Labeling theorists’ state that giving a label to an individual could influence their behaviour, therefore designating negative or stigmatizing labels on an individual leads to an increase in deviant behaviour. Likewise, labeling an individual as a juvenile delinquent can result to delinquency being escalated. Labelling theory focuses on the processual clarification of deviance. Processual theories centralize on the social psychology of deviance, particularly the state that engenders the deviant acts by individuals. In addition, labelling theory is also recognized as the interactionist perspective that integrates two discrete elements: the reactivist conception and the theory of secondary deviance. According to labelling theorists, the obscure …show more content…
This fact is supported by the Thomas Theorem, which holds that “situations we define as real become real in their consequences”. According to Kitsuse (1980), a few individuals contest against the label that has been given to them, such individuals are a part of the tertiary group. The difference between the secondary group and the tertiary group is that the secondary group accept and adjust to the label they are given whereas the tertiary group deny the denial. In the outlook of labeling theorists, agents of social control create stereotypes that compel the individuals to commit deviant acts and they also affirm that due to leverage of class bias on social control agents, people with no power are excessively presented in the official statistics on deviance. However, according to critiques a label that is given to a person does not originate the behaviour that it stigmatizes, thus labeling theory disregards the facts of the first deviant act that was committed and the base for the society’s …show more content…
A study conducted by Spencer De Li (1999) investigated the impact of legal sanctions on self-reported delinquency, further delinquency and the accomplishments in education and occupational wise. The data suggested that adolescents convicted at a very early age had a powerful impact, which led to further involvement in delinquent acts, convictions, poor education attainment and unemployment. Adolescents labeled by the juvenile justice system may presumably become antisocial and aberrant. These findings support the labeling view that proposes that the stigma connected with delinquent labels have abundant amount of