Labeling the Deviant Act: Toward a General Theory of Deviant Behavior (original) (raw)

The labeling perspective is analyzed in terms of its contribution to the development of a general theory of deviant behavior. The implicit model of social organization framing the labeling process is described, and the limiting conditions for its application explored. Special attention is accorded to the interplay between social organizational and social psychological levels of analysis, and areas of interpenetration between the labeling model and the more traditional interpretations of deviance. Three imaoes of the deviant suggested by the labeling approach are examined: the deviant as outsider, the oversocialized deviant, and the deviant as convert. Each of these images is discussed in terms of its consequences for the elaboration and refinement of a theory of deviance. Several aspects of deviant socialization are outlined as a basis for modifying and extending the labeling approach.