experience of coping with social labeling in female...

Experience of Coping with Social Labeling in

Female Adolescents in Conflict with Law

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Award of the Degree of

Master of Philosophy

in

Psychology

by

Mili Reddy

(Reg. No. 1434211)

Under the Guidance of

Tissy Mariam Thomas

Associate Professor

Department of Psychology

CHRIST UNIVERSITY

BENGALURU, INDIA

April 2016

ii

Approval of Dissertation

Dissertation entitled ‘Experience of Coping with Social Labeling in Female Adolescents in

Conflict with Law’ by Mili Reddy, Reg. No. 1434211 is approved for the award of the degree of

Master of Philosophy in Psychology.

Examiners:

1.____________________________________ ______________

2.

3.

Supervisor:

_____________________________________ ______________

Chairperson:

_____________________________________ ______________

Date: __________________

Place: Bengaluru

iii

DECLARATION

I, Mili Reddy, hereby declare that this dissertation, titled ‘Experience of Coping with Social

Labeling in Female Adolescents in Conflict with law’ is a record of original research work

undertaken by me for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Psychology. I have

completed this study under the supervision of Dr Tissy Mariam Thomas, Associate Professor,

Department of Psychology.

I also declare that this dissertation has not been submitted for the award of any degree,

diploma, associateship, fellowship or other title. It has not been sent for any publication or

presentation purpose. I hereby confirm the originality of the work and that there is no

plagiarism in any part of the dissertation.

Place: Bengaluru Signature of Candidate

Date: __________________ Mili Reddy

Register Number: 1434211


Christ University, Bengaluru

iv

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the dissertation submitted by Mili Reddy (Reg.No.1434211), titled,

‘Experience of Coping with Social Labelling in Female Adolescents in Conflict with Law’ is

a record of research work done by her during the academic year 2014-2015 under my

supervision in partial fulfilments for the award of Master of Philosophy in Psychology.

This dissertation has not been submitted for the award of any degree, diploma, associateship,

fellowship or other title. It has not been sent for any publication or presentation purpose. I

hereby confirm the originality of the work and that there is no plagiarism in any part of the

dissertation.

Place: Bengaluru Signature of the Supervisor

Date: __________________ Dr Tissy Mariam Thomas

Associate Professor



Signature of the Head of the Department



v

Acknowledgement

I would firstly like to thank the Department of Psychology, Christ University, for giving me

this great opportunity to conduct a study on the topic of my interest.

I am thankful to my supervisor, Dr Tissy Mariam Thomas, without whom I would have never

been able to complete my study. Her constant support, help and patience has become my

strength that has helped and motivated me through the toughest of times.

I would also like to thank the participants of this study who were an integral part of it, for

being so sharing, trusting and making this research possible for me.

I am thankful to SFS Academy and the Principal, for giving me the time and space to work

on my research and being ever so understanding.

I am very grateful to my friends, Samantha Philips, Chandni Mehta, Fr Jim Jose and all my

MPhil classmates who have been my rock keeping me grounded, so patient and calm

throughout my research. They have helped me grow as a researcher and learn a lot during this

period.

I would love to thank my parents, Venkat Reddy and Eben Reddy, for their trust, love and

prayers and being a constant motivation for me to reach my goals, also my sister, Evie Reddy

who provided me with support, love and laughter when I was at my lowest.

I express my love and appreciation to Ravijith Rai, who has always backed me, regardless of

the circumstances and has been my strength throughout this study.

vi

Abstract

Social labeling deals with the phenomenon of majorities to negatively label minorities or

individuals seen as deviant from standard cultural norms; this phenomenon is primarily seen to

affect the coping methods and development of social identity of anindividual. The study was

conducted with the aim to understand the experience of coping with social labeling in female

adolescents in conflict with the law. The sample consisted of six female participants who were

selected from a rehabilitation center for children in conflict with law, where purposive sampling

method was used. The data was collected through a semi structured interview schedule which

had gained credibility through the validation of four professionals who are related to the field of

study. Results were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The themes

generated from the collected data in the research study focused on the experiences of social

labelingand stigma in female adolescents (before or after being in the remand home or

rehabilitation center), and generation of coping methods, its sustenance, while in the remand

home or rehabilitation center. Individual case analysis, as well as cross case analysis were

conducted to gain results. The results showed that female adolescents in conflict with law

experience social control, labels and stigmatization. These experiences generate negative

emotions and distort social identity. Also, there is an interface between support groups and

coping methods. Female adolescents in conflict with the law show that through sharing coping

methods, there is a development in a positive sense of self and reduction in deviant behaviors.

The strong basis of the findings, create knowledge and insight about the wide spread of the

labeling phenomenon and will help in client empowerment, helping them cope with labeling

influences and how it can be managed in situations they face, more effectively and various

fields of Psychology can use this information as a base for understanding the process of coping

with social labels and its effects on the child’s wellbeing.

Keywords: Social labeling, Social identity, Conflict with law, Coping, Deviance.

vii

Table of Contents

Approval of Dissertation……………………………………………………………………... ii

DECLARATION……………………………………………………………………………. iii

CERTIFICATE……………………………………………………………………………… iv

Acknowledgement …………………………………………………………………………….v

Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………vi

Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………………vii

List of Tables ………………………………………………………………………………….x

List of Figures ………………………………………………………………………………..xi

Chapter 1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………1

The Labeling Phenomenon…………………………………………………………….1

Labeling of Women…………………………………………………………………....2

Children in Conflict with the Law……………………………………………………..3

Theoretical Framework………………………………………………………………..4

Social Labeling Theory………………………………………………………………..4

Coping Theory………………………………………………………………………....6

Social Identity Theory…………………………………………………………………7

Research Paradigm…………………………………………………………………....8

Significance of the Study……………………………………………………………..9

Objectives of the Study………………………………………………………………10

Chapter 2 Review of Literature………………………………………………………………12

Justice System and Social Labeling…………………………………………………13

Identity Formation and Labeling…………………………………………………….14

viii

Coping and Psychological Health…………………………………………………...16

Familyand Delinquency…………………………………………………………….18

Causes and Consequences of Delinquency…………………………………………..20

Chapter 3 Method……………………………………………………………………………23

Research Design ……………………………………………………………………..23

Participants…………………………………………………………………………..24

Key Concepts………………………………………………………………………...25

Method of Data Collection ………………………………………………………….26

Data Collection Strategies……………………………………………………………27

Data Analysis………………………………………………………………………...28

Validation of Data……………………………………………………………………31

Ethical Guidelines……………………………………………………………………31

Chapter 4 Results and Discussion……………………………………………………………33

Analysis of Data……………………………………………………………………...35

Discussion of Individual Results……………………………………………………..37

Objective 1: To Understand the Experience and Perception of Social Labeling and the

Subjective Experience of Being Labeled…………………………………………….85

Objective 2: To Understand Coping Strategies of Female Adolescents in Conflict

with the Law in Rehabilitation Centers who Face or Faced Social Labeling and are

Affected by it…………………………………………………………………………93

Objective 3: To Analyze the Reasons for Adopting a Certain Coping Strategy…….99

Propositional Model………………………………………………………………...105

Chapter 5 Summary and Conclusion………………………………………………………..107

Major Findings of the Study……………………………………………………….108

ix

Limitations of the Study……………………………………………………………109

Implications of the Study…………………………………………………………..110

Scope for Further Research………………………………………………………...111

References…………………………………………………………………………………..113

Appendices………………………………………………………………………………….120

Appendix A: Consent form…………………………………………………………………120

Appendix B: Demographic Sheet…………………………………………………………...122

Appendix C: Semi Structured Interview Schedule………………………………………….124

x

List of Tables

Table 1: Process of Analysis from the Raw Data to Conceptualizing Master Themes ……..30

