Labels contribute to stigmatization and drive people to act in a deviant manner to protect themselves. Most labels in society emerge from physical characteristics like weight, acne, height, physical and mental status, race or ethnicity, behavior like smoking, and beliefs like feminism and religion. The minority groups like African Americans, Latin Americans, those from the low-economic background, and the mentally ill have been victims of labeling in the society for several years. Labeling perspective deals with societal labeling and stigmatization and the consequences of such labeling in their lives. A label is a deviant identity assigned and attached to an individual by other members of the society. Deviant labels lead to new problems arising from self-reaction and other negative stereotypes or stigma. The paper will discuss stigmatization after been viewed deviant, how I dealt with stigmatization, stereotypes and how the knowledge of labeling theory has changed the understanding of deviance behavior.
Stigma is constituted by labeling a particular group or individual as deviant, especially by the powerful and wealthy members of society. While social labels like constitute the cultural framework that defines and categorize the social world, deviant labels lead to stigmatization. For many years, immigrants who moved to Canada have faced deviant labels from society due to their inability to speak English and practice Canadian culture. Mainstream culture has attached certain negative stereotypes to deviant labels. A personal experience I have been through and experienced was moving from one country to another (Greece to Canada). I was judge by not being able to speak English properly. It was difficult for me to accommodate the Canadian culture since most of the time, I found myself rejecting or violating the set norms and practices. My colleagues at school and community members despised me for my poor English. The first days of my stay in Canada were difficult since my interaction was highly affected. I befriended two other students, one from Greek and another Hispanic who had a similar problem of language.
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Foreigners who are unable to speak English properly and English learning Students (ELS) are discriminated against and stigmatized by students, teachers, and the community at large. According to Gopalkrishnan (2018), people view stigma as a mark of shame, disgrace, and disapproval, which results in rejection, discrimination, and denial of equal opportunities to participate in societal activities. One comment that once made feel stigmatized was, "This student is constantly given more than double the time that other students are given... and his work is still "D" level at best." During the exam period, I always turned in my papers late, and sometimes I failed to turn in my assignments. No matter how much I tried, there was little appreciation, which made me feel like quitting and returning to my motherland. It is stigmatizing to be labeled as an English language learner and use the label to generalize the overall performance and skills of students ( Wright, 2004). Students have similar English proficiency and level of academic skills irrespective of the language they speak. Stigmatization and deviant labels are devastating, and they lead to loss of self-esteem, courage, poor performance, and withdrawal from a social situation. Most people who face cultural stigmatization deviant labels withdraw from society and any activity that would stir stigma and spend most of the time alone.
Stigmatization is devastating and can lead one to engage in deviant behavior for self-protection. Voluntary coping responses and involuntary stress responses are the two strategies applied to help cope with stigmatization. At first, it was difficult for me to accommodate the Canadian culture, but as time passed, I have learned and practiced to feel somehow acceptable in that type of society. The involuntary stress response to stigma deals with non-violent reactions like anger, high blood pressure, and rumination English learning and culture stigma. Differently, the voluntary response involves undertaking actions to regulate emotions, behaviors, physiology, and environmental responses resulting from a stressful situation. During the first days of stay in Canada, I dissociated from social settings that would lead to stigma like attending house parties and holding discussions. Another strategy was to begin taking English Language Learners programs during the weekend and evening to boost my language and get a better understanding of Canadian culture ( Wright, 2004). ELL programs are essential for students who experience language stigma since they offer adequate support by helping English learners gain the cultural, linguistic, and academic competence needed to integrate into the school community (Deschambault, 2015).
