“If you repeat a lie one thousand times, it becomes the truth” – this line is attributed to Joseph Goebbels, who was the minister of propaganda in the Nazi Germany. This sinister message is perfect for describing the mechanism of labeling and how it affects individuals, both those being branded as such, and the ones doing or seeing the labels. It is described as a process of identifying someone using specific words that attribute certain qualities, whether positive or negative, to a person (Krohn et al., 2019). Social Reaction theory states that an individual’s self-identity is, in many ways, influenced by tagging, defining, or identifying by other people (Krohn et al., 2019). If a person is labeled in a positive manner, then it is more likely for them to engage in socially-approved behavior. At the same time, a person branded a criminal and viewed as such by others is more likely to relapse into negative behavior, even if they are trying to turn their life around.
I had experiences with both positive and negative labeling in my life. When I was in school I was bullied by a boy who always got away with their behavior because the teacher was never there to stop it. One day, I reported his harassment to school authorities. They have reprimanded the bully, though in a way that never really got him into any trouble besides detention. The boy had branded me a “snitch,” and the reputation stuck with me since. Social Reaction theory states that labels shape both the target and the people believing the label (Krohn et al., 2019). It had a negative effect on me – my peers were reluctant to trust me or befriend me, automatically assuming that I was a spy for the classroom teacher, there to report on whatever small secrets or misdemeanors. The amount of bullying also increased, as other children found it justifiable to mistreat a “snitch”. This pushed me further to rely on my teachers for protection and companionship reasons, which, in turn, helped push the narrative further.
I began to lose the label as I progressed from elementary and into high school. Many of my former classmates, including the bully, have changed schools for various reasons. As we all matured as individuals, the relevance of the label was lessened as well. Finally, I lost the label completely as I graduated and moved over. This correlates with the labeling – when a label becomes irrelevant, so does the individual feels less pressure to exhibit the traits assigned to them (Krohn et al., 2019). Despite this, there were some permanent effects on how I perceive the world, namely that I prefer working alone or in small groups and tend to avoid crowds.
In this dire situation, a positive label helped me get through elementary school. The teacher who I expressed my woes to had reassured me and called me an ally of justice. This label gave me confidence in that what I did was right. It also gave me strength to withstand the teasing, bullying, and jabbing that other children threw at me. At the same time, as I wished to retain my good label in the eyes of the teacher, I behaved myself appropriately in most situations, like an adult would. My reaction was in line with what labeling theory defines as internalization (Krohn et al., 2019). It is also possible to see how a positive label can counteract a negative one and lessen its effects on a person in the long-term. From these experiences, it can be concluded that labeling makes a part of our everyday lives, and that we should use more positive definitions to enact lasting changes.
Reference
Krohn, M. D., Hendrix, N., Hall, G. P., & Lizotte, A. J. (Eds.). (2019). Handbook on crime and deviance. Springer.