Table 2: Details of Participants ……………………………………………………………...34

Table 3: Themes and Super Ordinate Themes Generated from Analyzing Results of

Participant 1…………………………………………………………………………………..37


Participant 2 ………………………………………………………………………………….49


Participant 3 ………………………………………………………………………………….56

Table6: Themes and Super Ordinate Themes Generated from Analyzing Results of

Participant 4…………………………………………………………………………………..65


Participant 5…………………………………………………………………………………..72


Participant 6 ………………………………………………………………………………….78

Table 9: Objective 1 Results ………………………………………………………………...85

Table 10: Objective 2 Results ……………………………………………………………….93

Table 11: Objective 3 Results …………………………………………………………….....99

xi

List of Figures

Figure 1: Super Ordinate and Master Themes of Objective 1……………………………….87

Figure 2: Super Ordinate and Master Themes of Objective 2 ………………………………94

Figure 3: Super Ordinate and Master Themes of Objective 3 ……………………………..100

Figure 4: Representation of the Propositional Model for the Study ………………………104

1 Running head: COPING WITH SOCIAL LABELLING IN FEMALE ADOLESCENTS IN

CONFLICT WITH LAW

Chapter 1

Introduction

Interpretation of knowledge is viewed as a human outcome which is socially

constructed in the form of labels (Prat & Floden, 1994). Having said this, what certifies the

most to be labeled in society is of course the deviation from set social rules, more commonly

crime.

Tennenbaum, who is also known as one of the pioneers of the labelling theory, in his

work Crime and Community(1938), describes social interaction as a main component of the

occurrence of crime. The complex external environment involves a large variety of social

contacts that are crucial in helping and causing distress in individuals faced with any social

anxiety (Nataraj, 2004).

The Labelling Phenomenon

The idea or experience of being tagged or labelled comes from a social constructivist

perspective (O‟ Grady, 2011). It is viewed that social labelling behaviour is possible largely

due to social interaction. Criminals do not differ from others in their original impulse to

commit crimes but societal interaction plays an important role in developing a pattern of

deviant behaviour (Tennenbaum, 1938). Theorists like George Herbert Mead (1934) and

other sociologists have involved themselves in studying how interactions make persons and

communities. Deviance is often considered to be the failure to conform to the norms and rules

of a group. This tendency leads to the labeling of the individuals by the group, as an offense

to their social or moral norms of behavior (Jones, 1986).

2

COPING WITH SOCIAL LABELLING IN FEMALE ADOLESCENTS IN CONFLICT WITH LAW

Labeling of Women

In the Indian context, women are seen to be not as educated as men as well as

occupation wise they are ridiculed and deemed unfit for most jobs (Kumar & Shiva, 1996).

This phenomenon leads them to be more strongly labelled and stereotyped by society.

Female foeticide, infanticide, dowry deaths, rape, acid attacks and such experiences make

them the subject of bias and tags(Kumar &Shiva, 1996).With this view in mind, it is also

important not to ignore the recent development in the image or a women in Indian society, a

compilation of various researches in India (Chakrapani & Kumar, 1994), viewed that today

Indian women have moved from child rearing to bread winning, yet there are negative

assumptions still made about women which is culturally in tuned. Also although literacy rates

are on the rise, female literacy is lower than male literacy rate. Statistics show that females

stand at 65.46 per cent, compared to 82.14 per cent for males (Literacy rate in India, 2011).

Literacy could provide women with a stronger stand in society to overcome the labelling

stigma that could be directed towards them. It is now apparent that women in India are in dire

need to be equipped with positive coping tools to overcome social anxieties that manifests

itself external and internally. Also daily confrontation with societal pressure and expectations

has probed this research in to understanding if there is a pattern of coping that female

adolescents with delinquency adopt against being labelled by society. Focussing on recent

issues such as debates over unsafe environment for women, suicide cases that have been

brought to public notice because of social stigma, juvenile age for death penalty, sexual

assaults and also the subjective experiences of the perception of social realities probe the

researcher to understand the phenomenon of labelling and dealing with the same in female

adolescents in conflict with the law. The population is seen to be vulnerable to social

assumptions, labelling and biases (Chakrapani & Kumar, 1994). The current situation in

relation to the above mentioned aspects probe the researcher to conduct the present study.

3


In relation to coping with stress, there seems to be a prominent difference between

genders. Studies show that men use problem focused coping at a higher rate than women.

Men tend to ponder over problems longer than women do, even in situations where nothing

can be done (Folkman & Lazarus, 1988). In 2006, a study on gender analysis and coping

theories was conducted by Banyard and Bermann. In this study feminist theories were used to

critique psychological theories of coping with stress. Feminist ideas focused on the issue that

coping theories portrayed women as less cable of coping with stress than men. The results of

this research leaned towards the reformulation of coping theories based on the varied

experiences of women and the influence of social elements on female coping, such as sexism

and racism. Revised feminist ideas and methodologies are seen to encourage more accurate

appraisal of female coping methods and this would in turn help increase the formulation of

more inclusive and representative theories of coping with social stress.

Children in Conflict with the Law

Children in conflict with the law refers to any person below the age of 18 who has

come in contact with the juvenile justice system as a result of committing a crime or being

suspected of committing a crime, sometimes coerced into crime by adults (UNICEF, 2014).

Juvenile/ Juvenile delinquent or offender is an individual who is under the age of 18, who is

found to have committed a crime and may not be sentenced as an adult, where it has been

declared by law that a minor lacks responsibility (Siegel &Welsh, 2011).Causes and

consequences of juvenile delinquency in India, was an article by Prakash Haveripet in 2013

that focused on the alarming increase in juvenile crime. It also had its main idea centered on

the risk factors and causes of this phenomenon amongst which family, mental health and drug

abuse were seen as main elements. Through this study it emerged that the inter relation that

exists between society or external factors such as, illegal activities, school drop outs,

damaged peer relations were seen as factors that led to the development of maladaptive

4


coping behaviors and also had an impact on the emergence of juvenile delinquency and

repeated deviant behaviors. In India the juvenile justice act of 1986 provides rehabilitation,

protection, care and treatment of delinquents or the neglected. Under this act it is also stated

that in India, a juvenile is defined as male below 16 years and females below 18 years of age.

The under aged or juvenile is also seen to be characterised by lower physical maturity and

mental capabilities which as a major factor differentiates them from an adult (Crime in India,

1995). This group in society often faces what is called “social stigma” (Mead, 1934).

Theoretical Framework

This study has its foundations based on two main theories, the social labeling theory

and coping theory. It is important to note that the researcher intends to link social labeling as

directly affecting coping abilities of female adolescents in conflict with the law, through this

research. The influence of social forces such as labels and stigma is seen to have an effect on

the perception of self and therefore formation of coping methods.

Social labeling theory is seen to be closely linked to symbolic interaction as well as

the social constructionist perspective. It was introduced by sociologists during the 1960‟s.

This theory views deviance as not an inherent act but instead focuses on the tendencies of a

large population to attach stigmatizing labels to minorities or individuals seen to be diverting

from standard cultural norms (Mead, 1934). This also views how due to certain names and

roles expected and attached to juveniles, one tends to work/ act on it and it becomes a part of

one‟s psychological self, similar to self-fulfilling prophesies and stereotyping. The labelling

theory of deviance which was largely seen popular in the 1960-70‟s saw how labelling

perspective was applied to one area being- juvenile delinquency which have indicated that

individuals tend to adopt negative ways or harmful ways of coping with social labelling. This

study views the juvenile perspective of how the society, inclusive of family, friends, peers,

5


police, authorities, label their behaviour and the changes in their perception society plus the

influence it has on their coping abilities.

