With so much meaning behind such a small word it is no wonder that there has been an uprising of the theory behind this discourse. Levels: AS, A Level, IB; Exam boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, IB, Eduqas, WJEC; Print page. Pg. For example, describing someone who has broken a law as a criminal. Howard Becker developed labelling theory. Nowadays social workers are expected to write their reports in a coherent way, justifying it using theory and research. Social work practice models describe how social workers can implement theories. Labelling is when others – “usually those in more powerful positions – come to impose and identity upon us” (O’Byrne, 2011,P.153). Labeling theory is ascribing a behavior as deviant by society. Without knowledge of theory and ethics, social workers are just service administrators, argues University of Hertfordshire professor Brian Littlechild. Labeling theory emerged as the dominant perspective in the study of deviance in the 1960s, though its origins can be traced to Durkheim. The theory closely relates to stereotyping or self-fulfilling prophecies. The labelling perspective emerged as a distinctive approach to criminology during the 1960s and was a major seedbed of the radical and critical perspectives that became prominent in the 1970s. Becker propounded his theory in 1963. Instead of looking at why some social groups commit more crime, the labelling theory asks why some people committing some actions come to be defined as deviant, while others do not.Labelling theory is also interested in the effects of labelling on individuals. Three classic works, summarised below include: David Hargreaves (1975) Deviance in Classrooms; R.C. These alcoholics were questioned five to eight years following admission to a treatment facility to determine if they were now drinking moderately vs. abstaining or drinking heavily. Practice models provide social workers with a blueprint of how to … It has been argued that labelling is necessary for communication. Most of the work of labelling theory applied to education was done in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Law enforcement is selective. It begins with the assumption that no act is intrinsically criminal. In this context, labels are an efficient way to determine information about a person and sort them into a category you immediately understand. The focus is on the label and not the person. Labeling is the act of communicating information about a person or entity using a short phrase that has strong meaning. The labeling process of “making the criminal” began to be fully explored in the 1950s and 1960s, with work by Edwin Lemert, Howard Becker, Edwin Schur, and others. 07. of 15. There are numerous that act as an influence for this behavior. This will give me the chance to better understand the usefulness of the sociological theories to the Social work profession. Agencies of control have considerable discretion. A theory may explain human behavior, for example, by describing how humans interact or how humans react to certain stimuli. Theorists believe that stigmas that are attached to drug users actually produce more drug use as users internalize the negative labels (or stigmas) and persist in the substance abuse as they see themselves as a drug user. This theory focuses on the reaction to the behavior by society. Perspectives on Deviance and Social Control provides a sociological examination of deviance and social control in society.Derived from the same author team’s successful text/reader version, this concise and student-friendly resource uses sociological theories to illuminate a variety of issues related to deviant behavior and societal reactions to deviance. 2009. Photo: fotolia/Feng Yu. Labeling theory - Labeling theory - Link’s modified labeling theory: In 1989 Link’s modified labeling theory expanded the original framework of labeling theory to include a five-stage process of labeling as it pertained to mental illness. social work process and the importance of developing a positive and coop-erative helping relationship with clients. Labeling theory makes two general claims: (1) the experience of negative social labels, such as “deviant,” “delinquent,” or “criminal,” leads to future deviant behavior (Becker, 1991; Lemert, 1951); and (2) those more likely to be labeled are “those with less power and prestige” (Paternoster & Iovanni, 1989, p. 364). Research studies are used to illuminate the many ways devalued or discredited identities negatively affect the health and well-being of stigmatized groups and additionally burden the socially and economically marginalized. By Ruth Hardy on March 20, 2018 in Adults. 