Society's labels influence individual behavior.

• A. Realism
• B. Interactionism
• C. Labelling theory
• D. Functionalism

Answer: (C)

Labels shape how people are seen and treated, and that social reaction can guide future actions. This idea is the core of labeling theory: when someone is labeled as deviant or criminal, that label becomes their defined identity in the eyes of others and themselves, often leading to a self-fulfilling trajectory. The label acts as a master status that can override previous identities, pushing the person toward further deviance as they internalize and enact the role others expect. Crucially, this process is about the social response and power dynamics—who labels whom, and how stigma and limited opportunities reinforce behavior—rather than merely the initial act itself.

Realism discusses crime as a real problem and how it is addressed, not the way labels shape personal behavior. Interactionism provides the broader view that meanings arise in social interaction, but labeling theory specifies the mechanism by which those meanings influence actions. Functionalism explains deviance in terms of social functions and social order, where labeling can be one tool of control, but it doesn’t focus on how labels themselves alter an individual’s behavior in the way labeling theory does.