The labels/ tags experienced by the juvenile offenders are often seen as a stigma that

negatively changes a person‟s self-concept, social identity as well as how one views society.

It is seen that in many societies labelling has led to the re occurrence of a deviance and had

acted as a reinforcement for future crime, which can also be viewed as a coping strategy

adopted by the individuals who are being labelled (Bernburg & Krohn, 2006).Labelling

theory hypothesizes that stigmatizing labels determine criminal behaviour (such as- thief,

murderers, abuser, loser, rowdy, rapists). These labels become a self-fulfilling prophecy

where an individual who is labelled has little or no choice but to conform to essential

meaning of judgment (Mead, 1934).

Sociologists introduced certain key concepts to the labelling theory that stated that

social groups themselves mould deviance by formulating rules whose infraction creates

deviance, and by administering those rules to particular individuals and labelling them as

outsiders. Therefore seen, deviance is not a quality of the action the individual commits, but

rather is a consequence of the application of these rules and sanctions to an 'offender‟ by the

others. The deviant individual would therefore be the one to whom that label has been

successfully applied (Becker, 1963).

In the midst of understanding social labelling phenomenon, the concept has been

criticised as being too vaguely defined and individually focussed (Link & Phelan, 2001).

Labelling theory and criminology was a study by Wellford in 1975 that was a detailed

critique on the short comings of the labelling theory to explain deviance. The study saw that

labelling perspective currently used is not a useful model to base deviant behaviour on.

6


Critics also suggested modification of the model and analysis of situational aspects in order to

bring about a more useful labelling approach.

Coping Theory

Lazarus and Folkman (1984) spoke about a transactional model of stress and coping.

Their theory largely focused on interaction that occurs between a person and the

environment. Due to the imbalance that occurs between demands of society over behaviour

(relating to the study) and exceeds one‟s ability to cope and mediate that stress, the theory

suggests that two main types of coping strategies are formed. Thus the interpretation of the

stressful event (being labelled) will become more important than the event itself. First,

Problem based coping occurs when individuals feel that they have control over the situation.

They define the problem and learn new skills to cope with the problem. Emotional base

coping is used when individuals feel they have little or no control over the situation, resulting

in distancing oneself, avoidance or acceptance of the problem.

Coping is largely seen as a way of using one‟s internal mental abilities to deal with

or minimize the stress or difficulties that usually arises externally (Snyder, 1999). The terms

coping strategies or coping skills is used interchangeably with coping mechanisms in the field

of psychology. It is seen that there are three main styles of coping, which are: Appraisal-

focused, Problem-focused and Emotion-focused. Coping can also be classified as positive/

adaptive coping and negative/ maladaptive coping. Coping strategies are the actions that

individuals adapt to master, tolerate, minimize or decrease the stressors which have occurred

(Weiten & Lloyd 2008; Snyder, 1999). According to Lazarus (1993) coping strategies can be

defined as behavioural and cognitive efforts to balance both internal and external demands.

When we look at the nature of stressful environment, coping strategies are controlled by both

traits of personality and social context (Carver & Smith, 2012). Therefore in light of this

7


study the researcher is focussing on being negatively labelled by society as a stressor that

would in turn affect the coping ability of individuals.

Social Identity Theory

The aim of the study was to understand the experience of coping with social labels in females

adolescents in conflict with the law. It has been seen that social labels have a great effect on

the development of identity (Tennenbaum, 1938). Identity can be seen as the expressions,

beliefs and qualities that make a person who he/she is. This is self identity. There are other

kinds of identities such as cultural, racial, national identities, out of which the researcher

intended to focus upon social identity as it refers to a label and how one incorporates these

labels to form the self. The process of identification itself is a classifying act. The formation

of an identity develops through one‟s identification of a significant other (parents, care givers

etc) (McLeod, 2008). This process is seen to be prevalent in the case of children in conflict

with the law. Therefore, the researcher focuses on social identity theory as a base for the

study.

Social identity theory relates to the self- identification that occurs through group membership,

group processes and intergroup relations. The theory rests on the belief that collective

phenomenon cannot be explained using individualistic processes. Social psychology stress on

the study of individuals in relation to the environments they live in. Social identity theory

address phenomena such as stereotypes, prejudice, conflict, conformity, normative

behaviours and so on (Burke, 2006). In order to gain a deeper understanding of the subjective

experiences of negative labels being attached to female adolescents in conflict with the law, it

is important to understand how this affects their formation of social identities using this

theory.

8


Research Paradigm

The study used Interpretative phenomenological paradigm that follows the IPA,

interpretative phenomenological analysis format in order to explore in detail how the

participants are making sense of the societal labels assigned to them. The understanding of

the emotional, cognitive and behavioural coping patterns and deep set meanings that are

subjective can be conducted and understood through this paradigm. It involves a detailed

examination of the participant world view, and emphasizes on the changes of the process,

during which the researcher had an active role to play. Gaining deep insights into the

participant‟s world view is seen as an important criterion of this paradigm in research

(Conrad, 1987).Under this paradigm, the social constructivist idea and phenomenology was

also used to view the structure of experiences, consciousness and processes of the sample in

relation to society. Husserl in the 20th

century investigated consciousness which later became

the study of philosophy of subjective experiences- phenomenology. He proposed what he

called “life-world”, and explained it as how human beings experience society in relation to

other objects and are influenced by them and act upon them. He summarised this as the

natural attitude of humans to act upon the world, within the world (Schutz, 1970).

Phenomenology focussed upon how an individual in a given context makes sense of

a given phenomenon. (Giorgi, 1970).The social constructivist view focused upon culture and

understanding what happens in one‟s environment as a base for constructing knowledge

(McMahon, 1997). Therefore in this study interpretation of this knowledge that is a human

product which is socially constructed in the form of labels was understood (Glasersfeld,

1999; Prat & Floden, 1994). This paradigm helps the researcher to also look at the

communicating groups and social meanings that individuals form due to experiences

(Gredler, 1997; Prat & Floden, 1994). Also interpretative analysis is ideal for a small sample

9


size plus detailed case by case analysis, which also extended the researcher‟s understanding

of new information and activities among the sample (Rogoff, 1990).

Significance of the Study

Statistics show that there are 10.2 juvenile offenders per 1 lakh population in the

world. The recorded adolescent crimes in India are 0.9 to per cent of the total crimes

committed in the nation (Haveripet, 2013). „Juvenile delinquency in India‟ an article posted

online by Hemangana Kalita on February 16, 2013, clearly stated the evolution of juvenile

delinquency into what it is today. The crucial elements in society such as familial

relationships, peer affiliations and socio-economic status, are seen as major cause of

delinquent/ deviant behavior. The stigma related to them has directly influenced the way the

society „brands‟ children in conflict with the law and the effect of it in maintaining, coping

or even raising the criminal behavior. The rapidly changing patterns of modern lifestyle, has

created many difficulties among young people regarding adjustment to new ways of life.

Daily confrontation with issues related to the failure to differentiate between what is right or

wrong, the ability to think rationally and feel effectively is seen depleting.

