There are many theories that discuss how people are perceived in the modern world. Psychologists and sociologists, in their works, rely on previous studies and the philosophical visions of other scholars. The listed concepts relate to theories of deviant behavior that hurt each individual and society. One of the most common ones in modern society is the theory of labels. It focuses on the social nature of the process in which some individuals in the community can label others, considering them deviants. Labels are constantly being put on people who have served prison sentences and now cannot generally exist in society and even find a job. In the conditions of medical institutions, the theory of labels is often attributed to people with mental illnesses and women. Although deviant behavior is the reason for the emergence of the label theory, it still harms a person’s existence in society.
Medicine is the area that has become a rapidly developing field of labeling theory. It was discovered that a substantial percentage of their work focused on patients with disabilities. According to the latest research, mental retardation can contribute to social stigma, which can cause alienation and the start of a deviant life (Jovanoski & Rustemi, 2021). It is crucial to remember that the social labeling theory contends that criminals and deviants accept or believe they are individuals who commit crimes. Changing during imprisonment, they start to feel worthless. Further investigation of the labeling perspective reveals that this assumption is driven by the idea that people can select their identity from competing labels (Jovanoski & Rustemi, 2021). According to the current labeling theory of crime, people are affected by labels or strain differently, and these effects impact how criminal conduct evolves. According to the Theory of Labeling, society stigmatizes offenders and criminals by attaching labels to them, which causes a negative label to grow into a negative self-image.
The focus of studies is also on how an individual adapts to their view of themselves according to social opinion. In the workplace, for example, in a hospital setting, patients with mental illnesses often suffer from labeling. Because scholars consider mental illness as “generated and nourished by humanity itself,” the theory has been termed “radically sociological” (Cockerham, 2021). The term “mentally ill” is stigmatized and associated with negative assumptions, frequently leading to open discrimination. Words such as “murderer,” “rapist,” “schizophrenic,” “psycho,” and other labels are hung on people who are on the territory of a medical institution. The problem is that modern psychiatry depersonalizes the patient’s personality, increasing their sense of helplessness and isolation, while attempts to overcome this and overcome stigmatization and labeling continue.
Recent research that reflected evaluations and self-views may be separately connected to well-being, even though theoretical frameworks of identities have relied on the interaction between the two. Understanding these essential elements of a stigmatized identity demands identifying the link between identity value and health. People who internalize these prejudices about themselves and who think that others perceive them through these stigmatized lenses have more psychological distress (Marcussen et al., 2019). Examining the degree to which one’s mental health status reflects some or all of the aspects of identification. At the same time, different interactional situations may draw out other elements, which may be an important area for future mental illness labeling studies.
A sociological perspective on resolving the issue includes various elements and methods. First, scholars distinguish deflection strategies based on cognitive techniques that help people disassociate themselves from their mental illness labels. Another method is confronting, combining behavioral approach which tries to impact society’s perception of mental illness (Marcussen et al., 2019). In the current trends, it has been discovered that identity centrality core is the idea that mental illness determines a significant portion of patients’ self-identifying and is linked to lower self-esteem and distress. A more active technique includes practices and programs that alter how humanity sees mental disease and challenge others’ perceptions of illness. These tactics can enhance psychological health and well-being and emphasize the importance of individual agency in forming identities and restoring mental health.
The labeling theory as a problem is also clearly visible in the professional environment for women in the health sector. Hidden harmful injustices that limit the professional advancement of female healthcare workers are contributing factors to the issue. Other factors, however, contribute to the labeling of women as incompetent in leadership roles, such as sexual humor disparaging women, focusing on a woman’s appearance while dismissing her professionalism, attributing a woman’s opinions to a man, and identifying women as “aggressive” for behavior that in a man would be considered “persuasive” or “powerful” (Kenneth, 2020). Addressing this issue is vital, not just for social equality but because the field cannot prosper unless it provides every workforce member with fulfilling careers.
The problem of labeling is evident in the medical field and presents threats to the social identity of patients with mental illness and women in the profession. The prejudice and stereotypes supported by particular labels contribute to the discrimination environment. Various scholars applied different sociological approaches to determine the current state of labeling theory. The studies concluded that labeling patients with mental illnesses are the reason for worsening health conditions and depressive moods. At the same time, female healthcare professionals suffer from labeling as a restriction of social and working possibilities. Therefore, various strategies should be implemented to alter social perception and normalize mental illnesses and female professionals without labeling.
References
Cockerham, W. C. (Ed.) (2021). The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Medical Sociology. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Jovanoski, A. & Rustemi, A. (2021). Theory of labeling: Contemporary concepts of the sociological understanding of deviance. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 12 (7). 607-615. Web.
Kenneth, L. M. (2020). Seeking parity for women in academic medicine: A historical perspective. Academic Medicine, 95(10), 1485-1487.
Marcussen, K., Gallagher, M., & Ritter, C. (2019) Mental Illness as a Stigmatized Identity. Society and Mental Health, 9(2). 211-227.