Labelling Theory (Becker, 1999) - Ableism

• Becker studied how Labelling Theory can be applied to Ableism in 1999
• Becker (1999) described how the label 'disabled' carried a stigma (negative label) that affects all interactions between the disabled person & others
• Becker (1999) describes how the labelled disabled person can turn the label into a self-fulfilling prophecy (they act up to their label)
• Becker (1999) argued that the self-fulfilling prophecy can turn into master status - This means all other aspects of their identity are almost forgotten, and the label becomes the main characteristic that people see & judge them by
• Becker (1999) also stated that when their master status has been filled with the identity of disability, all other factors such as male/female, straight/gay, young/old is disregarded which is a problem