Labelling experiences are instrumental in producing issues of adjustment and causes

commitment to further deviance. Critiques have time and again stated this aspect as a

drawback to the theory but it can be considered in the area of children in conflict with the

law as it produces a larger perspective to the system and the causes for such norm breaking

(Paternoster & Iovanni, 2006). With regard to adolescent females chosen in the study,

Literacy rate in India (2011) show that females stand at 65.46 per cent, compared to 82.14

per cent for males in terms of education. India ranks one of the leading countries to report

higher cases of gender discrimination and crime against women (Kumar, 1996). Also due to

factors such as emotional quotient, low socio economic status and isolation, it is more likely

http://www.crimspace.com/profile/HemanganaKalita

10


that females are impacted and experience social labelling and stigma at a higher level

(Goleman, 2011). Therefore the researcher intends to study this sample.Regarding mental

health field, understanding how female adolescents in conflict with the law cope with the

social labelling stress can make it much easier to reinforce better behaviour, and ensure

emotional stability. Certain methods of creating and maintaining employment and social

relationships can be undertaken by bringing into the awareness various steps one has taken

to tackle being labelled or perceiving labelling, individuals will be able to recognize the

various avenues and coping strategies available to them and gain insight on how they react to

situations and adapt to it (Wurzburg, 2014). This will heighten theirunderstanding of the inter

relations with peers, authorities as well as family systems increasing needed communication

between systems and also focussing on the legal understandings of delinquency could also be

improvised or changed by attempting to understand delinquent‟s subjective experiences more

deeply.

Researcher focuses to become aware and help assign meaning to the labeling

experience faced by juvenile females in conflict with the law. The significance can also be

perceived with regard to helping the sample understand their situation and cope positively

with the negativity. This research intends to help the sample gain more insight, become

aware of the beliefs they possessand process of attaching meaning to them. The researcher

organised general group discussions with the consent of the participants, after analysing the

results attempting to help increase adaptive methods of coping with social stigma.

Objectives of the Study

Major Objective:

To understand the experience of social labelling and coping infemale adolescents in

conflict with the law.

11


Specific Objectives:

To understand the experience and perception of social labeling and the subjective

experience of being labeled.

To understand the coping strategies of female adolescents in conflict with the law in

rehabilitation centers who face or faced social labeling and are affected by it.

To analyze the reasons for adopting a certain coping strategy.

12


Chapter 2

Review of Literature

Review of literature focused on the connections that could be made between what

the researcher intends to study. The idea was focusing on mainly surrounding the reasons

and influences to coping behaviours in relation to being labelled and situations or

experiences of socially labelling adolescents with delinquency.

The studies that were reviewed focused on the role the justice system had to play in

reinforcing deviant behaviours in children in conflict with the law. In the studies the

authorities, courts and legal systems were examined to find certain laws in India that

involves helping and protecting children from becoming or subjecting themselves to youth

offenses. The Juvenile Justice Act (1986) was passed in India for the main reason of

protecting, treating and rehabilitating children in conflict with the law so as to help them

understand their situation and have a better future. The reviews also examined the link

between coping and psychological health as well as identity formation and self-labelling

being a reason for a negative outlook of self and lowered self-concept. The external factors

such as background of children, immediate family and parenting practices also showed how

social interaction plays a main role in shaping a child who might grow up to be in conflict

with the law. The personality of people and coping patterns around adolescents with

delinquency has also been topic of studies portraying inter- subjectivity and could externally

be an indicator of psychological health.

Through these studies conducted around coping and conflict with the law, the

researcher aims at understanding the labelling phenomenon at a much deeper level and

finding reasons for the sustenance of adaptive coping strategies.

13


Justice System and Social Labelling

A study conducted by Hagan (1972), showed how the authorities that managed

juvenile delinquents were seen to adversely respond to juvenile behaviours. It focused on the

assumption that it is not the actor alone but the reactors too (agents of social control) who

are partially responsible for the problems of delinquency. Conclusions were that labelling

perspective- societal reactions school and underdog philosophy may have the potential of

directing us into the type of research that will inform us as to what the police “really do” and

what the consequences of these actions “really are”. This study showed how the labels given

to juveniles by authority too impacted their development. Though one is looking at how

these children are not the sole cause of deviance but are only displaying learnt behaviour,

one must also focus on how the justice system and authority has been taking advantage of

the labelling theory in sentencing the juveniles without court interventions, also at a large

level highest human interaction they experience is from authorities. This phenomenon could

also increase the chances that the criminal activity would repeat. In the same year, a study

was conducted by Lemert titled Human deviance, social problems and social control, which

oriented towards the role of authorities in being the sole cause for deviance to reoccur. The

support groups for children in conflict with the law play a massive role in reinforcing any

type of behaviour. Social control theory was focused upon and cases were presented to show

the influence of the elements on each other. Deviance was seen to be perpetuated by the

social forces which are to be appointed for its elimination/ control.

Anne Rankin Mahoney, University of Denver conducted a project with the Juvenile

Justice Standards and the National Institute of law enforcement and criminal justice in 1973-

74. They reviewed the evidence that showed how juveniles had been stigmatized by the

justice system and the authorities. Findings suggest that the term “labelling theory” is almost

14


always used among the officials in the juvenile justice system in order to minimize the court

intervention procedures into the children‟s lives, but yet there has been little examination of

its empirical support. The team attempted to put together existing empirical evidence about

the effects of police and court labelling upon juveniles. The link that the researcher intends

to study which is of labelling and stigmatization can be seen and understood here. Thomas

and Cage (1977) conducted a study that was published online in 2005, titled: The Effect of

Social Characteristics on Juvenile Court Dispositions found that a form of labelling that

leads to discrimination in the juvenile court is based on social background and

demographics. Many rehabilitation centres in India operate within a population of low socio

economic status and below poverty line dwellers. This study saw that consideration of these

elements leads to the intensity of severity of sanctions imposed on juveniles, due to the fact

that extra-legal variables project an effect on case disposition even when the seriousness of

the offence and previous records of delinquency are held constant, showing that the justice

system was not free of bias. These studies therefore, centred on the role justice systems

played modifying delinquent or deviant behaviours as well as how this institution is not free

from bias and also play a part in the social labelling phenomenon. The researcher‟s main

focus on studiesconcentrated towards authorities and the legal system, as this is the first and

probably the most prominent place for stigmatization to occur.

Identity Formation and Labelling

Once a child is exposed to negativity by society or family, the idea of “self” and

identity is usually seen distorted (Jensen, 1980). The researcher tries to gain information on

how distorted self images find adaptive coping methods and tries to heal it. Jensen in 1980

conducted a study on labelling and identity- toward a reconciliation of divergent findings,

which was published online in 2006. This article he wrote was meant as a response to

15


criticism of some of his work on how relevant labelling is to adolescent self-conceptions and

an attempt to reconcile divergent findings. His findings suggested that official labelling as

well as self-reported delinquent behaviours are in relation to delinquent self-images but self-

reported delinquency is seen to be more in connection with negative self-images than the

prior. This study relates to the self-fulfilling prophecy where by external source of labelling

will induce the idea that the stigmatizing labels is actually what defines oneself and

delinquents tend to self-label and act upon the labels addressed to them. In the American

Journal of Sociology in 1992 an article was published by the university of Chicago press, on

the principles of labelling explained by Mead and other symbolic interactionists. An

integrated framework was used to test the causal model of consequences of reflected

appraisals and delinquent behaviour. Findings showed that appraisals that were reflected of

self-had been largely affected by the appraisals of parents and previous delinquent

behaviours. Delinquent behaviour in the future is clearly seen as affected by appraisals

reflected of self as violator of rules. This study showed the impact of self-labelling on the

delinquent behaviour and the need to understand the process that leads to such self- harming

behaviour and thoughts. Similar to this, Galinsky, Hugenberg, Groom and Bodenhausen

(2003) conducted a study, titled: The re-appropriation of stigmatizing labels: implications for

social identity. The study focused upon the phenomenon whereby a stigmatized group, make

externally given negative labels their own, by self-consciously referring to oneself as the

label/tag. A model was put forth that showed the causes and effects of re-appropriation as

well as how certain external conditions are a pre-requisite for re-appropriation to be

effective. Roots of stigma, social identity formation and devalued social identity were

studied in the model. This study‟s results showed that it had a positive implication for both

groups and teams, outside and within a group.

