of the time. .
The observation of deviation being a process helped lead to the development of primary and secondary deviance. Primary deviance is the initial deviant behavior, and is short lived. Most people will engage in this level of deviance from time to time, and will never proceed to secondary. Whether the act will proceed depends on how public the act is and what the tolerance quotient of the reactors is, because it is the individual set of .
values that determine the severity of the act. Secondary deviance is the persistent involvement in deviance, and the possible submergence into a deviant sub-culture. The deviance becomes secondary "when the person begins to employ his deviant behavior or a role based upon it as a means of defense, attack, or adjustment to the overt and covert problems created by the consequent societal reaction to him." [1] .
It should be noted that the transformation into secondary deviance is rare, as a lengthy process occurs. This process can be seen as the primary deviance being noticed, and the societal penalties. These penalties will often lead to further primary deviation, to which society will counter with stronger penalties and rejections. These may push the individual to further deviance, and may develop feelings of hostilities and resentment. .
Once the tolerance level of the reactors is met, formal action may be taken in the form of criminal charges. This stigmatization will further increase the deviant image and the behaviors will persist. Eventually the deviant will accept the deviant social status, and may make further adjustments such as seeking out a social group which supports the new .
image. (Lemert, 1951) .
Howard S. Becker built on the work of Lemert and was especially influenced by the Chicago School of Criminology. Becker looked at deviance as an interpretation of meaning as seen by the reactors who give the title of deviance to actors.