secondary deviance

Meaning: Edwin Lemert drew a distinction within labeling theory. Primary deviance is the first violation of a norm. It is often minor or temporary, and the person does not see themselves as a deviant. Secondary deviance happens when others react by stigmatizing the person, and the person comes to accept the deviant label as a core part of their identity. The label can act as a master status, overriding other roles. The person is then excluded from conventional groups and may turn to others who are labeled the same way. Continued deviance becomes a response to the label. This works like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

On the MCAT: A passage describes someone who commits a minor offense once, is publicly branded a "criminal" or "troublemaker," loses social ties, and then offends repeatedly. You may be asked to name the theory (labeling theory, which grows out of symbolic interactionism), to identify which behavior is primary and which is secondary, or to say which factor best explains the escalation (the societal reaction and the internalized label).

Common confusion: Secondary does not mean less serious, and it does not mean the second offense. Primary and secondary are separated by the role of the label and the person's changed self-concept, not by how severe or how recent the act is. Do not confuse it with differential association, which stresses learning deviant behavior from peers. Labeling theory stresses the reaction to the act.