16


Interactionists argued that humans are social animals. In order to survive,

interaction and communication play an important role. When one‟s environment is not

conducive for proper and positive mental growth, it affects individuals negatively. Children

can be a group seen to be affected the most by outer environment as they approach the

identity formation stage.

Coping and Psychological Health

An interesting approach in the study of coping, viewed the link between feelings

and coping methods. What was interesting is that the researcher, in this study aimed at

understanding how amongst negative criticisms, humans can develop positive and adaptive

coping methods and reasons for its sustenance.

Folkman and Lazarus in 1988 undertook a study titled: Coping as a mediator of

emotion, that focussed on the idea that coping affects emotion. This was a neo view as

theory and research usually suggested that emotions affected coping. The procedure

includedevaluating imbalance in two Caucasian, community residing samples, that sought to

study the extent to which coping mediated emotions during stressful encounters. Subjects'

recently experienced stressful encounters, the ways they coped with the demands of those

encounters, and the emotions they experienced during two stages of those encounters were

assessed repeatedly. A regression analysis was conducted. Results showed that coping was

associated with changes in emotional state of individuals, with some forms of coping

associated with increases in positive emotions and other forms associated with increases in

negative emotions. The importance to study coping is stressed upon as it proves to be linked

to other psychological functioning as well as coping could portray the sense in which

individuals view the world around them. For the current study it could also prove helpful to

understand the levels of tolerance and prior experiences that shape children‟s world view. In

17


2001, a study titled Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence: problems,

progress and potential in theory and research, was undertaken by Compas, Smith, Saltzman,

Thomsen and Wadsworth, that concerned itself on the relationship between coping and

responses to stress. Data was collected through questionnaires, interviews and observation

on an adolescent sample. It was found that there were issues in conceptualization and

measurement of coping in adolescents. The elements of development and correlation of

coping were yet to be studied and identified. This study outlined the agendas for further

research on child- adolescent coping.

In 2005, Jane, Carol, and Boustead conducted a study titled: Coping style and

psychological health among adolescent prisoners: a study of young and juvenile offenders,

whichexplored the role of coping styles as a predictor of poor psychological health among

adolescent offenders. This study shows that coping pattern could externally indicate

psychological health and in light of the study undertaken now this could prove beneficial as

it intends to view coping in female adolescents with delinquency, which could also help the

researcher understand participant‟s psychological health and help generate insights to how

coping and mental health is linked. Sontag, Graber, Gunn & Warren in 2008 conducted a

study titled: Coping with Social Stress: Implications for Psychopathology in Young

Adolescent Girls. The study investigated the impact of social stress on symptoms of

psychopathology at the entry into adolescence. Previous as well as this study, focussed on

gender differences in adoption of coping methods. Researcher aims at understanding how

females conceptualise labelling and adopt or generate methods to cope with it. The sample

consisted of 111 adolescent girls, who were examined whether peer stress and pubertal

timing were associated with the internalization of distress and anger. Results of this study

showed that early matures and girls with higher levels of peer stress showed heightened

response to stress, distress and aggression. The findings also helped to identify coping

18


patterns that can be used to help girls in the more successful transition into adolescence.

Basic coping patterns can arise by positively externalizing the internal trauma that

individuals go through. Through this study researcher found that hormonal changes

experienced by girls are crucial in understanding their response to stress. The unexpected

benefit of being nice according to science is the title of article writing by Sammy Nickalls in

July, 2015. This article aims at explaining one of the coping strategies used to overcome the

experience of social anxiety. Recent research by social psychologists at the university of

British Columbia and Simon Frarer University suggested that doing good deeds can help

with social anxiety. 115 undergraduate students were split into 3 groups. Group 1 were asked

to go out of their way and be kind to others. Group 2 were asked to confront their social

anxiety and group 3 were asked to maintain a journal. The results of the experiment

suggested that act of kindness may help to counter negative social interaction by promoting

positive perception and expectation of person‟s social environment. In light of this research,

kindness can be viewed as a coping strategy in order to reduce the stress caused by the social

phenomenon- labelling. Overall it becomes clear that coping rises due to external as well as

internal factors and is a clear indication of mental health. Females are seen to be more prone

to maladaptive coping due to environmental and biological changes.

Family and Delinquency

In Indian scenario most cases of children in conflict with the law arise due to

abandonment and loneliness, sometimes fear. Family is the first institution every individual is

exposed to. Therefore the experiences faced in relation to them concretize the way one

perceives others and self. Social interactionism has suggested that the external environment

of an individual has a role to play in shaping his/ her overall personality and outlook towards

life. Family being the primary source of support, it is important to understand the crucial role

it plays during the formative years of the child- adolescence. A study conducted by Kowalski

19


in 2013, focused on the relationship patterns between parents and their children with learning

disabilities and delinquency. Through a qualitative study it was found that unlike previous

studies, parenting dynamics that was related to the better adaptations on the part of the child

showed a lower possibility that a child with learning disability would also emerge as a

delinquent one. The study tried to make a link between learning disability and deviant

behaviours. It was then seen that different parenting styles and practices, including reactions

and accommodations would affect the families as well as the individuals as either successful

or abandoning. While the researcher aims at understanding labelling and coping, researcher is

aware that parenting and care are main elements that form an individual and by focusing on

this study, gaining information on this link, makes it simpler to understand and emphasise

with participant‟s personal experiences.

In 2011, Baqutayan published a study titled, Stress and Social Support, which

discussed the effectiveness of social support in managing academic stress among students.

She examined 120 students who were divided into experimental and controlled groups

equally. The experimental group were assigned classes on social support as a coping agent.

The findings indicated that experimental group participants cope with academic stress better

than the control group and also projected consistency and stability with their academic

performances. In the context of the present study, social support can be perceived as familial/

primary support and stress here could relate to the outcome of being labelled, therefore linked

to delinquency.

The researcher intends to spread awareness about the role support groups play is

sustenance of positive mental health and coping methods. Educating institutions in society

will help reduce the stigma that children in conflict with the law face.

20


Causes and Consequences of Delinquency

In order to understand how children in conflict with the law perceive social labelling

is important for the researcher to understand how stigmatization phenomenon occurs. Further

research mentioned here focussed on understanding the conceptualization of stigmatization.

Link and Phelan in the year 2001 came about with a study titled

ConceptualizingStigma, which was a social psychological research that focussed on stigma as

the co-occurrence of elements such as loss of status, stereotyping, labelling and

discrimination for further stigmatization to occur. It was seen that stigmatization affects

multiple domains of individual‟s life that include health, criminal involvement and so on. The

study was largely based on the role of stigma in understanding core problems in social

research and definitions of stigmatizing concepts. Rentzsch, Schröder-Abé and Schütz (2013)

conducted a study titled- Being called a Streber, which focused on the personalities of the

labeller and the individuals being labelled. This study was oriented towards understanding

academically oriented students, but the results seen can somewhat explain labelling in other

domains too such as Juvenile labelling. The results of the study viewed how labelling others

was related to extraversion, low agreeableness and low conscientiousness and the individuals

who were being labelled were associated with introversion and conscientiousness.This helps

the researcher to understand the psychological effects of being labelled and perception of it in

children in conflict with the law.

