CRITIQUE AND TEST OF LABELING THEORY - A SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF DEVIANCE

• NCJ Number: 53883
• Author(s): W D HATKE
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 270 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS - DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

Annotation

DATA OBTAINED FROM THE STATE OF KANSAS JUVENILE INTAKE DIVISION IS ANALYZED IN A DISCUSSION OF LABELING THEORY.

Abstract

THE HYPOTHESES TESTED IN THIS STUDY WERE FOCUSED UPON ASSESSING THE LABELING EFFECTS OF COURT PROCESSING. THE FOLLOWING EIGHT HYPOTHESES WERE PRESENTED: (1) NO RACE AND CLASS DIFFERENCES OCCUR IN THE AMOUNT OF SELF-REPORTED DELINQUENCY; (2) DELINQUENTS DO NOT PERCEIVE THEMSELVES AS DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS IN THEIR AGE GROUP; (3) THE DECISION OF THE INTAKE OFFICER IS BASED LARGELY ON SERIOUSNESS OF CURRENT OFFENSE; (4) INTAKE OFFICERS DECIDE EACH CASE ON THE BASIS OF SERIOUSNESS OF OFFENSE MORE OFTEN THAN ON THE BASIS OF RACE AND CLASS CRITERIA; (5) LABELED JUVENILES HAVE MORE FAVORABLE ATTITUDES TOWARDS DELINQUENT OPPORTUNITIES; (6) LABELED JUVENILES PERCEIVE LEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITIES AS MORE INACCESSIBLE; (7) LABELED JUVENILES EXPRESS MORE RESENTMENT TOWARD AGENTS OF CONTROL; AND (8) LABELED YOUTH HAVE LOWER SELF-ESTEEM. USING A NONEQUIVALENT CONTROL GROUP DESIGN, 104 JUVENILES BEING PROCESSED THROUGH JUVENILE INTAKE WERE INTERVIEWED. PARTICIPATION WAS VOLUNTARY, AND 26 YOUTHS REFUSED TO TAKE PART. IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE WERE NO RACE AND CLASS DIFFERENCES IN THE AMOUNT OF SELF-REPORTED DELINQUENCY, BUT THERE WERE PROPORTIONALLY MORE BLACKS AND LOWER CLASS YOUTH IN THE LABELED GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. A COMPARISON BETWEEN LABELED CASES AND CONTROLS FOUND NO SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSED SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF LABELING. LABELED CASES DID NOT HAVE LOWER SELF-ESTEEM THAN CONTROLS AND DID NOT PERCEIVE THEIR LEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITIES AS LIMITED. LABELED CASES WERE MORE RESENTFUL TOWARD AGENTS OF CONTROL AND FELT MORE RECEPTIVE TOWARD DELINQUENT OPPORTUNITIES. LABELED YOUTH DID NOT SEE THEMSELVES AS DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS IN THEIR AGE GROUP. AN INCREASED TREND TOWARD USE OF FORMAL CONTROLS IN THIS COUNTRY MAKES IT ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE TO EXAMINE LABELING THEORY. TABLES, AN INTERVIEW SCHEDULE, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE APPENDED. (MLC)