Labeling Theory Of Deviance

Labeling theory is the view that society creates the delinquent by labeling those who are apprehended as different from other youths, when in reality they are different primarily because they have been tagged with a deviant label. Primary deviation is the initial act of deviance that causes a person to be labeled as deviant. Secondary deviation is deviance that is a consequence of societal reaction to an initial delinquent act. Individuals who are labeled may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe them or classify them.
According to the labeling theory deviance is socially constructed through the reaction instead of the action. No behavior is inherently deviant on its own. It 's the reaction to the behavior that makes it deviant or not. Labeling others can end up being something good or bad. It depends on the reaction given by their label and the reason behind it.

Primary deviance is a juvenile committing a delinquent act and ending up being pointless because it doesn’t affect the juvenile. For example, So Robert is seven years old and his mother takes him to the grocery store. Now everyone knows that in the grocery store there’s a pick and mix stand and Robert loves chocolate. So when Robert’s mom isn’t looking, Robert takes some chocolate and carries on like nothing happened. Unfortunately, a cashier saw him eat the chocolate and he gets in trouble with his mom. This is primary deviance. The cashier doesn’t call the police because it’s justified as childhood behavior. When Robert gets older, he would describe it as a “moment of madness”. No one has labelled Robert as a thief. It didn’t affect his status or how society viewed Robert, therefore according to primary deviance is pointless to study as it has no effect on the individual or