Soc 111 Fall 2008 Labeling and Stigma

Social norms Are socially constructed Created by society even though we generally act as though our norms are “natural” The “natural attitude” and “world taken for granted”

All people engage in deviance Reactions to deviance are not uniform Deviance goes unnoticed Deviance is noticed but unsanctioned Deviance is sanctioned but status of deviant is not applied Deviance is sanction and master status of deviant is applied

Status and role Status is your position in the social hierarchy Occupy a status Status set All positions you occupy Master status informs all other statuses Role is the behaviors, obligations, privileges attached to a status. Play a role Change along with status Ex: parent (status): providing for children (role) Ex: student (status): taking notes/studying (role)

Labeling theory Labels become a part of our identity Reject or accept the labels Techniques of neutralization Denial of responsibility Denial of injury Denial of a victim Condemnation of the condemners Appeal to higher loyalties

Harder to reject The younger a person is when the label is applied True not just for deviance The more universal the label is used to refer to the person Parents, friends/peers, neighbors, teachers, etc.

Master status of deviant Is a stigmatized status Stigma is an attribute or status that is “discrediting” Reduced from a multifaceted person to their master status “freak” for social deviance or “murderer” for criminal deviance

Stigmatized & “normal” contacts “Normal” refers to people who do not have a stigmatized status Has no connotation of “well-adjusted” Both groups tend to avoid contact due to discomfort and suspicion Unsure how the other will respond “Normals” avoid contact lest the stigma taint their own status Stigmatized are often subjected to pointed questioning “Why do you dress like that? What happened to screw you up like this?”

Overcoming stigma is not easy Especially if one has internalized the stigmatized status as part of the identity Others may not accept that change has occurred Limits career options and social networks. Can be very successful in throwing off stigma Martha Stewart

The Falsely Accused People who have not broken the rules of the group but labeled as if they have. Include eyewitness errors and false confessions One study found that of 400 innocent people convicted 56 had made false confessions to avoid stress of interrogation. Numerous studies have demonstrated that people who have been cleared of crimes are frequently viewed with suspicion & sometimes have difficulty getting avoiding a stigmatized status.