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  • Essay / Labeling theory in a class-divided experiment

    Labeling theory says that individuals come to recognize and act in ways that reflect how others label them. This theory is linked to the human science of wrongdoing and aberrations. Designating and considering someone as criminally degenerate can cultivate deviant behavior. In response, this person is more likely to act negatively. Crossman (2018) stated in an article that labeling theory is one of the essential approaches to understanding deviant behavior. This theory of labeling is rooted in the idea of ​​social construction of reality and is linked to the symbolic interactionist perspective. Its central idea comes from Howard Becker and Edwin Lemert in the 1960s. Now that the basics are laid, I would like to give some examples and explain the psychological effects that can take place on a person. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Around 1970, a small-town Iowa teacher, Jane Elliott, experimented with her third-grade class that was recorded and documented. To this day, it is widely recognized and taught in schools by police and correctional officers, and is used for many other educational purposes. Jane Elliott's experience is known as "A Class Divided." Elliott separated his third grade class by the color of their eyes; blue or brown. Elliott told his entire class that people with blue eyes are stupid, don't behave well, and get bad grades. Then she told her class that people with brown eyes are better than people with blue eyes. People with black eyes get better grades than people with blue eyes, they behave better and are actually smarter. Over the course of the week, she continued to apply these new ideas and the blue-eyed students began to behave less and less well, their scores dropped, and some children got into fights on the playground. However, the following week, Elliott told her third grade class that she had made a mistake. In fact, it's not people with black eyes who are good. They are the ones who don't do well in school, don't know how to listen, and don't behave well. In reality, people with blue eyes are better. Jane Elliott noticed the same trend that week. Now, dark-eyed children performed lower on tests, and blue-eyed children showed significant improvement from the week they were rated poor. After the two weeks were over, Elliott explained to his class that this was all just a test and that everyone should be friends and treated the same because blue eyes or dark eyes didn't have of importance. Now that I have given an example of labeling theory, I will talk about labeling and criminology. Once again, labeling theory suggests that individuals' behavior is influenced by the label society assigns to them. According to a study by the Institute of Criminology (University of Cambridge), being labeled as bad could develop a person's relationships with ill-mannered people and impact their perception, attitudes and beliefs. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. .Get a custom essay now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayAfter merging with their criminal generalizations, these people will intensify their delinquent behavior. Likewise, individuals can recognize themselves..