Even after facing discrimination, oppression, and other abuses that left me brutalized, I tried to keep my life and business to myself without having to worry about what others will say. Sometimes the stigma might be much to cope with; At this point, seeking treatment and help from a therapist is the best way to fight stigma and lean-to cope. Concealing anger and focusing on gaining primary and secondary control over the stigmatizing event is an effective way of coping with stigma. Primary-control coping strategy deals with gaining a sense of control over the event and emotions towards stigmatization (Fleming et al., 2012). In other situations, I focused on adapting the situation by minimizing stigmatized status. I learned to dismiss stigmatization after realizing that no matter how hard I tried, stereotypes on English learners and foreigns will still exist in Canadian society. Also, I drew strengths and comfort from external sources like books, movies, and articles on ways of mitigating cultural stereotypes and stigma. Stigmatization is best fought by choosing to live an empowered life over a life of shame. Despite the challenges faced when communicating in English or acting in Canadian culture, one should never allow others to dictate how they view themselves.
Bias, discrimination, and negative evaluation are present in society, especially where one is a minority. As an English and Canadian culture learner, I protected myself from negative evaluation by ensuring I keep my positive esteem high and showed confidence in academic and social situations. Our self-esteem is determined by many factors, among them our perception of life, view of own performance, appearance, and satisfaction in social relationships. Even in tough situations, I kept my shoulders high hand never showed my weakness and emotions to the public. According to Stangor et al. (2017), self-esteem varies daily, depending on situations. Maintaining and enhancing self-esteem has proven to be an effective strategy for protecting self from negative evaluations and stereotypes. Thus, one needs to contain much positive thought when leaving in a society where they face several negative evaluations.
Staying motivated and showing significant commitment in academics is an effective strategy for protecting a sense of self against negative evaluation. International students are stereotyped to have higher motivation and commitment in studies compared to natives. When international students focus on academic motivation, they perform better in school, leaving no room for negative evaluations, which are mainly linked to failure and poor performance. Another protection technique is to preserve social identity and relate with people who show value and respect as opposed to those who lower us. According to Yip (2016), people draw part of a sense of identity and self-esteem from social groups. When one relates to group members who understand them, they lead to positive feelings and high self-esteem, which helps them to counter any negative evaluation.
The theory of the technique of neutralization focuses on how people engage in non-normative behavior and deal with social sanctions when there is a possibility of the guilt of shame. Because of the feeling of guilt or shame, people are forced to try and justify their delinquent behaviors. Neutralizing techniques are essential for coping with stereotypical cultural images. One of the techniques applied was a denial of responsibility. The method is applicable when one recognizes that their behavior is a direct violation of societal norms and expectations (Kaptein & Van Helvoort, 2019). However, individuals believe they acted so for the lack of other options. According to Canadian culture, it is morally wrong for a young person to ignore a question asked by an adult. However, at some point, I sought to overlook some issues and discussions raised by my teacher, which I knew would cause stigma. Denial of injury is another technique that I applied to manage deviant status (Liddick, 2013). Many times, I skipped attending counseling and math class since the professor referred to me as an introvert and lacked self-confidence. Although it was wrong to skip class, I assumed my action never hurt anyone.
During the first week of stay in Canada, deviant status was rampant in school and the neighborhood. The application of the technique of denial of the victim helped manage the status by taking revenge on those who caused stigmatization and public shaming. At many times, I applied the technique of condemnation of condemners, where I placed a negative image on societal members who discriminated foreigners and those who never spoke proper English (Kaptein & Van Helvoort, 2019). Lastly, appeal to higher loyalties involves breaking various laws to benefit as an individual and other small group who are the minority in society.
Language and cultural stereotypes for foreigners have existed for years in Canada. Immigrants and other foreigners need to apply various strategies to counter stereotypes and deviant status placed on them. Culture is inseparable from language, and it plays a crucial role in the process of language learning. The most effective way of countering stereotypes is through taking time to learn and understand Canadian culture. Today, most Canadian schools have incorporated cultural studies in school to make it easy for international students to understand the set norms and practices. Acquiring adequate knowledge and information about culture is the best way to counter stereotypical images. Within a few months of stay in Canada, I began adopting Canadian culture and improving my English language. I stopped avoiding ELL and cultural questions; instead, I asked tough questions and enjoyed diversity through learning new cultures and taking the challenge in English speaking and spelling ( Wright, 2004). Gaining experience with cultural interaction reduced anxiety, and I could comfortably interact with people from all races. According to Dovidio et al. (2017), cross-cultural interaction helps the minority group to reduce anxiety as they get motivation, increases confidence, and develop more relationships. The interaction made me more empathic as I learned to care about other people and understand their view of the world. The technique of establishing contact provided an opportunity to know people from stereotyped groups and share experiences. The technique helps an individual to change their perception of stereotypical images and instead focus on the positive images.
