Labeling Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Labeling Theory - Essay ExampleThis guess deals with the alliance of the individual with the society. This theory is based on the concept of Dramatization of Evil which argues that an individual must look at all stages of the deviants life from childhood to adulthood, so that the individual can understand the character of a crime.establish on the works of Tannenbaum, Howard Becker developed the theory of labeling also known as societal reaction theory. Labeling theory was outlined in his 1963 book Outsiders Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. Labeling theory was evolved in a period when in that respect was widespread social and political power struggle which was developed within the world of college campus (pfohl). During this period legion(predicate) of the college students and faculty embraced liberal political movements and Becker harnessed this political influence and associated it with the labeling theory and its symbolical interaction supposititious background of Lemer t. Becker has shaped his theory based on the prevailing social reaction approach of Lemert, symbolic interaction foundation of Cooley and Mead and the labeling influences of Tannenbaum and Lemert.Charles Cooley used the personal perception of individuals through studies of children and their imaginary friends to explain the human nature and the social order. The theoretical concept of Cooley was developed based on the idea of an imaginary sociability in which people are characterized to imagine the view of themselves through the eyes of other people living in the society. People based on such imaginary observations form judgments of themselves. The main idea of the looking internal-combustion engine self is that people define themselves according to societys perception of them. Works of Mead combined with the ideas of Cooley formed the foundation for labeling theory and its approach to the acceptance of an individual of a label forced by the society. Pfohl is of the view that the w ork by Mead is more focused on the macro-level process of distinguishing the conventional and the condemned, rather than a micro-level approach on analyze the deviant. Wright has observed that Mead describes the perception of self as formed within the context of social process. The self is identify as the product of social symbols and interactions of the perception of the mind. Wright points out that the self exists in objective reality and is and so internalized in to the conscious. The idea of shifting the focus away from the individual deviant and looking at how social structure affects the separation of those persons considered unconventional has a great influence on how Becker approaches labeling theory.Frank Tannenbaum studied youthful participation in street gangs for presenting his own approach to the labeling theory. Tannenbaum observed a different deviant demeanor among the juvenile delinquents and conventional society. This different behavior causes the tagging of juv eniles as delinquent and separates them from mainstream society. This stigma of delinquency attached to the juveniles forces a person to move more towards deeper non-conformity. Even though Lamert does not recognize the influence of work of Tannenbaum in developing labeling theory, many other social reaction theories have been worked basing on the Tannenbaums postulations.Edwin Lamert not quite pleasant with theories that take the concept of digression for granted has diverted his focus on the social construction of deviance. Lamert has considered deviance as the product societys reaction to an act and the affixing of a deviant label on the actor. According to Lamert it is the initial incidence of an