Label Theory

BY: DWAYNE

    Since the advent of the “positive school” of criminology, beginning with the work of Cesare Lombroso in the late 1800s, scholars of crime have been primarily interested in studying what factors cause individuals to commit acts of crime and deviance. Whether the causal factors are biological (e.g., atavism), psychological (e.g., impulsivity), or sociological (e.g., bad peers or neighborhoods), the scientific study of crime and deviance has, for the most part, focused on those factors that produce it, and on the essential differences between the “normal” and the “deviant.” Labeling theory brought a fresh, new perspective to this point of view. Labeling theorists are generally uninterested in the causes of crime, and are more interested in the reactions to crime. These reactions to crime, or labels, occur in processes at different levels of aggregation—the individual, the institutional, and the macro (state or national rule making)—and how labeled persons respond to those labels.

    It is associated with the concepts of self-fulfilling prophecy and stereotyping. Labeling theory holds that deviance is not inherent to an act, but instead focuses on the tendency of majorities to negatively label minorities or those seen as deviant from standard cultural norms.

    In my opinion, this theory has some truth to it. People/actions can be defined differently based on social and cultural norms. Depending how we was raised and where we come from different acts can be viewed in different ways. Feel free to comment if you have any questions or information you would like to share about the topic.

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