LABELLING THEORY

A PRESENTATION BY MA. JAMIELLY QUIRIMIT

 A BRIEF HISTORY….
THE THEORY WAS DEVELOPED IN THE 1960S BY A GROUP OF SOCIOLOGISTS. ADDITIONS AND
EXTENSIONS WERE MADE TO THE THEORY.

LATER, HOWARD BECKER

EDWARD LEMERT MADE
THE PROCESS OF BEING EXPLICIT THE DISTINCTION
DEVIANT WAS DISCUSSED BETWEEN PRIMARY DEVIATION
BY FRANK TANNENBAUM AND SECONDARY DEVIATION
BECAME EDWARDS’S
PREDECESSOR AND
DEVELOPED THE PROCESS
OF ADOPTING DEVIANT
BEHAVIOR

1938 1951 1963

LABELING THEORY
LABELING THEORY PROPOSES THAT PEOPLE
COME TO IDENTIFY AND BEHAVE IN WAYS
THAT REFLECT HOW OTHERS LABEL THEM.
TWO KINDS OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
1. PRIMARY DEVIATION – IS THE FIRST ACT, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN A CHILD DOES SOMETHING THAT IS CONSIDERED TO BE BAD BUT TO THEM, IT IS SEEN AS INNOCENT. THEY LEARN FROM AN ADULT THAT
IT IS DEVIANT.

2.SECONDARY DEVIATION – IS WHEN BOTH THE CHILD AND THE ADULT SEE THE BEHAVIOR AS DEVIANT.
 CAUSAL PROCESS
SELF-CONCEPT

PRIMARY LABELING OPPORTUNITIES SECONDARY

DEVIANCE DEVIATION

DIFFRENTIAL
ASSOCIATION

SUBCULTURE
NO LABEL
 TWO KINDS OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR
CONSEQUENCES - 1. PRIMARY DEVIATION – IS THE FIRST ACT, FOR EXAMPLE
WHEN A CHILD DOES SOMETHING THAT IS CONSIDERED TO

OF BE BAD BUT TO THEM, IT IS SEEN AS INNOCENT. THEY

LEARN FROM AN ADULT THAT IT IS DEVIANT.
- 2.SECONDARY DEVIATION – IS WHEN BOTH THE CHILD AND

LABELING THE ADULT SEE THE BEHAVIOR AS DEVIANT.

THEORY
LABELING THEORIES THAT FOR THE LABELED,
CONSEQUENCES CAN BE NEGATIVE. THE PERSON LABELED IS
SEEN AS A DEVIANT, THIS MAKES THEM BELIEVE THEY ARE
DEVIANTS WHICH CONSEQUENTLY LEADS TO THEM
ENGAGING IN DEVIANT BEHAVIOR. CONSEQUENCES FOR THE
LABELER TEND TO BE MORE POSITIVE IT ALLOWS FOR THE
LABELER TO HAVE CONTROL OVER THOSE BEING LABELED
AND USE THE AS AN EXAMPLE TO KEEP OTHERS IN CONTROL.
 WHO LABELS WHO?
• TYPICALLY, PEOPLE WITH POWER DO THE
LABELING.
• EXAMPLES
 WHO GETS LABELED?
•THE KEY IDEA HERE IS THAT, NOT EVERY WHO
COMMITS CRIME AN OFFENSE IS PUNISHED FOR
IT, WHETHER A PERSON IS ARRESTED, CHARGED,
OR CONVICTED DEPENDS ON FACTORS LIKE:
TESTING THE LABELING
THEORY
• LABELING IS PERHAPS THE MOST DIFFICULT
CRIME THEORY TO EMPIRICALLY TEST.

• DIFFICULT TO ANSWER BECAUSE A LABEL IS

INTANGIBLE AND NOT EASILY IDENTIFIABLE.
RECOMMENDATION
EXAMPLES NG MGA DEVIANT HA
REFERENCES