Deviance and Society: Different Interpretations for Different Contexts

Abstract: A 5 page discussion of the labeling theory of deviance, the tendency of society to place labels on individuals on the basis of them not belonging to the group doing the labeling. Ties together the self-fulfilling prophesy of Thomas Merton, the interactionist perspective of E. Goffman, the theories of H.S. Becker that social groups create deviance by making the rules whose infraction constitutes deviance, and the philosophies of Emile Durkheim that extreme economic variation results in deviance labeling. Equates these theories to power differentials in which gender, class, ethnicity, and economics all play a role in perpetuating deviance. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

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Catagory: Criminal Justice & Corrections

Subcatagory: Criminal Justice, Corrections & Police Issues

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