156). It refers to the process of how labels are constructed and applied to certain individuals or groups in order to curtail or denigrate their actions. On my first home visit as a social work student, I was so nervous about my social work skills that I hoped the door would not be answered. Definitions of criminality are established by those in power through the formulation of laws and the interpretation of those laws by police, courts, and correctional institutions. Labelling or using a label is describing someone or something in a word or short phrase. Labeling theory is one of the most important approaches to understanding deviant and criminal behavior. For example, the theory fails to explain why the nature and extent of crime and deviance is socially constructed. While social scientists tended to distance themselves from labeling theory in the early 1970s, the labeling concept was not abandoned altogether. Assessing people with dementia: what social workers should know Assessment starts with recognising that the person's views, wishes and opinions matter. Queer Theory in academia has become more prevalent in the last 25 years. Labeling Theory: This theory is concerned with how individual’s self-identity and behavior can be based on the ideas or terms that classify them. This article provides an overview of the phenomenon of labeling and stigma. Essential Theory for Social Work Practice is an engaging and readable text, with a distinctively realistic and honest approach to the realities of everyday practice. His theory proposes that “social rules define situations and the kinds of behaviour appropriate to them” (Becker, 1973, P.1). The following are illustrative examples. Originating in Howard Becker's work in the 1960s, labeling theory explains why people's behavior clashes with social norms. This theory is related to the Social Action perspective. The following points seem essential to the labelling approach: Social rules are essentially political products - they reflect the power of groups to have laws enforced, or not. What label have you attached to yourself lately? Interactionist theories have been criticised on a theoretical Whilst Marxists accept that labelling theory raises important questions, they argue that the theory has a weak view of power and social control. There is so much that falls under this semi-new cultural term that along with the label comes a new way of thinking. In this short film Professor Sandra Walklate explains the relationship between labelling and social context. Labelling is recognised as an important social process by social interactionists. This theory was tested in a sample of treated alcoholics who varied in the numbers of alcoholic labels they acknowledged from family members and others. Labeling theory or social reaction theory is concerned with how the self-identity and behavior of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them, and is associated with the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy and stereotyping. They are tags that you attach to yourself to describe the person you think you are. Read More. Labelling theory was suggested by Edwin Lemert (1912- 1996) in 1951 and it was then developed by Howard Becker (b.1928) in 1963. Share: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Share on Google Share by email. Labeling theory is the theory of how your identity and behavior is influenced by the terms (labels) you use to describe or classify yourself. In this essay I am going to contrast two different sociological theories to the case study of Mrs. B. In sociology, labeling theory is the view of deviance according to which being labeled as a "deviant" leads a person to engage in deviant behavior. The Social Labeling Theory The social labeling theory infers that descriptive classifications may at times define an individual's behavior or self-identity. Labelling theory is a theory in sociology which ascribes labelling of people to control and identification of deviant behaviour. Labelling Theory - Explained. Labeling theory overlooks the intial behavior of the individual after the label is bestowed. "People commit acts that violate the law or social norms for reasons that have nothing to do with labels that others apply to them" (Akers & Sellers. Labels are what you call yourself in your head. By determining where dysfunctional behavior has been learned, it may be possible to design targeted intervention. This includes those who through professional status claim the right to label others - teachers, social workers and psychologists. Before him, Frank Tennenbaum (1938), Edwin Lemert (1951), John Kitsuse (1962) and K. Erikson (1962) had also used an approach called the ‘Social Reaction Approach’ or the ‘Social Interaction Approach’ as different from the ‘Structural Approach’ used by Merton, or the ‘Cultural Approach’ used by Cohen and Cloward and Ohlin. The theory holds that defiance is not inherited to an act and focuses on the . The labelling procedure includes deviancy and crime, certain acts are criminal because they have been labelled in that way, these labels are created by the powerful in society, such as the government. For social workers, the social learning theory is a valuable prism through which to understand the relationship between cognitive function and certain behaviors in clients. Social Information Dealing with others is a complex and ambiguous undertaking. Social work theories are general explanations that are supported by evidence obtained through the scientific method. For example, a teenager who lives in an urban area frequented by gangs might be labeled as a gang member. 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