The Saints And The Roughnecks

2 Pages 506 Words

The saints and the roughnecks

One of the most interesting theories that are on connection to this article is the labeling theory. This theory states that people tend to focus more on a label that a person has rather than the people themselves. It also states that the labeling becomes a part of the entire self-concept. If a person thinks that they are a saint or a roughneck they will expect to be treated that way. If a society or a town for instance sees you as a liar, they will wonder if you are telling the truth every time they are talking to you. According to this theory the saints and roughnecks paths we already laid out for them to take. Just because of their label they were able to get into, or out of trouble more easily or not.
The differential association theory states that people learn deviance from society. It also states that you learn your boundaries. In this article the saints knew that they were thought of as saints and therefore figured out just what they could and could not get away with. The roughnecks, however, learned to deviate because of their label. The roughnecks knew that they were always looked at as the wrong- doers, so they learned to deviate. In this theory it states that there are possibly subcultures that teach deviance. In this article they subcultures were the saints and the roughnecks. Both of these groups had to learn how to deviate, just on different levels.
There is a mention in the book about bureaucracies. Bureaucracies are defined as a formal organization with a higher form of authority, a clear division of labor and rules. In this article both of the groups were part of individual bureaucracies. The saints of one, who was assumed by all to follow all the rules, do what they are told and respect authority. The roughnecks were of one whom all assumed did not follow the rules, did not respect authority figures and were a nuisance to society.
This article is completely true. In high school I...