CONTEMPORARY THINKERS AND TOPICS
IN SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

Howard Becker

Howard Becker was born and raised in Chicago. He continued his education in sociology at the University of Chicago as a student of Blumer and Hughes. The majority of his academic career was spent at Northwestern University, just outside of Chicago. He has received several awards based on his lifetime contributions to sociology, including the Cooley/Mead Award from the Social Psychology section of the ASA in 1985, and the Charles H. Cooley and George Herbert Mead awards from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction (of which he served as president from 1977 to 78) in 1980 and 1987, respectively.

In his research he certainly draws on the theories and concepts of symbolic interaction, but also attempts to investigate the influence of social structure on individual action and identity. He has researched individuals' development of identity through their occupations (see below for references), conducted in-depth interviews with those who identify as marijuana users, and has written on the implications of society labeling substances as drugs and users as drug addicts.

This "Labeling Theory," found in Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance (1963), is perhaps his most important and influential contribution to sociology. Influenced by Cooley's looking-glass self, Mead's theories on the internalization of the self, and Lemert's social constructionism, Becker explains that deviance is based on the reactions and responses of others to an individual's acts. The label of deviant is applied to an individual when others observe their behavior and react to it by labeling that person as deviant. No particular act is inherently deviant until a group with socially powerful statuses or positions label it as such (Becker, 1963). This theoretical approach to deviance has influenced criminology, gender, sexuality and identity research.

For more information on these topics, see the following website and publications:

http://home.earthlink.net/~hsbecker/ (Howard Becker's homepage).

Becker, H. & Carper, J. 1956. "The Development of Identification with an Occupation." American Journal of Sociology, LXI: 289-98.

Becker, H. & Carper, J. 1956 "The Elements of Identification with an Occupation." American Sociological Review 21: 341-48.

Becker, H & Strauss, A. 1956. "Careers, Personality, and Adult Socialization." American Journal of Sociology, LXII: 253-63.

Becker, H. 1963. Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance. New York: The Free Press.

Becker, H. 1964. "Personal Change in Adult Life." Sociometry 27: 40-53.

Becker, H. 1967. "History, Culture and Subjective Experience: An Exploration of the Social Bases or Drug-Induced Experiences." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 3:163-176.