On the Origin of “Labeling” Theory in Criminology: Frank Tannenbaum and the Chicago School of Sociology

Abstract

ABSTRACTAccording to the criminological literature, Frank Tannenbaum’s theory of “The Dramatization of Evil” was the first formulation of an approach to deviance that in the 1960s became known as the “labeling” theory. This paper makes three arguments about Tannenbaum’s theory. Firstly, it explains professional criminality. Secondly, the conceptual foundation for the theory is provided by John Dewey, William I. Thomas, Ernest W. Burgess, Clifford R. Shaw, and Charles H. Cooley. Thirdly, it is in fact prefigured in the work of Thomas, Shaw, and Burgess. The first argument is an answer to an enduring question related to “labeling” theory: does it explain professional criminality or any form of social deviance? The second argument negates a long-standing belief held by criminologists, i.e., that George H. Mead was the conceptual progenitor of Tannenbaum’s theory. The third argument refutes the persistent belief that Tannenbaum’s theory was the first formulation of labeling theory.