Explain the labeling theory of deviance
What will be an ideal response?
Labeling theory states that deviance is a socially constructed process in which social
control agencies designate certain people as deviants, and they, in turn, come to accept
the label placed upon them and begin to act accordingly. Based on the symbolic
interactionist theory of Cooley and Mead, labeling theory focuses on the labels that
people are given in their interactions with others. Becker argues that the rules for what
constitutes deviant or conventional behavior are made by moral entrepreneurs who use
their own perspectives on "right and wrong" to establish the rules by which they expect
other people to live. Moral entrepreneurs have greater power than others and the
ability to label nonconformists deviant. Lemert outlined three stages in the labeling
process: (1) primary deviance refers to the initial act of rule breaking? (2) secondary
deviance occurs when a person who has been labeled deviant accepts that new identity
and continues the deviant behavior? and (3) tertiary deviance occurs when a person
who has been labeled a deviant seeks to normalize the behavior by relabeling it as
nondeviant.
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Differential association theory was developed by sociologist ________
A) Robert K. Merton B) Frank Tannenbaum C) Walter Reckless D) Edwin Sutherland
What has changed with regard to gendered voting habits lately?
a. Nothing. The patterns remain the same as they have historically been. b. Men are more likely to vote Republican and women are more likely to vote Democrat. c. Men and women are just as likely to support the same candidates. d. Women are increasingly choosing not to vote.
Many of the problems in the nursing home industry today occur because
a. government has refused to provide funds for the elderly over the past decade. b. of the reliance on non-profit groups to provide health care for the aged in nursing homes. c. many nursing home operators have no prior experience in health care or geriatrics. d. government regulations are too strict.
Piaget maintained that learning and reasoning are rooted in
a. reflexive thinking. b. role-playing. c. active adaptation. d. the looking-glass self.