The Deviant Career: a Model

Abstract

The roots of labelling theory can be traced to Charles H. Cooley (p. 277f), who wrote in 1902:

If a man appears to be about to do something brutal or dishonest, we may either encounter him on his present low plane of life by knocking him down or calling a policeman, or we may try to work upon his higher consciousness by giving him to understand that we feel sure a person of his self-respect and good repute will not degrade himself … [and evoke] the disappointment and contempt of those who before thought well of him. In other words, we threaten, as courteously as possible, his social self.