Recent research in India too aimed at finding causes for deviance in children and

creating a model to increase adaptive behaviours. A study was conducted in Karnataka,

India, by Haveripet (2013). The study titled: Causes and consequences of juvenile

delinquency in India, focussed upon juvenile delinquency being one of the hot topics in world

and is on a rise. The study aimed at exploring the factors, causes and criminal activities

21


undertaken by juvenile delinquents through a social survey method. The sample was selected

using purposive sampling, which focused upon finding reasons to the deviant behaviours seen

in adolescents. The results showed that family, which includes lack of proper family control,

conflict in family, and situation of residential area were major causes for juvenile

delinquency. Also inability to meet basic needs and maladaptive peer relations were seen to

give rise to criminal behaviours and incapability to cope effectively with the external

environments. These studies aimed at gaining a much broader understanding in to the

behaviours and relapses towards crime in juvenile delinquents. It is important for the present

study as these studies relate to various avenues that give rise or sustain delinquent behaviours

and a clearer picture is gained towards understanding how this group copes with social

stigmatization and how it can be improved or understood better.

Most of the articles reviewed and discussed here aim at linking utmost two concepts

like family and delinquency, authority and labelling, coping and psychological health and so

on. The researcher aims at gaining a larger perspective towards understanding the core

perception of labelling, experience of labelling, coping with it, development of coping

methods and sustenance of coping methods. Labelling can be viewed as being too narrow to

be dealt with qualitatively.Therefore the researcher is seen to be open to any form of social

negativity or stigma that can be linked to similar feelings and thoughts generated when being

labelled. All these gaps are yet to be explored and filed. Though this study the researcher

intends to gain new information and awareness about variety of experiences of females

adolescents in conflict with the law face that are crucial in shaping and concretizing their

identities as adults.

Many researchers and theorists have critiqued the idea on which social labelling

rests as a theory to explain human behaviour as a social phenomenon. As seen in some of the

22


studies analysed and stated above, in India, the idea of labelling is used more to discuss the

“whose fault is it” phenomena rather than a deep understanding of where it began or more

importantly, how do we manage it? Through this study, the researcher intends to fill the gaps

seen in previous research and focus on generating a positive way of dealing with this negative

phenomena that will help adolescence recovery better and sooner form stress and anxiety;

contribute to the need for further research in the area of social ideals affecting human psyche-

especially in a close knit, constantly aware and culturally rich society like India.

23


Chapter 3

Method

The method section intended to describe in detail, the ways through which the

researcher collected data for the study. The main objective of the study wasto explore and

understand the experience of social labelling and coping in female adolescents in conflict

with the law. Details of the research design, participants, tools to be used and the operational

definitions for the study are stated. It will also give a brief account of the data collecting

strategies, data analysis, validation and ethical considerations of the study.

Research Design

Qualitative study using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this design

gives more importance to the process of research than the outcome. IPA‟s main aim in this

study is examine closely the individual experiences of the participants (social labeling) in

relation to the variable being studied (coping). Usually this design draws on account of a

small number of people (Reid, Flowers & Larkin. 2005). Participants provided the researcher

with rich insights pertaining the topic being discussed during the informal screening process.

IPA design largely takes a hermeneutic stance attempting to make sense of participant‟s

attempt to make sense of a particular experience (Larkin, Watts & Clifton, 2006). This design

intended to study the phenomenon of collaboration of interaction and subjective experiences

of the participants.

The semi- structured interview in this design took shape from the insights provided

by the participants during the informal rapport session. Important points, ideas and

experiences were taken note of and framed into potential questions for the semi structured

interview, with the help of a psychologist and care takers of the rehabilitation center. These

24


questions were then validated by experts in the field.The translation for the use of language in

the semi structured questionnaire as well as the transcriptions was done by a Kannada lecturer

with a B Ed and D Ed degree. The semi structured schedule was then validated by 3

counseling and child psychologists with Phd and PG degrees in psychology as well as a

welfare officer (MSW, MBA) in charge of a school that caters to the education of children in

conflict with the law. The main feedback given to the researcher was to simplify the

language, lower the use of multiple questioning and clear and specific formulation of

questions.

The data is gathered over steps during the semi structured interview, where the

participants will be given the freedom to narrate their subjective experiences, views or

stories, which later would be reduced to the information needed for the study.

Participants

Qualitative research sampling involves a higher degree of researcher participant

relationship, when compared to quantitative research. This study used purposive sampling

method that focused on learning and understanding the experience of social labeling and the

interaction of the phenomenon with subjective coping abilities in female adolescents in

conflict with the law. Researcher chose this method of sampling as it is based on the selection

of participants through a validated screening interview, which lead to the selection based on

who the researcher believed to be appropriate for the study, due to the limited number of

individuals who fit the criteria of the study that was conducted.

The sample consisted of 6 female adolescents in conflict with the law (under the age

of 18 and have expressed deviance), between the ages 13 to 18 as this age group were able to

verbalize and analyze their experiences in a better fashion as they approach to establish a

concrete identity (Richard, 1983).This sample of juvenile delinquents/ offenders would have

25


experienced or perceived some form of social labeling presently or in the past and have

adopted certain coping methods in relation to it.

The sample was obtained from a juvenile rehabilitation center for girls located in

Bangalore city in the state of Karnataka. The rehabilitation center is a non-governmental

organization, run by a charitable foundation which is licensed by the state. The center focuses

on rescuing and rehabilitating the homeless, abandoned children and children who are in

conflict with the law. They also are allotted with children from child welfare associations as

well as the state law. They tend to the children‟s need such as their basic food, clothing and

shelter as well as education. They care for the children and teach them values and conduct

psycho education classes. When the children are old enough (above 18 years of age), they are

given employment in organizations working with the center and even help them marry into

good families. The center is also in constant touch with the legal system of the state and most

of the residents are from south India consisting of migrants as well as natives belonging to

low socio economic status. The center also caters to all religions and the residents are mostly

Hindus, Christians and Muslims. The participants were selected based on the criteria of

experiencing social labeling and the understanding of coping with the same.

Key Concepts

1. Social Labelling deals with the phenomenon of majority of the population

attaching stigmatizing labels to the minorities or persons viewed as to being

deviant from standard cultural norms (Mead, 1934).

2. Children in conflict with the law refers to any person below the age of 18 who has

come in contact with the juvenile justice system as a result of committing a crime

or being suspected of committing a crime, sometimes coerced into crime by adults

(UNICEF, 2014).

26


3. Juvenile delinquency is characterised by lower physical maturity and mental

capabilities which as a major factor differentiates them from an adult. They are

therefore vulnerable groups to fall a prey to temptations, inducements and

mechanizations by vested groups to embark on a path of criminality (Crime in

India, 1995).

4. Coping is largely seen as a way of using one‟s internal mental abilities to deal

with or minimize the stress or difficulties that usually arises externally (Snyder,

1999).

5. Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that

generally occurs during the period from puberty to legal adulthood (Halsey,

2010).

Method of Data Collection

This study followed a purposive sampling method of data collection, where the

participants expressed their subjective experiences towards social labeling and coping. This

method helped the researcher understand the individual experiences in much deeper detail

and would be able to identify the adaptive and maladaptive coping patterns (Conrad, 1987)

For the study, the researcher used one validated interview schedule. A semi

structured questionnairewas used to collect the final data. The schedule was validated by 4

experts in the field.The validation for the use of language and translation was done by a

Kannada lecturer with a B Ed and D Ed degree. Semi structured interviews include a pre-

determined set of questions that reflect the idea that the researcher intends to study, but it was

also flexible and open to new information that wasn‟t already determined by the researcher‟s

questions. It gave the researcher the freedom to explore certain themes and responses further

(Barriball &While, 1994).Semi structured schedules are used as they assist to establish

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developmental_biology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puberty

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult

27


rapport with the respondent. The order in which the questions are placed doesn‟t hold much

importance as long as it addresses the gist of the study. Also this schedule made it simpler

probe interesting areas that may rise during the interview, and also the interview followed the

participant‟s flow of thought (Smith & Osborn, 2007). The basic lines of enquiry for this

study were as follows:

1. An understanding into the personal life of the participants

2. An understanding on personal experiences of social stigma/ labeling faced by the

participants

3. Self-perceived roles and responsibilities and expectations of them by society

4. Specific emotional vulnerabilities caused due to social stigma/ labeling

5. Learnt behavior regarding coping with social stigma/ labeling

6. Testimonials on coping with social labeling, shared with others facing similar

situation.

