In the 1960’s, labelling theory provided explanations as to why deviance exists in society. Interactionists argue that labelling and societal reaction are relatively important in terms of individual’s actions, however, traditional positivists oppose this view and argue that labelling theory illustrates the inequality in the social structure as well as unequal power relations. Labelling theorists therefore argue that deviance is socially constructed.
Becker’s concept of the labelling theory highlights that “social groups create deviance by making the rules” therefore suggesting that there is no such thing as a deviant act and that it is the societal response to the act that defines whether or not the act is labelled it as such. Becker used the act of nudity as an example to illustrate his view on deviance – when a husband and wife are naked together in their bedroom, it is deemed normal as they are in the privacy of their own bedroom, however, if a stranger enters, it then becomes deviant. This therefore shows the relative nature of crime and deviance as it depends on the context and the meaning attached.
Becker believes that deviance lay in the interaction between the person who commits the act and those who respond to it, however, Marxists argue that deviance occurs because agents of social control such as the police reflect the ideas of the ruling class. He examined the effects of being publically labelled as deviants and his findings saw the emergence of a master status- a status that overrides all of the other statuses held by the individual i.e friend, neighbour and mother. Society will then respond to the individual in terms of their master status, for example, they may not look past a woman as a prostitute even if she is also a mother. The assumption of negative characteristics lead the individual to internalise the responses, thus resulting in a