Sociology

Labeling theory was put forward by Howard Becket and was officially introduced in 1963. This is the theory of deviance and it views deviance as a label assigned to behavior and people by particular figures of authority.  According to this theory, no one is deviant and no behavior is deviant unless specified by the society. The behaviors that are considered deviant today may be approved or be considered normal tomorrow or even in another society. This theory also shows that the labels individuals are given have significant impact on their and other peoples views of them, therefore channeling their actions either into deviance or into conformity.  The theory put much emphasis on how self identity and actions of individuals may be affected by the terms used to refer to them and is also associated with the principles of self fulfilling prophecy and stereotyping. The theory was mostly applied in the 1960s and 1970s and modifications have been made to this theory (Hoffman 2003).

The labeling theory was developed from the theory of symbolic interactionism and explains that the acts committed are not important but how the society perceive the people who have committed these acts which leads to their labeling as deviants. In this theory, actions which are considered normal and deviant are developed by the society and their definition keeps changing from time to time and from one society to the next. An action can only be considered deviant depending on how it is interpreted and within the background in which it was committed. Being deviant would then mean breaking the rules which had been put in place by the society. The study on deviant behavior should concentrate on how persons become tagged as deviants and the effects of tagging, as well as how some actions become described as deviant and their costs. According to Becker, there are no deviant behaviors and they only appear when the authority responds negatively to them and refer to them as wrong behaviors (Downes  Rock 2007).

Deviant actions are created by the society through creation of rules which when broken, one is seen as being deviant. The people who are involved in acts viewed as being wrong are then labeled deviants and are not considered as part of the society. A deviant person is the one to whom the label has stuck. Example of an act which can be considered deviant is taking drugs like marijuana. This act can be considered as being deviant based on a number of themes according to religion, one should never lose control of themselves, and marijuana produces some pleasure which can make one lose control. On humanitarian grounds, helping individuals from self destruction is also helpful to their family. People or groups start labeling some acts as deviant based on self interest or the interest of the entire society (Hoffman 2003).

This theory is seen to mean that people who commit crime and fail to get tagged can be considered not deviant and there are consequences on how they perceive themselves. People are always aware when they are involving themselves in criminal acts and their understanding that they can get away without being labeled or caught can have an effect on their future actions. The impact the label has on the future behavior of an individual occurs through exaggerating it to higher levels (Lanier  Henry 2004).

People get labeled because it is in the self interest of others. Actions of people labeled as deviants become understood by the society because their family members fail to accept the fact that they can change their behavior and become responsible people. The family members would act in a manner which makes them feel unwanted and this would make their behavior to worsen therefore their label sticks. Labeling theorist supported this fact arguing that these people show this behavior because of the labeling process (Downes  Rock 2007).

There are two forms of deviance primary and secondary deviance. Primary deviance are behaviors which are defined in relation to rules and norms that are socially accepted, while secondary deviance is a product of the acceptance of deviant behavior which is employed as a defense or attack towards societal reactions to their acts. The deviant label has bad effects on the person labeled because it goes beyond other status in life. It assumes the position of the main status and the society perceives the way the individual behaves based on their label. As a result of this, the labeled person can accept the label he has been accorded and behave in that manner and this behavior is known as self-fulfilling prophecy. This theory was criticized arguing that it gives societal reaction more emphasis than the act itself. The critics argued that the actions are more important than the reactions. Rape or murder will remain deviant and the people who commit such acts know that they are wrong so there is no need for societal reaction (James 2006).

One of the major drawbacks of labeling theory is its failure to explain the origin of deviant behaviors since it starts with the label ignoring the behavior before the label. In most situations, the process of labeling fails to achieve the negative consequences as put by this theory. Other theorists suggest that the use of official deviant labels could reduce the deviant behavior as a result of shock and shame associated with the acts. In order to shade more light on the origin of the deviant behavior, there is need to evaluate the persons background, and whether their living styles will impact the consequences of the label (Worrall 2007). The theory also neglects the power structures in the society.  Labeling can also be considered as ideological process which favors the ruling class and they use it to control the less fortunate in the society. The theory has a clear model of law creation and the idea of moral crusaders showed that the laws were created by the members of powerful groups (Hoffman 2003).

According to the theory of labeling, the label applied on individuals has an impact on their behavior, especially the use of negative or stigmatizing tags encourage deviant behavior, therefore fulfilling prophecy. A person who has been accorded a label is left with no option but to change to the essential meaning of the label they have been given. Labeling theory also suggest that it is possible to avoid social deviance through narrow social shaming responses in laborers and adopting patience.  Helping people who have been labeled regain their identity is done through rehabilitation by change of their labels. This theory has been accused of encouraging unrealistic policy implications, and got criticism for its failure to explain some of the crimes which are considered as being more serious (Downes  Rock 2007).

There are crimes which are recognized everywhere as being wrong and they include application of violence, adultery and possession of weapons. Therefore labeling wrong doers as criminals is considered not being constructive since there are some crimes which are more serious than others. There is need for the society to apply specific terms like murderer, and rapist among other terms to demonstrate the severity of the crime committed and how much the act is disapproved. The application of the labels has been shown to promote the deviant behavior on the person labeled. Use of long term label is likely to affect the offenders life to the extent that they find it difficult to sustain employment and social connections (James 2006).

In conclusion, I think that labeling theory has a significant and powerful contribution to the understanding of deviance, but the understanding of deviant behavior cannot be wholly based on this theory. This is because this theory fails to tackle the reasons why people resort to deviant behaviors. It also concentrates too much on the individual who commits the crime. The offenders unreceptively accept the deviant tag they are given by the society which later worsens their behavior. This theory proves to be very deterministic, but it would be better to combine all the theories taking about deviant behavior so has to have a concrete understanding of deviance. It is important to know structural flaws which generate primary deviance which is later worsened by social authorities.  The theory alone does not provide a clear insight on the development of deviant behavior and therefore there is need to merger it with other explanations.