NCJ Number
52485
Date Published
1978
Length
20 pages
Annotation
LABELING IS EXAMINED FROM A CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE, AND IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE IMPACT OF LABELING ON DEVIANCE VARIES WITH THE SCALE AND FORMALITY OF THE SOCIAL CONTEXT IN WHICH LABELING AND DEVIANCE OCCUR.
Abstract
CONTEXTUAL VARIATION IN DEVIANCE IS VIEWED AS RANGING FROM A RELATIVELY SMALL-SCALE INFORMAL SETTING IN WHICH PEOPLE KNOW AND DEAL WITH ONE ANOTHER PERSONALLY AS MEMBERS OF THE SAME GROUP TO A RELATIVELLY LARGE-SCALE FORMAL STRUCTURE IN WHICH PEOPLE INTERACT AS AGENTS OR REPRESENTATIVES OF DIFFERENT GROUPS. IN BOTH CONTEXTS, THE DEVIANCE PROCESS INVOLVES A PRIOR NORMATIVE SITUATION AND FIVE ANALYTICALLY DISTINCT BUT EMPIRICALLY BLENDED DIMENSIONS: IDENTIFICATION, JUSTIFICATION, NEGOTIATION, ENCLOSURE, AND DISPOSITION. THERE ARE MODAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INTRAGROUP AND CROSS-GROUP LABELING WITH REGARD TO THESE FIVE DIMENSIONS. IDEAS OF LABELING AND CONFLICT COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER IN SEVERAL WAYS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF STRUCTURAL CONFLICT THEORY. FROM THE CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE, LABELING IS NECESSARILY A RELATIONAL AS WELL AS PROCESSUAL CONCEPT. ANALYSIS OF SELF-DEFINITION IN TERMS OF LABELING BEGINS WITH LOCATING AN INDIVIDUAL IN REFERENCE TO THE LINKAGE BETWEEN PERSONAL POWER (INDIVIDUAL RESOURCES) AND AND POLITICAL POWER (RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO AN INDIVIDUAL THROUGH GROUP AND ORGANIZATION ATTACHMENTS). THE CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE FREES LABELING ANALYSIS FROM THE DETERMINISTIC-REACTIVE ENVIRONMENT, AND IT RECOGNIZES A FULL RANGE OF INTERACTION OUTCOMES. AS LABELING IS EXTENDED BEYOND THE PREOCCUPATION WITH DEVIANCE TO GENERAL PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH INTERACTION AND INTERDEPENDENCY BETWEEN PERSONS AND GROUPS, IT BECOMES USEFUL IN A THEORETICAL EXPLANATION OF THE CONFLICT FOUND IN ANY POLITICAL-LEGAL CONTEXT. LABELING THEORY TIES INTO CONFLICT THEORY TO THE EXTENT THAT THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER CONSTITUTES CONTINGENCIES FOR ACTION AND REACTION. REFERENCES ARE CITED. (DEP)