The Sociological Theory Of Howard Beckers Labeling Theory

Howard Becker- an American sociologist- a person who has shaped the labeling theory. In Outsiders Studies in the Sociology of Deviance,† by Howard Becker (1963), he pointed out that social groups create deviance by making the rules whose infraction constitutes deviance, and by applying those rules to particular people and labelling them as outsiders.† (Becker, 1963) In this sense, deviation is not the substance of the form of activity of a person who makes, but that is the effect of others applying the rules of punishment for the offender. Additionally, long-term labeling will become the lock of individuals into misleading roles. That means the long-term outcome of the labeling process locks individuals into misleading roles and†¦show more content†¦His two groups of high school kids consist of the Saints and the Roughnecks. The Saints were eight white, upper-middle class boys. They constantly occupied with truancy, drinking, theft vandalism, but the police neve r arrested the members of the Saints. The Roughnecks were six white, lower class boys, and they engaged in fighting, drinking and theft. They constantly in trouble with police and community. The boys in the Saints have a good family background with being respected in society. They are always judged good in quality and grades in school. Whenever they break the rules, they always know how to escape the detection carefully. For example, when facing the police, the Saints always show politeness, courteousness, cordiality and remorsefully apologies. Their ingenuity in their behavior has made them unconfirmed as a deviants. Otherwise, the Roughnecks have background from families of lower socioeconomic status. In school, they are supposed to be inferior with poor reputations and grades. Moreover, they do not know how to be careful when breaking the law. When confronted with police, they are labeled as â€Å"deviants by themselves or others because they have revealed hostile and insolent w ith the police. Their behaviors are not as subtle as the Saints. In other words, when both groups break the law, the Saints will be judged as good because of their politeness, which is the influence of the attitudes from their upper classes background. Meanwhile, due toShow MoreRelatedSexual Deviance Is Any Abnormal Sexual Act997 Words   |  4 Pagesinterest groups shunning religion and standing up for human rights. Yes, there was deviance in ancient days, thus unwanted pregnancies, incest, rape, but we it was not up for public detail, discussion, or review. Based on the deviance theories, the labeling theory describes how deviance definitions have changed throughout the years, but differential association explains individual sexual deviance. 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