Labeling theory states that individuals come to recognize and act in ways that reflect how others label them. This theory is connected to the human science of evil and aberration. Naming and considering someone as criminally degenerate can encourage deviant conduct. In response, that 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 labeling theory has its roots in the idea of ​​the 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 foundation has been laid, I would like to give some examples and explain the effects that can occur psychologically on a person. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Around 1970, small-town Iowa teacher Jane Elliott experimented with her third-grade class being recorded and documented. To date, it is widely recognized and taught in schools for police officers, prison officers and is used for many other educational purposes. Jane Elliott's experiment became known as "A Class Divided". Elliott could distinguish his third-grade class by the color of their eyes; blue or brown. Elliott told the whole class that people with blue eyes are stupid, don't behave well, and get bad grades. Then, he told his class that people with brown eyes are better than those with blue eyes. People with dark eyes get better grades than those with blue eyes, behave better, and are, in fact, more intelligent. Over the course of the week, he continued to apply those new ideas, and the blue-eyed students started behaving worse, their scores dropped, and some kids got into fights on the playground. However, the following week, Elliott told his third-grade class that he had made a mistake. In reality it is not people with dark 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, it is people with blue eyes who are better off. Jane Elliott noticed the same pattern that week. Now, children with dark eyes scored lower on the tests, while children with blue eyes showed significant improvement compared to the week they were labeled bad. Once the two weeks had passed, Elliott explained to his class that it was all a test and that everyone had to be friends and treated equally because blue eyes or dark eyes didn't matter. Now that I've given an example of labeling theory, I'll talk about labeling and criminology. Again, labeling theory suggests that people's behavior is influenced by the label assigned to them by society. According to a study by the Institute of Criminology (University of Cambridge), being labeled as bad could expand a person's relationship with people who behave badly and influence their perception, attitudes and beliefs. Please note: This is just an example Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay After merging with their criminal generalizations, these people will intensify their offensive behavior. Likewise, individuals may identify more with degenerate social groups after being labeled as deviant..