LABELING AND ALLOCATION OF DEVIANTS IN A SOUTHERN STATE A SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY

• NCJ Number: 18945
• Author(s): P W SEE
• Date Published: 1968
• Length: 241 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DISSERTATION - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

Annotation

DATA FROM THE FILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI STATE HOSPITAL ARE USED TO DEVISE A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR INTERPRETING THE DIFFERENTIAL USE OF MENTAL HOSPITALS.

Abstract

THIS THEORY IS PREDICATED UPON THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT THE DEVIANT LABEL WHICH IS CONFERRED UPON AN INDIVIDUAL, THE INSTITUTION INTO WHICH HE MAY BE ISOLATED, AND THE COMMITMENT PROCEDURE THIS ISOLATION WILL ENTAIL ARE IN SOME PART THE RESULT OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THREE FACTORS. THESE ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DEVIANT ACTOR, THE NATURE OF THE DEVIANT ACT, AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOCIAL AUDIENCE WHICH DEFINES THE ACT AND ACTOR AS DEVIANT. WITH REGARD TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOSPITAL USE, LABELING, AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INDIVIDUAL, THE STUDY CONCLUDED THAT THE MORE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INDIVIDUAL ARE PERCEIVED TO BE SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THE DOMINANT SOCIAL GROUP, THE MORE LIKELY IT IS THAT HIS DEVIANT BEHAVIOR WILL BE DEFINED AS SICK RATHER THAN IMMORAL. THE STUDY EXPLORED THIS HYPOTHESIS WITH RESPECT TO THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SEX, RACE, AND SOCIAL CLASS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)