[According to Fritz Sack, the term “labelling” is unnecessarily narrow. He therefore proposes the term “Marxist-interactionist”.] According to Fritz Sack, crime is a pure attribution process. In this attribution process, a physical event is linked to a mental state. This physical event thus goes through a social career. This attribution
labelling
Outsiders (Becker)
In his book Outsiders, published in 1963, Becker describes the processes by which certain behaviors are criminalized. So-called moral entrepreneurs attempt to eliminate an evil they perceive by creating and enforcing norms. The groups that continue to practice the newly criminalized behaviour thus become outsiders. Through these processes, self-fulfilling prophecies
Labelling – primary and secondary deviance (Lemert)
Edwin M. Lemert distinguishes between primary and secondary deviance. An individual first commits primary deviance. Through a process of labelling the individual is forced to play the role of deviant. As a reaction to this role assignment (“You are criminal!”), the labelled person adapts his behaviour according to the role