Blackwell Reference Online

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Unlike most theories of crime and deviance, which emphasize the causes of deviant behavior, labeling theories focus on society's reaction to crime and deviance. Labeling theorists argue that society's reaction to deviance is fundamental for three reasons. First, individuals who are labeled as deviant by society often become stigmatized and isolated from society, leading them into a deviant lifestyle. Second, the very definition of deviance lies not in the objective behavior of “deviants,” but in powerful groups’ ability to define and label the behavior of the powerless as deviant or criminal. Thus, deviance is socially constructed. Third, society's reaction to deviance provides positive functions for society by defining the boundary between deviant and conventional behavior and by reaffirming social solidarity. Labeling theory argues that initial acts of child misbehavior are harmless acts of primary deviance; if left alone, children would mature out of misbehavior. While the children define such acts as “play” or “mischief,” the adult community defines them as “bad” or “evil.” The community, which includes parents, teachers, and juvenile justice officials, labels the acts as “delinquent,” and the child as “bad” or “evil,” in need of treatment or reform. The label, in turn, affects the self-image of the child, who comes to internalize the label, which produces more deviance, and ... log in or subscribe to read full text