Outsiders

This book may be old, but it still does apply today. This is an excellent source into the understanding of labeling theory that - yes - is stilled used today within American society. I used this source in a college paper I wrote and found it very 'quotable' on a college level viewpoint. This sociological theory also applies to psycological theories within a psychoanalytic and cognitive approach in counseling.

Outsiders is an excellent introduction to the study of deviance, and I would especially recommend it to all sociology undergraduate students.Although written long ago (first copyrighted in 1963) the material is still revlevant to today's social world. Becker begins this work by defining deviance, how others define deviance, and what classifies one as deviant.As a particular case example Becker examines the issue of marihuana users (see the relevance?). He discusses how one becomes a marihuana user, how they learn their techinques, how a user becomes are part of a group, and why a user may become labeled a deviant, i.e. the whole process of going from what is "normal" to being what society has defined as "deviant".Other topics discussed are labeling theory and moral entrepreneurs. The later refers to those people in society who benefit from labeling a group or particular type of behavior as deviant. A very interesting topic, one I think that isn't discussed very often.The only weekness the book has is the case study written on dance musicians which comprises chapters 5 and 6. These chapters discuss people who made their living as dance musicians during the late 1940s and I found it difficult to connect with just because of the time frame. Perhaps other readers will not suffer such a handicap.Bottom line: A great book! A must have for sociology majors or those people who make or influence social policy and laws.