Labels and their links to youth crime

I think thats a big possibility, but it works more on younger kids than a teenager. Since they are still in an age of development, if they keep getting labeled like that, then they will begin to identify themselves as crimanals or bad people. The younger it starts from, the stronger the effect would be on anyone.

Yes, labeling will slant someone towards a specific direction. Not necessarily in this specific direction however. Some people have the type of personality that drives them to prove the label wrong.

Finally a new and interesting topic for discusion.

Labeling definately promotes segregation and discrimination among teens. it also seems that the further your specific subculture gets from the mainstream, the more easily it is to be discriminated against by older generations. it seems that there are more groups to classify people as. my mother grew up in the 50's and 60's, and she frequently tells me that i label people too much, yet there are more labels now then when i was in high school in the early 90's. goth was just starting to become popular when i left school, and i never met an emo. in my highschool, the cliques were something like: rockers, mods, jocks, populars, cowboys, nerds(smart), dorks(not smart, but still nerdish), chol(o/a)s, and the various ethnic groups too various to mention individualy. I was mostly a rocker, but i could easily move between most of the other cliques with out trouble(populars were most likely to discriminate).

as for the criminalistic aspect, i was quite a criminal in my teens. the usual: vandalism, theft, burglary, assult, possesion of controled substances. i was only caught a few times, but i was told, each time, that i would end up in prison or dead by the time i was 21(or some variation of that theme). i was arrested a few times, but i never spent more than the max 72hrs in the main jail(the only thing you should ever say to a cop is: ' I want a lawyer') . now, in my thirties, i have settled down and squared up somewhat, but not entirely. i still have my long hair and unique facial hair. i wear mostly work clothes like dickies and ben davis, and get followed around by security guards when ever i go into large chain stores. i had a friend who was fired for "theft", though really it was because he had a mohawk and was far from mainstream(proof is lack of posecution).

over all, i think it depends on the individual.

It does seem like a reasonable idea, I wonder if any studies have been done on this. I've been called a nerd/geek/Spock for a lot of my life, and I have to say, I do think I have turned out to be just that. Tell me what you find out!

I feel like it really depends on WHAT you call someone. And it may change them slightly, but not completely. I also think that it can change people's perspectives of themselves in more than one way. Sort of like if you call a boy a "pansy girl" (or something to that extent) to tease them and they grow up changed into either submitting to this idea of themselves as a weak person which may make them more effeminate or into acting more masculine than usual to prove the kids that teased them wrong.
But is this a good thing? They're just trying to be accepted. Or to be unaccepted. Some people want to be a snowflake, and others want to be a conformist. It depends on the person.

I realize this is a pretty generic, boring answer, but it's the idea that came to my mind.

Labels will change people but in what direction would completely depend on that person's mentality of how to deal with his supposed criminal tendencies. Pessimist will give in to the labeling but Optimism will dismiss the view as temporary, however research has been proven that people are actually more pessimistic at a young age and thus would be susceptible to labeling.

If I'm called gay enough will I suddenly have and urge to make out with dudes...I doubt it but I guess it's possible. I know kids can be influenced by what others say but I give them a little more credit and say not that much. HOWEVER there is always and exception to the rule so there will obviously be some kids who will take what the others say into account.

I do believe that the way society labels people and how they treat them effects there behaviours. For instance I was standing in a line behind a old lady. As soon as she saw me she clutched her purse tightly probably believing that I was some sort of purse snatching delinquent. Because she did this I felt proving her right by snatching her purse. Something that would never have crossed my mind if she had done nothing.
However I do believe that in the end that whether or whether not a label effect people is down to the individual. Like MrShadowzs said, if someone calls me gay it is very unlikely that I would be influenced by this and turn gay. But who knows some other person there may be influenced by this and take try to fit the image that was thrust upon them.

I once knew a girl that was promiscuous. She said that it started when she was raped: "It seemed like God didn't want me to be a virgin." She took this horrible act against her and formed the idea that she wasn't meant to be "pure." This label was created by her, but at the same time, it was only created because somebody forced something onto her. Whether it was her doing or the rapist's, the label existed, and it definitely affected her.

Teenagers, quite simply, don't think the same way as adults. I'm not saying they are lower-class citizens or stupid, but there is no denying that things are different for them. While a 30-year-old may not see people ignoring him as an indication that he is boring and uninteresting, a 15-year-old probably would.

Furthermore, a large part of the teenage years is the search for identity; every teenager tries to figure out just who they are, whether it's as simple as proving that they are different from their parents or as complex as determining what kind of person they are deep down. When a label is thrown at a teenager, it can affect that search for identity, dramatically.

It definitely has an effect, however you should also take into consideration the person's personality. If they tend to be submissive to what others think they just might become what they are accused of being. Conversely, if they are defiant they could very well make it a point to not become what others think they are.

Take it a step further and consider that most people don't have a fully developed sense of self until their late teens. By this point, there really is no way to determine how much of their identity was shaped by themselves and how much by their surroundings and peers.

I think labels are a means to assert a psychological affect to people, a kin to bullying in ways. I was labeled by my family and friends that I was smart and kind while growing up. Hence, now I am going to the UW-Mad in NEEP, and I can't ever think of hurting someone. Ever. People come up with these labels because they want to either make themselves feel better, or to feel special. We are all born with the label of Human. During the course of our lives, we receive more labels based on society. Labels like: black, white, stupid, insane, fag, queer, smart, kind, cold, et cetra. The labels steer our thinking and behavior to the way "society" deems these people with these labels should act, or think. In my opinion, I think it is horrible that we have to label people for our own benefit.

I thinks it's all a matter of who you were brought up with, like friends, family, bros ya know? That's what'll affect you most

Yes, I most certainly do.

Since, I'm a bit tired right now, instead of writing a long winded response, I'll just link to a related tvtrope article.

Label me an asshole, because I am one!

Then Let Me Be Evil