7. An understanding of the importance of a support system for girls in same situations.

Based on the information gathered from the informal screening, the researcher

formulated a semi- structured interview that helped with keeping the details of various

participants on track and created a sort of uniformity based on the questions asked. It is ideal

for this study as it focused on subjective experiences of participants and set a foundation

based on which the researcher rooted her questions.

Data Collection Strategies

Participants were recruited with the help of the administrators in the rehabilitation

center for girls located in Bangalore city in the state of Karnataka. The rehabilitation center is

a non-governmental organization, run by a charitable foundation which is licensed by the

state. The sample included 6 female adolescents in conflict with the law. The age range of the

28


participants was from 13 to 18 years. Each participant was selected for the study only after

gaining their consent. The process included the researcher approaching the rehabilitation

center and providing the administrators with all necessary information and documents in

order to gain consent or permission to undertake the research. The rehabilitation center was

made aware of how the researcher intends to select and study a particular sample and the

details of what the study is about. After which researcher briefed the participants on what the

study is about. This phase was the preparation phase for the study, setting its firm foundation.

After analyzing participant‟s method of coping and the understanding of being labeled, the

researcher then moved to administer the semi structured interview.

During this phase the researcher used the rapport process data to create a clear semi-

structured interview schedule which was validated by a set of experts, on the bases of which

final data was collected for the study. The researcher gained more insight on how the

participants view societal labeling as well as how they cope with it, and whether they are

influenced by those stressors, through a validated interview schedule. Each participant

wasthen asked to narrate experiences or views based on the questions in the semi- structured

interview. The researcher needed to meet the sample more than once to collect necessary data

and for validation purposes. This way the researcher was able to gain a uniform, organized

data for analysis. This phase of research was pertaining the main study.

Data Analysis

Results were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) method.

This method involved understanding how participants attach meanings and make sense of

their experiences, perceptions, interactions and social world (Smith & Osborn, 2007). The

researcher had an active role to play when using this method of analysis. IPA has its origins

form hermeneutics and theories of interpretation. Participant‟s point of view is given the most

29


importance. IPA follows a much deeper pattern of understanding each participant‟s world

view and experiences. It could be used to analyse a single case too, therefore analysing a

small sample will produce rich data results. The idea of this method is to state in detail about

the perceptions and understandings of the participants rather than making certain general

claims.

The study generated insight into the coping strategies and patterns of juvenile(s)

offenders and the social labeling effects in relation to their external environment, which was

then organized into themes.A theme represents a level of patterned response or meaning from

the data that is related to the research questions at hand (Braun & Clark, 2006).

IPA was conducted with the help of certain steps. These steps are: Looking for

themes from raw data that involves examining one case at a time and finding patterns:

reading and re-reading. Next step involves connecting the themes that focuses on ordering

and making sense of the data: initial noting. Clustering the themes then follow after viewing

descriptive comments and deconstruction of ideas, to make sure the connections made are in

sync with the participant‟s world view or is interpreted correctly (Smith, Flowers & Larkin,

2009). Looking for connection, patterns and similar steps were applied in analysing the other

cases resulting in a final write up that focused on translating the final themes into a narrative

account making the data expansive as the themes were explained in detail (Smith & Osborn,

2007).

30


Table 1

The process of data analysis from the raw data to conceptualizing master themes

The super ordinate themes were further

analyzed and grouped to construct

master themes

MASTER THEMES Defining and naming

masterthemes

Thematic table of master themes

Report writing

The themes were further analyzed across

data sets

SUPER ORDINATE

THEMES

super ordinate themes were

derived from the collection of

various themes across data sets

Initial ideas were recognized and derived

to form themes

THEMES Themes were formed for each data

set separately, all basic themes

were listed for further processing

Important points and patterns were

noted, extracts were taken from each

data set

INITIAL CODES Initial codes were gathered from

each data set

Language, important remarks and

semantic content were questioned and

analyzed

EXPLORATORY

COMMENTS

Highlighted descriptions,

emotional response and

assumptions of each participant

are understood at a deeper level.

Transcription of audio files into written

document

RAW DATA Written transcripts were read and

familiarized forfurther case by

case analysis

31


Validation of Data

The data collected was validated using two processes involving the participants and

the researcher.

Member checks: This process of validation ensured that the participants were aware

of the data collected and were asked to cross check the raw data in order to give explicit

meaning to certain statements or make any changes.

Reflective notes: To reduce subjectivity and bias of the researcher, the researcher

took down reflective notes in order to be aware of the thoughts, experiences and emotions of

the researcher that were triggered during data collection and interactions with significant

people involved in the study.

Ethical Guidelines

1. The study was conducted only after gaining informed consent of participants as

well as the center from which data was collected.

2. The participants were given the right to withdraw if they get uncomfortable or the

information is too much to handle.

3. The study focusing also on social labeling by the authorities towards adolescents

with delinquency, might affect the image or reputation of authorities, therefore the

identities of the participants and contents of the raw data was kept confidential.

4. Complete confidentiality was maintained regarding any information acquired

through the research process of the participant.

5. Participants were also informed and debriefed about the full aims of the research,

and they were permitted to review their data given during the interview.

32


6. Researcher was well equipped to manage and deal with break downs and catharsis

during the session.

7. Towards the end of the research, the researcher helped the participants cope with

being labeled in a more adaptive manner and provided the participants with a

basic insight into their behaviors/ beliefs regarding coping with social labeling;

this idea may not be acceptable to those who are uncomfortable to changes.

8. The data collected during the study was not used for any purpose other than this

research itself.

9. There was a psychologist present during the interviews to collaboratively assess

the proceedings and precautions were taken to safeguard the participant

psychologically, socially and physically.

33


Chapter 4

Results and Discussion

This chapter is divided into 2 parts. The results chapter will be focussing on

individual case results. The researcher intended to analyse each case separately in order to

develop deeper understanding into the participant‟s world view and perception on social

labelling and coping. This step will be beneficial for the cross case analysis which is the

discussion in part 2 of this chapter.

Social labelling is seen as the idea/ experience of being tagged or labelled negatively

by society. This process is seen possible due to social interaction (O‟ Grady, 2011). Society is

seen to have certain set rules and norms of behaviour. The failure to conform to the same is

considered as deviance (Jones, 1986). Deviance therefore is usually followed by being

labeling by the majority who conform to these moral norms.

Juvenile delinquents are individuals under the age of 18, who have been found to

have committed a crime i.e. broken social moral norms, expressed deviance and cannot be

sentenced as adults. Within this group, female population is seen to be more vulnerable to

social assumptions and labeling biases (Chakrapani & Kumar, 1994). When this imbalance

occurs, the demands of society exceed the ability to cope with it and stress is created. The

confrontation with societal pressure and expectations has probed this research to understand

the pattern of coping that female adolescents in conflict with the law adopt against being

labelled. The major research objective of the study was to understand the experience of social

labelling and coping in female adolescents in conflict with the law.

