Papers on "The Labelling Theory and its Uses in Criminology" and similar term paper topics

Paper #103486 :: -- Temporarily unavailable

An explanation of the works and ideas of Howard Becker.

Written in 2007; 1,924 words; 154 sources; APA; $ 61.95

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the works and ideas of Howard Becker in the area of criminology and his study of deviance from a social perspective. The paper provides an in-depth study of his works and puts forward arguments for and against his theories.

From the Paper:

"Howard Becker is widely associated with the labelling theory, although as Becker himself asserts the very concept is "neither a theory, with all the achievements and obligations that go with the title, nor focused so exclusively on the act of labelling as some have thought." It does not embody a single concept, but rather a number of assorted ideas brought together under one approach; an approach that Becker prefers to term the 'interactionist theory of deviance' . This amalgamation of ideas has led critics to argue the theory is both "ambiguous and inconsistent", and at best, "a vague perspective" . However, the original theorists, especially Becker, never sought to provide an all-embracing, etiological explanation of deviance; as Becker suggests, "they had more modest aims". Whatever the description or the initial criticisms applied, it is Becker's work on this area of criminology that is considered his greatest contribution to the subject, and thus will be the focus of this critical biography.
Becker's volume Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, remains the seminal text on the interactionist approach to deviance. Influenced by Cooley's 'looking-glass self' , Lemert's ideas of social constructionism , and Mead's theories on the internalisation of the self , Becker develops the study of deviance from a distinctly social perspective, considering the processes by which particular types of act or people, come to be labelled as deviant. In particular Becker argues: (1) deviant behaviour must be conceptualized in terms of a sequential model, since different causes operate at different stages, and (2) the rules and enforcement process must be viewed as developing through time rather than as an isolated moment of disapproval."

Tags: crime society theory

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