A sociologist studies the influence of a teacher's attitudes on the performance of students. Students with similar abilities who are favored by the teacher, or "teacher's pets," generally perform well, whereas those labeled as "troublemakers" tend to perform poorly. This phenomenon is best explained by which theory of deviance? a. Labeling theory b. Societal Drift theory c. Dramaturgical deviance d. Differential association theory
Social Studies · High School · Thu Feb 04 2021
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The scenario described best illustrates "a. Labeling theory." Labeling theory suggests that deviance is a result of how others interpret a person's behavior and the labels they attach to that behavior. If a teacher labels some students as "teacher’s pets," it implies a positive social label, which may lead to those students performing well due to positive reinforcement and higher expectations. Conversely, if other students are labeled as "troublemakers," they might internalize that negative label and perform poorly, as the negative expectations can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.