and the key precepts on which it is based. It covers concepts such as the assertion that an act is not inherently deviant but that deviance is socially constructed, how labels originate and are applied to people; primary and secondary deviance and the distinction made between them. It also discusses the effect of a person internalising a label and changing his self-image to accommodate the label, deviancy amplification spirals and positive feedback loops and moral panics. It then offers some evaluation of the labeling theory, discussing criticisms such as the need for subjectivity to fully understand crime, the relationship between determinism of positivist theories and the deviancy amplification spirals in labeling theory.

From the Paper:

"Labelling theory developed from the ideas of symbolic interactionism, a perspective which assumes that social order is linked to social interaction and communication. Shared meanings, behavioural expectations and reflected appraisals (the way in which one perceives others' views of oneself) are applied to behaviour through interaction, and link individual conduct to organisational groups and social structures. A person's behaviour is influenced by others through the process of role-taking, whereby a person projects himself into another person's 'shoes' and appraises himself, the situation and possible lines of action, from the other's viewpoint. "

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