LABELING

The idea of labeling is a distinctively sociological attempt to explain crime. It looks not so much at what someone has done but at how others react to it. Some people become labeled as deviant by others; how does this happen and what effects does it have?

MAN RATED ALCOHOLIC SUES DOCTOR Read article. What do you think? Who was right? Was anyone right? Was it fair that the man lost his job?

WHAT IS LABELING?

It is an inevitable part of human life. We think of someone in terms of one or

two bits of their personality/appearance that we decide are important.

Teachers can be Good Strict Boring Soft

LABELING DEVIANCE

Most people commit deviant acts during their lives.

Only some people are labeled deviant In school some students are labeled as

troublemakers, even though others may break the rules more times.

CHANGING YOUR LABEL

People may change their label. They can refuse to accept it, like the

alcoholic man. They can change their behavior. See Diagram In groups discuss the teacher/student

labeling exercise.

MASTER STATUS

Some deviant identities are very strong and difficult to change.

The Master Status changes how people see everything about you.

Your opinion of yourself may change if you get labeled with a Master Status

Master Status can include Thief Sex Offender Mentally Ill

WHO LABELS?

We all apply labels to each other. Some roles have more power to label than

others. Teachers may not be aware they are

labeling but students think they are. Agencies of Social Control have a

strong influence on labels Courts Police Prison

WHO GETS LABELED?

Whether you get labeled depends on who you are.

Class, gender, age and ethnicity can be involved in whether you are labeled.

Read Cicourel observational research. This means that rich and powerful

people are less likely to be labeled. Are crime statistics likely to be

affected by this?

BEING LABELED A DEVIANT.

Being labeled a deviant makes it harder to continue with a normal life.

People may treat you differently if you are labeled. (Think about being labeled as a drug addict and how people would act towards you)

Sometimes labeling can become a ‘self fulfilling prophecy’. That means you may act to fit your label.

This could lead to a deviant career, one in which you live to fit the deviant label.

QUESTIONS

What is a master status? What is meant by a deviant career? What does saying that labels can be negotiated

mean? Explain your answer by referring to the story of the man labeled an alcoholic.

Using an example, explain what is meant by a self fulfilling prophecy.

How is labeling different from the other sociological explanations of crime ?(home and family, peer groups, lack of opportunity, nature of society)