Labeling Theory Paper

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Two major well-known sections of theories in the field of criminology are labeling theories and life course and developmental theories. Labeling theory discusses what it means to be a criminal, as well as how one specific behavior could lead to a dozen reactions. These theories also discuss the aftermath and the impact labeling theory has on a person’s life. Life course and developmental theories focus on a person and their life’s trajectories, onset, persistence, desistance, childhood, and cognition and development. These theories also discuss the unpredictability of life events and the unstable pathways of one’s life. In this paper, I will be discussing, comparing, and contrasting secondary deviance with the age-grade theory of informal social …show more content…
Lacking bonds can occur as changes occur, such as when one grows apart from their closest friends or family, or when they change schools or careers. These salient life events and major turning points in a person’s life can alter trajectories, create bonds, disintegrate bonds, and create distance. Social bonds within one's life and community help provide some deterrence from committing crimes, but when a person’s bonds become weak or no longer exist then that person might believe they have nothing to lose which allows them to turn to a life of crime. Both secondary deviance and age-graded theory of informal social control have a similarity in the sense that both theories rely on a person’s community and society. Secondary deviance is rooted in a society or community’s reaction to an offender once they become labeled, while the age-graded theory of informal social control is focused on the lack of bonds that distance a person from the society or community. Another similarity between secondary deviance and age-graded theory of informal social control is that an offender's age or childhood can play a role in how these theories …show more content…
A major difference between secondary deviance and age-graded theory of informal social control is that secondary deviance is based on what society thinks of a person and age-graded theory of informal social control only deals with the bonds with people in society. Secondary deviance deals with society’s reactions to an offender label, in situations where these offenders are very concerned with what society thinks of them. In situations where the age-graded theory of informal social control is regarded, offenders do not really concern themselves with what society thinks of them; this theory argues that people commit crimes because they no longer feel connected to society. Another difference between these two theories is that the age-graded theory of informal social control does not have hardly any focus on being a criminal, whereas secondary deviance’s main focus is the label of being a
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