labeling theory

LABELING THEORY

The Consequences of Labeling to a Child

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The labeling theory is a perspective related to understanding the sociological concept of deviance . The general idea behind this theory is that the labels which authority figures attribute to certain actions or behaviors have a strong predictive value or influence over the actual behavior of the individual . The roots of this perspective are traceable to Charles Horton Cooley 's Looking Glass Self theory which posits that individuals evaluate themselves through the way

other people see them In other words , self-concepts are formed from the provided by third parties . There is also a notable similarity with the symbolic interactionism theory proposed by George Herbert Mead . This paradigm draws on the varied meanings that the society attaches by consensus to particular symbols and gestures

In 1938 , Frank Tannenbaum has formulated the earliest recognized theory on labeling in his work Crime and the Community ' after he had served in a prison for a year . Tannenbaum explains that the concept of deviance cannot be considered as an inherent trait of a person , rather deviance stems from the society 's refusal to accept any deflection from what is viewed as the standard behavior . Deviance takes off from a person 's failure to make his actions confirm to and adhere with the prevailing means of social control . Any digression from the established criteria is to be labeled as deviant person . Tannenbaum 's theory also dispels the earlier accepted doctrine...