Identify and explain two ways in which labelling creates youth deviance.

The media often labels youths as troublemakers and a social problem. This creates youth deviance as youth people view the media as it is largely targeted at that them. Youths then feels like they act up to this label and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. For example groups of young people are now been labelled as 'gangs' or 'thugs'. The members have already been labelled so they feel they might as well act up to it and commit crimes such as robbery and graffiti. Cohen argues that the clamping down on the troublemaking youths is an example of moral panic. This occurs when a person or group of people emerge to become defined as a threat to society's values and interests. He examined the social reaction to the scuffles between the mods and rockers in some British seaside towns at bank holiday time. He found there was a huge reaction by the press who exaggerated concerns. He called the youth groups responsible for this folk devils. These are the group of people who are portrayed in he media as deviant. The mods and rockers were shown as deviant as they were taking over public areas and fighting with each other. Young states that the police clamping down on deviant behaviour such as marijuana has led to youths becoming more resistant and acting up to the police labelling them as antisocial. In the 1970s hippies in the Notting Hill area of London caused hippies to associate more with those selling illegal hard drugs. Before they were already engaging in deviant behaviour but this was amplified by the reaction of the forces of social control. Howard Becker argues that once an individual or group has become labelled they with be affected by all the negative responses they get from others outside their group. This will lead them to change their self image and begin to live up to the image others have of them. Again, this is known as the self fulfilling prophecy. For example, if young people wearing 'hoodies' are thrown out of shopping centres they may become angry and aggrieved about the society that they feel is rejecting them. This could lead to them becoming aggressive and antisocial. This process is known as deviance amplification.