RESOURCE FILES Chapter 7 Constructing Difference: Social Deviance
Frank
Tannenbaum Sociologists' concern over the effects of labeling someone as a deviant date back to a book called Crime and Community, written in 1938 by sociologist Frank Tannenbaum.1 He was primarily interested in male juvenile delinquents, although his ideas can be applied to many different deviant groups. Tannenbaum believed that most acts of delinquency—breaking windows, petty theft, truancy, and so on—are a normal part of adolescent street life. Kids engage in these activities for fun, adventure, and excitement. The community at large, though, is likely to see such activities as annoying or even evil and may demand some sort of control over the situation (that is, punishment). If delinquent behavior becomes more visible and frequent, the situation gradually becomes redefined. There is a shift from the definition of specific acts as "evil" to a definition of the individual as "evil." All the boy's acts become suspect. His companions, hangouts, speech, clothes, conduct, and everything about him become an object of scrutiny and further "proof" of his delinquent nature. From the community's point of view, the basically "good" individual who used to do mischievous things has been transformed into a bad and useless human being. Because first impressions are important in determining how others see us and, consequently, how we see ourselves, this "delinquent" label can have a tremendous impact on the young boy's life. What concerned Tannenbaum in particular was the effect the label would have on the boy's self-concept. The boy is likely to be overwhelmed by the community reaction and begin to think of himself as the type of person who would do such things. Over time the label becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The juvenile becomes bad because he is defined as bad by others. This process, which Tannenbaum called the "dramatization of evil," plays a greater role in the making of a deviant than perhaps any other experience. The reactions of others to deviance, no matter how compassionate the intent, may trap the deviant individual in a role from which he (or she) cannot escape. The deviant individual, now "tagged,"2 lives in a different world. In the eyes of others, the person who steals is a thief, the person who kills is a murderer. 1Tannenbaum, F. 1938. Crime and community. New York: Ginn. 2Tannenbaum, F. 1938. Crime and community. New York: Ginn. [home] David Newman and Rebecca Smith.
(Created October 7, 1999). Copyright Pine Forge Press. |
