Assignment 1

CMY370-1

NAME Thameshree Moodley DATE 30 March 2022

STUDENT NO. 36197165 UNIQUE NO. 678887

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................... 1

1. DEFINITION OF KEY CONCEPTS.......................................................................................... 2

2. EDWIN M LEMERT – THE INTERACTIONIST APPROACH..........................................3

2.1 Lemert’s Theory................................................................................................................................... 3

2.2 Primary Deviance................................................................................................................................. 3

2.3 Secondary Deviance............................................................................................................................ 4

3. HOWARD BECKER – THE SOCIAL RESPONSE APPROACH....................................5

3.1 Crime as a Result of Labelling............................................................................................................ 5

3.2 Labelling - The Process...................................................................................................................... 6

3.3 Typology of Deviant and Non-deviant Behaviour.............................................................................7

CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................... 9

LIST OF REFERENCES.................................................................................................................. 10

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Introduction

In this assignment, I was tasked to provide a detailed explanation of how Edwin Lemert
and Howard Becker’s labelling perspective contributes to the explanation of criminal or
deviant behaviour. Working on this task has allowed me to gain a better understanding
of labelling theories in relation to criminality and the thoughts of labelling theorists on the
causes of deviant behaviour.

Firstly, a discussion is presented on Edwin Lemert’s labelling theory and how it

contributes to amplified and continued criminal behaviour. This section discusses the
three processes that form the basis of Lemert’s labelling theory. Furthermore, the terms
conceived by Lemert as “primary deviance” and “secondary deviance” is explained in
detail.

Secondly, Howard Becker’s labelling theory, in connection with the Social Response
Theory, is discussed. Becker’s labelling view describes how social reactions to a person
and their behaviour impacts the individual and society.

Finally, Becker’s labelling theory is further broken down into three sections. Labelling as
a cause of crime and deviant behaviour is described to the reader. Then the process of
labelling is described, as it occurs in phases. Lastly, the four types of deviant
behaviours are captured and discussed.

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1. Definition of Key Concepts

Deviant behaviour refers to uncommon characteristics and behaviours that do not

conform to socially accepted behaviour that is deemed normal by society. Persistent
and repetitive deviant behaviour by an individual is self-destructive and destructive to
society in general (Hanımoğlu, 2018:133).

Primary deviance as referred to by Lemert, are acts that violate criminal law or rules of
society, but they go undetected by other people and law enforcement. These deviant
acts either go unnoticed or are quickly forgotten. The offending individual receives no
negative social reaction or the corrective action is minimal. Therefore, the offender lives
his life as a normal, law-abiding person with no negative impact on his image.

Secondary deviance as referred to by Lemert is more serious than primary deviance.

Here, the primary deviant act is detected by society and law enforcement, resulting in
the offender being labelled a deviant. As a result, the person accepts this label as their
self-identity and continues with their non-conforming behaviour.

Labelling perspective is essentially the view that deviance or criminal behaviour is a

result of social reactions toward an individual after they have committed an act
(Ugwudike, 2015:37). Howard Becker stressed that social reaction to an act, by
attaching a deviant label to the individual and his/her behaviour, could result in more
and continued deviant or criminal acts (Ugwudike, 2015:37).

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2. Edwin M Lemert – The Interactionist Approach

Edwin Lemert is universally recognised for his innovative work on labelling theory in the
explanation of criminal behaviour. Lemert’s study of labelling theory is also referred to
as an interactionist approach (Joubert, 2021:177).

2.1 Lemert’s Theory

Three principal processes are fundamental to Lemert’s theory concerning criminal

behaviour (Stebbins, 2015:1). These are:

1) Differentiation is the knowledge that many people differ from the normal,
accepted behaviours, characteristics and interactions with others, that are
generally expected from the average population.
2) Society’s response, reactions and feelings towards a person once deviant
behaviour is observed.
3) Individuation is the demonstration of what causes deviant or criminal behaviour
in people and how they reconcile their individuality with their experience of
deviance.