Another way of countering stereotypical image is through thinking about positive things regarding a particular group. Since native view foreigners as quiet, hardworking, and focuses on studies, I used the labels to my advantage. Shifting the perception of positive group identity of self-affirmation is an effective way of countering stereotypical images. Lastly, stereotype replacement helps to counter stereotypical images. It involves recognizing the presence of stereotypes and avoiding stereotypical responses. These techniques are essential for identifying biased and unbiased answers when communicating with people from diverse communities (Devine et al., 2012). They help an individual to focus less on negative stereotypes as they work towards proving their strength.
Deviant subcultures have existed for many years and are recognized as a product of social problems within society. People who are viewed as deviant by society engage in collective deviance known as subcultures to manage the deviant status. According to Becker (1963)), deviant cultures are formed mainly by marginalized individuals who do not fit well in society but have shared values, identities, and norms. When a person violates social norms, they are considered as deviant. During my stay in Canada, I violated most communication norms of both spoken and written languages and other cultural practices that I was not conversant with. At one point, I sought to engage in a culture of verbal violence to manage the deviant status
Verbal violence, like shouting back at people, is unacceptable in Canadian culture. However, since my English language was poor, and I was still learning Canadian culture, verbal aggression offered me the best solution to protect self and chase away oppressors. However, I did not turn to the conflict in every situation. I only expressed verbal violence when the situation got worse, and I had to act in self-defense. Turning into a subculture of verbal abuse helped me escape some harsh conditions within the school. Violence is an appropriate response when one is treated disrespectfully and unfairly in society. For the few weeks that I joined this deviant subculture, fellow students and teachers began showing some respect and supported me to learn and adapt to the culture. It was difficult for me to accommodate the Canadian culture, but as time passed, I have learned and practice to feel somehow acceptable in that type of society.
Labeling theory was created by Howard Becker in 1963 to provide an in-depth understanding of experience with deviance. Most people who engage in deviant behavior do so due to labels placed on them by society. The theory explains why people’s behavior clashed with societal norms and expectations ( Bernburg, 2019) . For instance, when foreigners or ELLs are labeled as introverts, reserved, and lacking confidence, they might act in the same manner. Others might enter subculture of verbal aggression or drug use to manage the deviant status placed onto them ( Wright, 2004) . The decision to engage in deviant subcultures stems from continuous labels from the school community and society since it offers a temporary solution to manage the status and survive in society. Labeling theory is an essential approach to understanding deviant and criminal behaviors. The theory assumes that no action is intrinsically criminal ( Van Tubergen, 2020) . Society, for instance, educators, police, race, and upper class, play the role of labeling certain behaviors as deviant.
Due to these labels placed by society, some people have continuously faced inequality, discrimination, and stigma. Foreigners and ELL stereotypes in American society have contributed to the rise of subcultures of violence, drug abuse, and others to manage the deviant status. Once an individual is labeled as deviant by society, it becomes difficult to remove that label ( Van Tubergen, 2020) . Minority people become traumatized and stigmatized and are forced to engage in misconduct for survival.
In summary, the assignment has given a clear understanding of labeling theory and deviance behavior. While labeling theory shows how society contributes to deviant behaviors, it ignores important factors like attitude, opportunities, and socialization. Labeling individuals as a deviant leads to denial of most of the opportunities in the society; an act that leads them to engage in wrong behaviors. People who have been labeled as deviant form a community where they apply self-defense constructed through reaction instead of action. The theory argues that no behavior is inherently deviant on its own; there is a reaction to the behavior that makes it deviant. I ndividuals need to apply various techniques of neutralization and strategies to counter stereotypical images to manage deviant status.
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