Labeling theory: what is this trend in sociology?

Summary about this current of sociology oriented to minorities and the transgression of norms.

Within sociology there are many currents and theories that try to explain human relations from different points of view.

One of the most popular ones in recent times is labeling theory. Let's discover how this thought arises and what are the implications of the postulates that it raises.

Definition of labeling theory

The theory of labeling, or labeling theory, is one of the currents exposed within the sociology of deviance (the part of sociology that studies the conventions and social norms) whose foundation lies in the fact that the deviation from the norm would not be linked to the act itself, but to the fact that the person who performs it belongs to a minority, and therefore the social majority automatically labels it as negative, because they consider that they deviate from common norms.Therefore, the social majority automatically labels it as negative, because they consider that it deviates from the common norms.

This is a theory that emerged in the 60s of the last century. One of the pioneers in the labeling theory was Howard Becker. This author, after conducting numerous investigations on interactions between social groups, concludes that deviation from the norm is not a quality that can be attributed to the behavior but is given by the social majority, which would dictate a series of rules and apply the corresponding sanctions if someone transgresses them.

In this case, the sanction would be the fact of qualifying the fact as a deviation from the norm and, therefore, to the one who does it. and therefore, the one who does it, as a deviant (outsider is the original term used in English). Therefore, a deviant behavior is so because it is established by a majority group with respect to the minority that engages in it, and which is perceived as negative by others because of it.

Self-fulfilling prophecy and stereotypes

To a certain extent, labeling theory is based on two concepts widely used in psychology: stereotypes and self-fulfilling prophecy. The former refers to those generalizations generalizations we make to attribute certain characteristics to a person just because he or she belongs to a certain group, while the second one refers to the generalization that we make to attribute certain characteristics to a person just for belonging to a certain group.The second refers to the mechanism by which many times what we think is going to happen happens, because we make it easier for it to happen.

The social majority group would be using stereotypes with respect to the people they label in minority groups, so that they automatically attribute to them a series of characteristics, generally negative, because we have already seen that they consider them to be transgressors of the norms that must be complied with, because that is what they, who represent the majority of that population, dictate.

In the case of the self-fulfilling prophecy, it would take place in the following way. The members of the majority anticipate that an individual belonging to a minority (with respect to them) is going to commit a transgression of a norm..... As the social norms are given by them, who are the majority, as opposed to the minority groups, it happens that the behavior that the individual performs differs from what is considered normative, so that, effectively, for them what they anticipated has been fulfilled.

Types of deviance

One of the great contributions to the theory of labeling is the one made by Edwin Lemert, a prominent sociologist, who established the differentiation between two types of deviations from the norm: primary and secondary. This classification offers a deeper insight into the theory by allowing us to discriminate between two very different ways of perceiving non-compliance with a norm..

On the one hand, the primary deviation or primary deviation would be alluding to that type of behavior performed by a person who would be transgressing a certain norm, but it would not be enough for him to consider himself as a "deviant" (using the term referring to the norm), nor for others to consider him as such.

What the main deviation is referring to is that non-compliance with the norm that can be made by any person, whether or not belonging to the majority group, but that does not represent a tendency, i.e., it is an isolated event and therefore does not reflect their habitual attitude, so there would be no anticipated negative view of this person. it is an isolated event and therefore does not reflect their habitual attitude, so there would not be an anticipated negative view of this person..

On the other hand, there would be secondary deviation, which would refer to all behavior contrary to the norm that would entail a labeling of the author as deviant from the norm by the bulk of the population, which would also generate in the person a different perception of himself, product of such labeling that others make of him, so that it has very important implications, since the individual himself experiences a change in self-perception..

Stigma

It is here, with the concept of secondary deviation, where the theory of labeling would have to do with stigmas, understood as a cataloging of negative character that a population makes on an individual. This is a concept defined by Erving Goffman, another of the most prominent authors in Sociology in the mid-twentieth century.This is why he can be considered as another of the fathers of the labeling theory.

The issue of stigma is very important, because it is so powerful that it becomes more relevant than the person himself, so that once the person has deviated from the norm and acquired a certain label, he will be judged each of the acts he performs from that moment through the stigma that has been assigned to him, causing a continued social rejection.

Criminology

The labeling theory has great relevance in many criminology studies.The stigma, through the mechanism of self-fulfilling prophecy that we saw earlier, can cause the person to be pigeonholed and to act as he or she has been labeled, in the case of criminology, as a delinquent.

This process may occur because of the rejection by those who define themselves as the majority, so that the individual may go on to seek the approval of the majority. the individual may seek the approval of other individuals who, like him, share the category of delinquent, leading to a repetition of the same process.This is a theory proposed by the author of the study. This is a theory proposed by sociologist Robert King Merton.

This circle of stigma occurs in many other areas, not only with criminal behavior. That is why it is important to stop and think about the power of the labels that we continuously apply, because we may be encouraging, without being aware of it, that some people fall into bad habits because of a disproportionate rejection that a particular behavior has caused us, causing it to be reproduced, which is just the opposite of what we would really like to happen.

In fact, many crime prevention many delinquency prevention programs are based on reversing this vicious circle, trying to destroy the labels that many peopleIn fact, many delinquency prevention programs are based on reversing this vicious circle, trying to destroy the labels that many people have received, promoting behaviors to repair the behavior that originated the loop, and working so that both the self-concept of the individual and the concept that society has of him/her evolve towards another that leaves behind the negative aspect that had been assigned to him/her and that was so difficult for him/her to abandon.

Psychological disorders

Another of the areas where historically the phenomenon of stigmatization by secondary deviation, according to the terminology of the labeling theory, has occurred the most, would be in everything related to psychological pathologies. And the fact is that many of these disorders entail a series of behaviors that provoke social rejection, either out of fear, ignorance or for other reasons, causing the isolation of these people, who suffer doubly from their ailment, for this reason.

The first author to refer to this problem was Thomas J. Scheff in his publication Being Mentally Illin which he states that the label of mentally ill is placed by society itself, and not by the psychological pathology itself. The problem is that by pigeonholing the person with the name of the corresponding illness, he or she is already predisposed to behave in a certain way, provoking, once again, a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Given the repercussions that the use of these terms can have on people's lives, it would be important that we all know in depth the mechanisms of labeling theory in order to minimize the effects that we can unconsciously produce by using labels that become stigmas. Society is made up of all individuals, so it is a shared responsibility to ensure the is a shared responsibility to ensure the welfare of all fellow human beings..

Bibliographical references:

• Becker, H.S. (1963). Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of deviance. New York. The Free Press.
• Klein, M.W. (1986). Labeling theory and delinquency policy: An experimental test. Criminal Justice and Behavior. SAGE Journals.
• Link, B.G., Cullen, F.T., Struening, E., Shrout, P.E., Dohrenwend, B.P. (1989). A modified labeling theory approach to mental disorders: An empirical assessment. American Sociological Association.
• Scheff, T.J. (1971). Being mentally ill: A sociological theory. New Brunswick. Aldine Transaction.