Social Control, Deviance, and Labeling Theory in Sociology

Introduction to Deviance and Cultural Context

Deviance in sociology refers to behaviors, beliefs, or conditions that violate the norms of a given society. Whether an act is considered deviant often depends on the cultural context in which it occurs, making it essential to examine deviance with an awareness of cultural difference.

Deviance as Portrayed in the Television Series Taboo

Taboo airs on National Geographic and presents stories of different people engaging in behaviors that are considered deviant by mainstream standards. Each episode provides a complete biography of the individual featured along with the history of the particular behavior being examined.

One episode that deals with deviant behavior focuses on an Ethiopian tribe in which beauty represents the strength of a woman. That strength is measured by the number of scars present on a woman's body, which are inflicted through whipping. According to the program, a boy's sisters must endure this suffering before he can be recognized as a man, and so the women actively encourage the person doing the whipping. The entire situation — women suffering through whipping so that a male relative may achieve manhood — seemed deeply confusing, yet it was entirely normal for the people within that tribe (Bell 2012).

Whipping is generally regarded as a negative action, but the program showed that the woman who was whipped earned respect within her community, making it a positive act within that cultural framework. The total number of scars on a woman's body visibly demonstrated her strength and her willingness to sacrifice for her family. In contrast, in most other countries whipping would be considered illegal and would be met with serious legal consequences.

This behavior was presented in the episode as an integral part of the tribe's culture and tradition — something that defines them and that they embrace willingly. Comparing this tradition to standards in other societies, a man who whipped a woman would face significant legal penalties, and the act would be viewed as harmful by the wider public. The woman herself might also be viewed negatively, since enduring physical suffering to mark a brother's passage to manhood is not widely understood or accepted outside this cultural context.

The episode was not easy to watch, largely because of the impulse to compare this tribe's culture to one's own. It raised the question of why this tradition continues in an era when global awareness of human rights has advanced considerably (Bell 2012). The episode underscores the sociological principle that cultural relativism is essential for understanding behavior that appears deviant from an outside perspective.

Understanding Labeling Theory

Labeling someone in a particular way causes that person to come to represent that quality in the eyes of others. Labeling theory approaches deviance from a distinctive angle: rather than asking why people commit deviant acts, it asks why some people are labeled as deviant while others who commit similar acts are not. The theory holds that many people engage in behaviors throughout their lives that do not conform to societal norms, but not all of them are labeled as deviant. Once a person is labeled as deviant, however, their entire personality tends to be overlooked; they are viewed primarily through the lens of that one behavior (Bryant n.d.).

Such a person may be fulfilling many other social expectations, but in the eyes of others they are reduced to a single identity — a thief, a punk, or a hippie. Every label carries with it a set of images and prejudices that shape how others interpret that person's behavior going forward. For example, a person who stays late at work might be praised as dedicated, whereas someone accused of theft will be labeled a thief and watched with suspicion even in unrelated situations.

Labeling also leaves lasting marks on the person being labeled. Their own behavior may shift in response to how others treat them. They may work hard to shed the label, but the prejudices held by society function as barriers, ultimately pushing them further toward the very behaviors associated with the label (Bryant n.d.).