Labeling Delinquent Children Based on Social Status

Children and saints according to social status have been categorized as high school students living in the suburbs and have been involved in drinking alcohol, adventure driving, school refusal, thief tact and vandalism of minors. Those similarities are over. The saint was not arrested, but all the nephews were habitually involved in trouble with the police and the public. Why are not their treatments equal? The difference is the social class of the two groups.

Labeling is the core of social identity theory. Individual labeling and social attribution are given based on the status of the group. For minor children, adolescents and families, these labels make them socially disadvantageous and may adversely affect their self-concept. In many contemporary literature, children and young people of ethnic minorities continue to be expressed as "being at risk". This label may be a powerful force for the social identity of ethnic minorities. Adams Johnson & Evans (1998) used the National Longitudinal Youth Survey to examine the labeling effects of African Americans and Caucasians on data from 11 to 17 years of age. The results show that informal labels can have a greater impact on African American young people than Caucasians.

Minority children, young people, and families often have negative social identity. This is exacerbated by research and intervention based on misrepresentations, labels and classifications that continue to maintain minority inequality. In the new century, we must understand and support families by providing adaptive constructive strategies. Ecological methods can effectively lead to research, outreach, and intervention, while avoiding classification, labeling and focusing on negative social identity.