Which term denotes examination of societal reactions to deviant behavior?

• A. Outsiders: Studies in Sociology of Deviance
• B. Local Political Representatives
• C. The Problem of Crime
• D. Crime & Human Nature

Answer: (A)

Society’s reactions to deviant behavior shape whether something is seen as deviance in the first place and what happens to the person labeled as such. In criminology, this is explored in the sociology of deviance, especially through labeling ideas that look at how institutions and others brand certain acts and people as outsiders. The term in the option explicitly signals this focus on social reaction and labeling, capturing the idea that deviance is not just about the act itself but about how society responds to it. The other options don’t center on how society reacts to deviance or on the labeling process, so they don’t fit this concept as well.