Labeled

Abstract

“Did you hear some girl tried to kill herself over a guy?” I shook my head, well aware that the students perpetuating this campus-wide gossip had no idea that I was the reality behind the myth. From the comfort of my Intro to Sociology classroom, I had learned about Howard Becker's labeling theory and how self identity can be affected by deviant labeling. Little did I know then, I'd soon come to understand labeling from the acute perspective of an insider, namely that of the mentally ill. Within a few short weeks, I'd be in a psych ward.