Question

A child struggles to learn how to read and is frequently teased about it by his siblings and referred to as "slow" by his parents and teachers. He underperforms in school and never thinks about going to college. Ultimately, he drops out before graduating from high school, telling the school counselor that he’s just not book smart. This is an example of which theory of deviance?

a. strain theoryb. reflection theoryc. labeling theoryd. role theory

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. Labeling theory

Step-by-step explanation:

In sociology, deviance occurs as an individual's actions or behavior are against social norms. This phenomenon is widely studied in sociology from multiple perspectives, one of these is the labeling theory. In the labeling theory, individuals define themselves based on the terms and words other people use to refer to them, which models their behavior, actions and who they are. This occurs in the case presented because as other people refer to the child as "slow" this label defined his behavior and made him drop out of school as he considered he was not smart. Thus, the case presented is an example of Labeling theory.