Individuation is fundamental to Lemert’s labelling theory. Through this, he formulated

two key terms in his approach to studying criminal behaviour, “primary deviance” and
“secondary deviance”. This process looked closely at the course of events associated
with non-conforming behaviour, to distinguish between primary deviant behaviour and
secondary deviant behaviour.

2.2 Primary Deviance

Simply explained, primary deviation refers to a deviant behaviour that is normalised by

an individual ((Stebbins, 2015:1). This is because the offending behaviour committed by
the person has minimal effect on their lives. According to Lemert, the primary deviation

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can occur as a result of multiple varying factors (psychological, social, cultural,

physiological). An individual may commit a non-conforming, offending act and is not
judged negatively if they do not get caught in that act. According to Lemert (1972:62),
primary deviance is “attributed to inconsistencies in social structure, to hedonistic
variables or ignorance, while psychological characteristics such as personality or
psychiatric disorders are neglected.”

Since the deviant behaviour does not diminish the person’s image or status, labelling
theorists like Lemert, are uninterested in the causes of primary deviant behaviour.

2.3 Secondary Deviance

Secondary deviation refers to the behaviour of a person in response to society’s

reaction to their offending actions. In contrast to primary deviance, secondary deviance
has an intense effect on a person’s life. The deviant behaviour, in this instance, does
not go unnoticed and the person’s image is now tarnished. This impact of society’s
reaction of punishment, stigmatisation and isolation of the individual could result in an
elevation and escalation of the person’s deviant behaviour.

The individual is now defined by their offending act, which may limit them in their choice
to rise above the criminal label, resulting in the path to a more negative and non-
conforming lifestyle. Hence, sustained deviant behaviour is more likely, as their status
and identity are now re-arranged to suit and reconcile with the offending behaviour
(Lemert, 1972:63). According to Lemert, secondary deviance originates from the cause
of primary deviance. However, the problematic behaviour is amplified and the long-term
negative consequences are elevated, due to societal reactions to a person’s deviant
act/s.

Secondary deviance is fundamental to the labelling theory as it identifies the process

from the initial offending behaviour to the transformation of a person’s identity as they

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modify their actions and characteristics in response to how society reacts to them
afterwards.

3. Howard Becker – The Social Response Approach

According to Howard Becker, in terms of the labelling theory, the causes or quality of
the criminal act is unimportant in identifying a criminal. What makes an act deviant is
how people react to it. People are labelled “deviant” due to the reaction of society to the
act that was committed. Becker’s study focused on the reason why people chose to
label certain behaviours as deviant and the effect that labelling has on the offending
individual.

3.1 Crime as a Result of Labelling

Howard Becker’s study indicated that the reactions to specific acts are not always the
same. The way others respond or react to certain acts is mainly per social and/or
cultural norms. Labels that are placed on the acts committed are mostly determined by
the social or cultural context in which they occur.

It is impossible to define normal and deviant behaviours fixedly, as their meaning differs
in different social and cultural groups. Behaviour that is regarded as normal to one
group may be considered abnormal or criminal to another group. An example of this is
the consumption of alcohol. While it is normal for people to consume alcohol in most
countries like the US or South Africa, alcohol consumption is illegal in countries like
Iran, Libya, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Labelling can have a serious negative impact on the individual being labelled and on
society in general. Therefore, once a person is labelled as a criminal or deviant, this can
magnify a person’s intent to non-conform. That label, regardless of their prior status in
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society, now becomes the individual’s identity. This could pave the way for people to
become career criminals.

3.2 Labelling - The Process

According to Becker’s labelling theory, being labelled a deviant has a life-changing

impact on the sense of one’s self. A person may initially commit a non-conforming act
that has nothing to do with his self-worth or self-identity. The deviant action may even
be committed unintentionally. However, once society puts a deviant label on the person,
then his/her self-identity starts to change.

Once the person is caught committing the offending act, with society reacting negatively
towards them, labelling them as a criminal, then a new identity is formed. The individual
starts to identify themselves as a criminal or deviant. According to Becker, the initial
action of committing a deviant act escalates to being the primary status or identity of the
person. The individual is primarily restricted to being a criminal first, regardless of any
other good qualities or societal statuses they may have.

