Labeling Theory

A detailed Summary of Labeling Theory

Thinking about the labeling theory in terms of criminology, as a dependent or

independent variable, one is met with many implications of the complex theory. It is

difficult to trace stigmatizing labels because to do so one must think of a society that is

oppositional by nature as opposed to a core group of its inhabitants. And it is also

difficult to determine at times, even through the ostensibly objective ocular of

sociological and anthropological study, which attempts in its own way to see its own

nurturing culture as other, whether the application of labels is simply a matter of socio-

economic oppression. Thinking about how labeling theory has implications in the

present day, one is drawn towards the intense media scrutiny that has been given in recent

years to the issue of racial profiling among law enforcement officers. This could be an

instance of "the agents of control, who function on behalf of the powerful in society

impos(ing) the labels on the less powerful" (Akers, 1994, p. 24). In this case, the label

is furnished to designate and limit an individual as a criminal whether they are guilty or

Although labeling theory is fascinating in that it supports an idea of societal

labeling would in all cases cause the labeled to become anything but oppositional to the

Approximate Word count = 866
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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