"First Free Press paperback edition 1966"--T.p. verso.
Outsiders
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42 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By Kesselring
Format:Paperback
Outsiders is an excellent introduction to the study of deviance, and I would especially recommend it to all sociology undergraduate students.
Although written long ago (first copyrighted in 1963) the material is still revlevant to today's social world. Becker begins this work by defining deviance, how others define deviance, and what classifies one as deviant.
As a particular case example Becker examines the issue of marihuana users (see the relevance?). He discusses how one becomes a marihuana user, how they learn their techinques, how a user becomes are part of a group, and why a user may become labeled a deviant, i.e. the whole process of going from what is "normal" to being what society has defined as "deviant".
Other topics discussed are labeling theory and moral entrepreneurs. The later refers to those people in society who benefit from labeling a group or particular type of behavior as deviant. A very interesting topic, one I think that isn't discussed very often.
The only weekness the book has is the case study written on dance musicians which comprises chapters 5 and 6. These chapters discuss people who made their living as dance musicians during the late 1940s and I found it difficult to connect with just because of the time frame. Perhaps other readers will not suffer such a handicap.
Bottom line: A great book! A must have for sociology majors or those people who make or influence social policy and laws.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The science of behavioral health must study not only those who misbehave but also those who define what behavior is healthy
February 18, 2013
Format:Paperback
Howard Becker's 1963 book _Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance_ begins with a careful attempt to distinguish factors that cause a person to be labeled "deviant." As Becker convincingly argues, the term "deviant" depends not only on characteristics of the person so labeled, but on a transaction between the labeled person and the society that labels him.
One disappointment is that Becker fails to apply the same level of scrutiny to terms used to describe certain categories of deviance. He repeatedly uses the term "drug addict" as a synonym for "drug user." (see. e.g., p. 5) This obviously fails to recognize that not all drugs are addictive, and not all users of potentially addictive drugs are in fact addicted to them. But, what is far more troubling, it fails to recognize that the word "addict," just like the word "deviant," attempts to represent, as a diagnostic category, social norms that are not universally agreed upon.
Psychology's new incarnation as a science of "behavioral health" is regrettably not a single step closer to accounting for Becker's criticisms. Becker writes, "The medical metaphor limits what we can see ... It accepts the lay judgment of something as deviant and, by use of analogy, locates its source within the individual, thus preventing us from seeing the judgment itself as a crucial part of the phenomenon."
The contemporary debate on criminality also largely fails to address Becker's criticisms. The debate seeks to decide, is crime caused by mental disturbance in the criminal, or by social conditions in which she finds herself? A third possibility is omitted. Perhaps the criminal simply does not accept the legitimacy of the law. Becker writes, "In addition to recognizing that deviance is created by the responses of people to particular kinds of behavior, by the labeling of that behavior as deviant, we must also keep in mind that the rules created and maintained by such labeling are not universally agreed to. Instead, they are the object of conflict and disagreement, part of the political process of society."
One disappointment is that Becker fails to apply the same level of scrutiny to terms used to describe certain categories of deviance. He repeatedly uses the term "drug addict" as a synonym for "drug user." (see. e.g., p. 5) This obviously fails to recognize that not all drugs are addictive, and not all users of potentially addictive drugs are in fact addicted to them. But, what is far more troubling, it fails to recognize that the word "addict," just like the word "deviant," attempts to represent, as a diagnostic category, social norms that are not universally agreed upon.
Psychology's new incarnation as a science of "behavioral health" is regrettably not a single step closer to accounting for Becker's criticisms. Becker writes, "The medical metaphor limits what we can see ... It accepts the lay judgment of something as deviant and, by use of analogy, locates its source within the individual, thus preventing us from seeing the judgment itself as a crucial part of the phenomenon."
The contemporary debate on criminality also largely fails to address Becker's criticisms. The debate seeks to decide, is crime caused by mental disturbance in the criminal, or by social conditions in which she finds herself? A third possibility is omitted. Perhaps the criminal simply does not accept the legitimacy of the law. Becker writes, "In addition to recognizing that deviance is created by the responses of people to particular kinds of behavior, by the labeling of that behavior as deviant, we must also keep in mind that the rules created and maintained by such labeling are not universally agreed to. Instead, they are the object of conflict and disagreement, part of the political process of society."
7 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By D. R. Suggs
Format:Paperback
This book may be old, but it still does apply today. This is an excellent source into the understanding of labeling theory that - yes - is stilled used today within American society.
I used this source in a college paper I wrote and found it very 'quotable' on a college level viewpoint. This sociological theory also applies to psycological theories within a psychoanalytic and cognitive approach in counseling.
I used this source in a college paper I wrote and found it very 'quotable' on a college level viewpoint. This sociological theory also applies to psycological theories within a psychoanalytic and cognitive approach in counseling.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
great
great! very interesting.just what i was loking for, for my literature review for my thesis. cndkfne dwdwf dwdwd dsdw sdsds
Published 6 months ago by Nicole
5.0 out of 5 stars
the outsiders
the outsiders is a novel about a thirteen year old boy that lives with his two older brothers.they all hang out with a group of boys, they all have some kind of... Read more
Published 11 months ago by M. Jennings
1.0 out of 5 stars
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REEFER MADNESS & HOMOPHOBIA ON THE HOOF. I FILED MY COPY IN THE CIRCULAR FILE. DO PEOPLE REALLY THINK LIKE THIS? DID THEY? WOW!
Published on November 20, 2002
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 35
books:
See all 35 books this book cites
- Studies in Ethnomethodology by Harold Garfinkel on page 209, and page 210
- Careers, Personality, and Adult Socialization by Howard S. Becker on page 24, and page 103
- New York by Allan Tannenbaum on page 9, and page 212
- The Social System by Talcott Parsons on page 7, and page 130
- Delinquency and Opportunity: A Theory of Delinquent Gangs by Richard A. Cloward on page 81, and page 166
See all 35 books this book cites
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