Since the person is publicly labelled as a deviant and they now see themselves as a
criminal, they are likely to commit further criminal acts and become career criminals.
This deviant behaviour results from other people’s reactions.

Finally, from the labelling theory, it becomes clear that once a person has been caught
in an offending act, and labelled as a deviant by society, that person is more likely to
perform more criminal acts and engage with others that are similarly labelled as
deviants by society. Therefore, Becker stressed the importance of looking at the
process of identifying actions as normal or deviant.

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3.3 Typology of Deviant and Non-deviant Behaviour

Becker’s labelling theory also indicates that some people may have been labelled as
deviant but who have not violated a rule of society. This means that a person may have
been labelled as a criminal due to the generalisation that comes with society’s deviance
labelling when they have not even committed any deviant acts as yet. Howard Becker
highlights four different categories of deviant behaviour.

These are:
1) A conforming individual engages in behaviour and acts that are socially
acceptable and favoured by the majority of people. This person is determined by
society to be a normal, conforming, law-abiding person who does not break rules.
2) A pure deviant is a person who engages in rule-breaking and deviant behaviour
and therefore has been labelled by society as a criminal. They are recognised as
deviants after being caught committing acts deemed by society to be non-
conforming.
3) Falsely accused individuals are people who have not engaged in rule-breaking
and even though they are innocent, they are labelled as criminals. They endure
misjudgement due to the stigma of race, sex, sexual preferences, etc. attached
to them. Being falsely accused and going through the criminal proceedings that
follow has a devastatingly, negative impact on these individuals.
4) A secret deviant is a person who conducts deviant acts and breaks societal
rules but they are never caught in the act. Therefore, their deviance goes
undetected and they are not labelled as deviants by society. There are no
adverse consequences for this individual, their identity remains intact since there
is no negative societal reaction and labelling.

A criminal’s career may begin with a few deviant acts, which may be intentionally or
unintentionally committed by an individual. According to Becker, society’s reaction to the
act/s determines whether that individual further embarks on a career of deviance. He
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states that those groups with power status, create society rules. Furthermore, they label
these individuals as criminals or outsiders if they fail to follow these rules.

Conclusion

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The purpose of this assignment was to critically explain Lemert and Becker’s labelling
theory and how it impacts crime, criminal behaviour and society in general. This paper
explores Edwin Lemert and Howard Becker’s labelling concept and focuses on the
effect labelling has on an individual once they have been identified by society as
deviants.

The content of the assignment explains that Lemert and Becker’s labelling theory has
the potential to lead to an increase in criminal behaviour. This is because people that
were once normal, start identifying themselves as deviants due to the labels that society
has attached to them. These individuals believe that these labels are valid and end up
behaving in a criminal manner that suits the deviant label attached to them.

From Lemert and Becker’s labelling perspective, it is a society that is responsible for the
amplification of, and the increase in crime. It concludes that a criminal or deviant status
or label results in increased and sustained criminal behaviour, since society already
expects the individual labelled as such, to continue to behave so.

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List of References

Anon. 2017. Labelling Theory - Explained. 13 November. Available at:

https://www.tutor2u.net/sociology/reference/labelling-theory-explained (accessed on: 20
March 2022).

Becker, H. S. 1963. Outsiders; studies in the sociology of deviance. London, Free Press

of Glencoe.

Bernburg, J.G. 2019. Labeling Theory. In: Marvin D. Krohn, Nicole Hendrix, Gina Penly
Hall, and Alan J. Lizotte (eds.), Handbook of Crime and Deviance, Second Edition.
Springer Nature Switzerland.

Hanımoğlu, E. 2018. Deviant Behavior in School Setting. Journal of Education and

Training Studies, 6(10):133.

Lemert, E.M. 1972. Social Problems and the Sociology of Deviance: Human Deviance,
Social Problems, and Social Control. 2nd Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-
Hall, 62.

Nickerson, C. 2021. Labeling Theory. Simply Psychology. 08 October. Available at:

https://www.simplypsychology.org/labeling-theory.html (accessed on: 22 March 2022).

Plummer, K. no date. Labeling Theory. Historical, Conceptual, and Theoretical Issues,

6:191-194.

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