Theoretical Perspective in Criminology
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Masters
Degree in Criminal Justice
JOVEN RHEY L. OBLIOSCA, RCRIM
ED200A (5602)
Dr. Rowela Cartin-Pecson L, PhD
Labeling theory
Labeling theory popularized by Howard Becker, a school of thought that focuses on how
individuals “labeled” as deviant based on the reaction of the community towards their behavior,
and this is based on the ideas of George Herbert Mead, John Dewey, W. I. Thomas, Charles
Horton Cooley, and Herbert Blumer.
In the mid-1960s a question arises: What makes some acts and some people deviant or criminal?
The people in power and the government start to segregate people to help reduce the crime rate
in the community by labeling some of their actions inappropriate. These leads to creating some
acts criminal or deviant. These people thought that labeling the actions or behavior of individuals
would somehow decrease crime rates but ended up pushing deviants closer to being a criminal.
As people in society start to treat these people according to their labels, they begin to accept the
labels for themselves. Put another way, when someone acts in a way that other people find
unacceptable, they label them as deviant, which the person gradually internalizes and accepts.
Howard Becker’s (1963) contribution to labeling theory comes from his discussion of the
development of deviant careers mentioned in his book outsiders. In this book he emphasized the
three phases to development of a deviant career. The first phase is the initial act of rule-breaking
which may or may not be intentional. The second phase of the deviant career is when the rule
breaker is caught and labeled deviant. The label poses consequences for how people’s point of
view towards the labeled individual, how they will interact with that individual, and how the
labeled individual will see him or herself.
Meanwhile, Tannenbaum (1938). Stated that the society view youths who break the law are the
worst kind of people compared to those who don’t break the law. The process that defining youth
as deviant based solely on their actions which they find as “fun” poses a negative effect on their
growth. Example of this activities are texting while driving, sexting, downloading music from
illegal sources, watching videos from unregulated sources. Many adults and even the law
upholds copyright issues and patronize paid-to-watch sites to give credit to the creator of the said
intellectual properties. However, youths tend to find ways to access such media in a minimal
cost, or even in a free way possible. Youths who violate this law do not see their actions evil, but
rather as a normal part of their everyday life.
In the problem about deviant behavior does not stop by labeling people, especially, the youth.
Conflicts persist as the community’s point of view towards the youth hardens. Now it is not
about the deviant action of youth but the youth themselves. Once the members of community
define youth as bad, changes begin in the way they interact with him or her. Parents often
exclude their children from activities associated with those who are labeled deviant and those
deviant youth will isolate themselves from the others. Over time those youth will define him or
herself as bad as well. This process is mentioned by Tannenbaum (1938) as tagging and this
includes defining, identifying, segregating, describing, emphasizing, making conscious and self-
conscious.
On the other hand, youth who are labeled as delinquents may internalize this label and may lead
to a self-fulfilling prophecy. It means that the youth might accept the fact that he is what the
community thinks he is and may align with the expectation associated with it. In the modern age
of technology, where youth are exposed to social media, they might relate themselves to those
individuals who has the same experience as they are and might live with the community’s
standard of how they must live themselves based solely on their actions that is being labeled as
bad.
In the 5 pillars of criminal justice system, the community plays a vital role in suppressing crime
through its reach especially on nurturing the youth. Labeling theory explains how an individual
becomes delinquent just because the community labeled their actions, which they as a part of
everyday life, as evil.
Case application
The case of Jeffrey Dahmer, 31 years old, known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, was an American
serial killer who killed and dismembered seventeen males. Dahmers way to criminality can be
used as example of labeling theory. Dahmers early childhood was portrayed as energetic and
happy, but it changes dramatically when he undergone double hernia surgery where he became
quiet and timid. However, during his teenage years he associated himself with drinking and later
identifies himself as homosexual. During his time homosexuality was considered evil in the
community he lived in, and it is unacceptable. It is possible that Dahmer accepted the label of
evil and it created a change in his behavior because all deviancy from youth to adulthood was
considered evil.
Labeling theory is a sociological perspective that explains how individuals identified as deviant
based on the reactions of others, particularly those who have influenced. Dahmers series of
killing shows that he became the projection of an evil just because he is labeled as one when he
was young. The problem is society tends to stigmatize people reacting based only on their
actions. His deviant behavior and sexual preference were considered evil in his neighborhood,
and it affected how he sees the world. Dahmers case was just one of the many cases where
labeling is involved. As a criminologist, these actions can somehow be prevented if his parents
were just aware of Dahmers upbringing and evaluates their son’s behavior they could send him
to facility where he can be rehabilitated. If the community is equipped with knowledge in pro-
active prevention of crimes, avoiding stigmatizations, cases like this will surely decrease in
numbers.
Critical reflection
Although labeling theory offers insightful information, it has come under scrutiny for its
predetermined point of view, which implies that once a person gets labeled or tagged as bad, they
have no choice but to continue down the path of deviance. It fails to adequately explain why
people commit such acts in the first place and undervalues the importance of individual choice.
In fact, not everyone who is labeled goes on deviancy or commit crimes. Another problem is that
labeling theory fails to pay attention to response of individual to the label, it ignores the
importance of individual differences. Stigmatization may affect the opportunities offered to the
youth. For instance, a student labeled as “slow learner” may denied to a much advance
educational opportunities and may limit their potential. And those youth labeled as
troublemakers may faced disadvantage in education, employment, and even social services.
Labeling theory can cause more harm than it offers solutions in fighting deviancy and criminality
because it often reinforces the very behaviors it seeks to irradicate. By focusing on the labels that
society assigns to individuals, rather than addressing the underlying causes of deviant behavior,
the theory can lead to stigmatization, social exclusion, and a self-fulfilling prophecy where
individuals internalize the negative labels given by the community and continue down a path of
deviance. This approach risks perpetuating a cycle of criminality rather than breaking it, as it
fails to provide the support and rehabilitation needed to encourage positive change. Instead of
reducing crime and deviance, labeling can cause division between those labeled as deviant and
the rest of society, making it harder for individuals to reintegrate and leading to long-term social
imbalance. We need to protect the youth from the harm caused by stigmatization and put labeling
to good use by focusing on interventions that promote positive identity formation, emphasize
strengths over deficits, identifying the root causes of deviant behavior, and create supportive
environments that encourage growth and rehabilitation rather than reinforcing negative labels.
References
Skaggs, S. Lynn (2024, July 24). labeling theory. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/labeling-theory
Bernard, T. J. (2024, April 25). Howard S. Becker. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Howard-S-Becker
Barmaki, R. (2017). On the Origin of “Labeling” Theory in Criminology: Frank Tannenbaum
and the Chicago School of Sociology. Deviant Behavior, 40(2), 256–271.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2017.1420491
Adler, F. (2021).Criminology(10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education
(US).https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781264169658 Jeffrey Dahmer. (2020,
February 13). Retrieved December 21, 2020, from https://www.biography.com/crime-
figure/jeffrey-dahmer
