1. Soc 111
Fall 2008
Labeling and Stigma

2. 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”

3. 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

4. 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)

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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?”

9. 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

10. 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.