SOC 2700 Lecture Notes - Labeling Theory, True Master
11 Apr 2013
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Document Summary
Our understanding of ourselves is primarily a reflection of our perception of how others react to us. Social reactions to particular behaviours serve to label us as delinquent or not, and stigmatize us and can be the cause for further deviance. Could be excused or rationalized by the person who"s engaging in it or by the social audience. Person seen as generally good, and the deviance is seen as an aberration of their typical behaviour. Ex. stealing a textbook, doesn"t define their life, didn"t change their life course, initial act of deviation that doesn"t define the person in their own eyes or the eyes of others. Emerges from a dynamic process (the deviance the person engages in and the societal response) Individual in conjunction with the societal reaction (the 2 have to go together) If both of these are meshed, it normally results in labelling, and becomes the primary identifier for the person.
