Edwin Lemert, the founder of the societal reaction approach, which distinguished between primary and secondary deviance. Primary deviance is where an individual does not see themselves as deviant. Where as secondary deviance an individual acceptances their deviant status. Lemert's ideas sum up to that once an individual is labeled deviant by society, then that is how society views that individual. After being labeled deviant and accepting the label an individual is more likely to keep committing crimes. Howard Becker, the founder of labeling theory, states that ""Deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an offender. The deviant is one to whom that label has successfully been applied; deviant behavior is behavior that people so label." (http://www.hewett.norfolk.sch.uk/curric/soc/crime/labeling.htm). He also said that "Moving from the observation that deviant behavior is behavior that people so label." (Becker 9) So when a person is labeled for their deviant acts they are cut-off or pushed aside by society. This process creates outsiders loners, or outcast from society. After a person is view by everyone in their surroundings as deviant the natural reaction is to keep acting out in deviance. .
Labeling theory is very complex. However, there is nine basic points of the labeling theory:.
Society has values with differing degrees.
The quantity of behavior is determined by the application of values on one's behavior.
Johnson 3.
3. Deviance exists only when there is a reaction to a certain behavior.
4. Once a behavior is labeled deviant then the person responsible for the behavior is also labeled as deviant.
5. Reaction to the labeling and behavior is more adopt to occur to someone of a socially less powerful class.
6. Society tend to watch someone who is labeled deviant more closely; therefore finding more deviance in the person.