34


The specific objectives are as listed below:






The participants were selected based on purposive sampling method. The

participants who engaged in the study were 6 female adolescents between the age range of 13

to 18 years. The sample was collected from a rehabilitation centre for girls located in

Bangalore city in the state of Karnataka, non-governmental organization, run by a charitable

foundation which focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating the homeless, abandoned children

and children who are in conflict with the law. Some key demographic characteristics of the

participants are given in table 2 below:

Table 2

Details of Participants (initials)

Name

Age (in

years)

Time spent in the

remand home/

rehabilitation centre

(in years)

Education Socio

Economic

Status

Languages

known

S.S

18

3

High school

Low SES

Lived with

aunt who

worked in a

garments

factory

Kannada,

English

L.P 14 5 Primary school

(drop out)

Low SES

Worked as a

maid to help

family

Kannada,

Tamil

35


financially

S.T 15 10 5th

grade (drop

out)

Low SES

Orphan,

lived with

elder sister

in different

facilities

Kannada,

Tamil,

English

P.D 18 1 SSLC (drop out) Low SES

Orphan,

worked in

different

facilities

Telugu,

Hindi,

Kannada

S.P 17 10 ---- Low SES

Found on

the streets as

a child,

begging for

livelihood

Hindi,

Kannada

G.G.R 17 4 Upper Primary

school (drop out)

Low SES

Orphan,

lived with

aunt

Telugu,

Kannada

Data Analysis

A semi structured interview was conducted on 6 female adolescents, aged between

13 to 18 years. In terms of educational qualification, majority of participants have completed

primary studies. Sample was collected from centres that cater to the needs of children in

conflict with the law. Majority of these children in rehabilitation centres, seem to hail from

poor economic background and have experienced some form of loss and abandonment. The

sample also consisted of girls who were previously in remand homes and have experienced or

perceived some form of social labelling presently or in the past. Many of them also have

pending court cases mostly regarding custody. Languages known by each participant revealed

the different cultural backgrounds they hail from.

36


The data was collected and analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis

method (IPA). This method involved understanding how participants attach meanings and

make sense of their experiences, perceptions, interactions and social world (Smith & Osborn,

2007).IPA followed a much deeper pattern of understanding each participant‟s world view

and experiences. Looking for connection, patterns and similar steps were applied in analysing

the other cases resulting in a final write up that focused on translating the final themes into a

narrative account making the data expansive as the themes were explained in detail (Smith &

Osborn, 2007). Using this method the researcher was able to state in detail about the

perceptions and understandings of the participants regarding social labeling and coping.

37


PARTICIPANT 1

Participant 1 SS is an 18 year old girl who has been in a remand home and

rehabilitation centre for 3 years. She is currently pursuing her studies in high school.

Participant 1 showed eagerness to be a part of this study. She believes to have enough

experience to be able to perceive social labeling in a true manner. Participant showed how

some authoritative figures and society to be controlling of the behavior of children like her

(in conflict with the law). Participant also is seen to have experienced being labeled before

coming into the remand home and rehabilitation center. She also had an experience of an

enmeshed relationship with a care giver. Participant has an approachable personality and

believes in helping others in the centre fight social stigma. The result of participant 1 is

shown in table 3.

Table 3

Themes and Super ordinate Themes Generated from Analysing Results of Participant 1:

Themes Super ordinate Themes

1.111.Formation of an identity due to the

influence of family

1.112.Indifference from family impacting her

view of self

1.113.Society‟s labels affecting her identity

1.114.Introspection of feelings, identity

generated in relation to the outside

world

1.115.Sense of independence and formation

of a strong identity

1.116.Trust towards others a main factor

influencing her perception of self

1.117.Development of an identity as a

survivor of difficult experiences

1.121.Idea of family presented from

circumstances experienced by

participant

1.122.Understanding the institution that

1.11. Formation of self and

social identity

38


substitutes family

1.123.Understanding different functions

performed by society and her role in it.

1.124.Problems are inevitable in her

understanding of the institution of

marriage

1.125.Observation and understanding of

other‟s situations and behaviours

1.126.Changes in her idea of relationships

leading to the formation of

independence and freedom

1.127.Understanding of outside institutions

and functions of society

1.12. Understanding

institutions, it‟s functions and

role of self in relation to them

1.211.Support and understanding generated

by people around her to make good life

choices

1.212.Deprivation of „parents‟ seen as

saviours

1.213.Support from centre seen through

portrayal of equality and impartiality

1.214.Idea of sharing and happiness derived

from behaviour of authorities

1.215.Information and counselling support

provided by the centre

1.216.Positive experiences provided by

support group in the centre

1.217.Support groups approached when she

was younger

1.218.Authorities in the centre as main

support sources

1.221.Vulnerability to becoming enmeshed

with care provided by authorities

1.21.Role of support groups in

encouraging life choices

1.22.Attachment towards care

givers or support systems

1.311.Unaware about the proper functions of

the institution of marriage

1.312.Unable to understanding the

controlling nature of society

1.321.Expectations from society shaping

the way she perceives it

1.322.Feeling of being moulded by others

1.323.Constraints by society and assumptions

leading to negative behavioural

patterns

1.324.Forced to make life choices

1.31.Feeling of being

controlled by others in

society

1.32.Restrictions put on the

way of life by society

39


1.411.Feeling powerless over situations

1.412.Coping through questioning wrong

notions and adjusting with situations

1.413.Acceptance of a supernatural power,

belief to be patient and time will heal all

troubles

1.414.Helpless that situations are out of her

control and adjusting to difficult

situations

1.415.Rationalizing situations

1.416.Using a non-confronting method to deal

with difficulties increased others trust in

her.

1.41.Feeling helpless and coping

through acceptance of

situation

1.511.Sharing thoughts with others facing

similar situations

1.512.Need to be independent to make own life

choices

1.513.Sharing experiences and helping others is

good for both parties

1.514.Sharing her way of coping to adjust to

difficulties and understand situations

1.515.Other‟s trust in her plays a main role in

sharing her experiences with coping

1.516.Need to share her experiences to help

others and prevent them from not facing

the same situations

1.517.Feeling of satisfaction by sharing coping

methods and experiences.

1.518.Freedom to choice to others she shares

her coping method with.

1.519.Mutual trust and understanding to share

experiences

1.51.Freedom to make own

choices and feelings

associated with sharing

coping strategies

1.611.Feeling of being abandoned by family

1.612.Marriage seen as a reason to get rid of

her. Risk of abandonment

1.613.Being labelled and feeling of loneliness

1.621.Experience of being labelled

1.622.Accepting circumstances of being

labelled

1.61.Feeling of loneliness and

abandonment from being

labelled

1.62.Feeling of sadness and

helplessnessdealingwith

labelling

40


While social labelling phenomenon focuses on social interactionism, there are other ways of

influencing one‟s behaviours. Every social situation demands a particular behaviour and soon

these behaviours and the expectations of us, create roles in society. These roles are seen to

have a major influence on the development of an identity (McLeod, 2008)

Formation of self and social identity:adolescence is that period in life which brings most

changes in a child‟s psyche. The environment that one is most often exposed to has a great

role in influencing one‟s ideas about the outside world as well as building up identities. The

influence of family in the formation of an identity is quite clearly seen in the participant‟s

experiences. The participant states that she has experienced labelling even before being sent

to a remand home. This experience of being abandoned and how it has brought about a sense

of insecurity and unsure social identity can be seen from what she says below.

“My aunty had adopted me first my grandma used to take care of us after my parents

passed away, through her I met aunt. When grandma passed away my aunt adopted

me but she was very mean to me and did not like me”.(SS, personal communication,

December 24, 2015)

The indifference expressed by a family member can affect the way one perceives oneself.

Identification that occurs most in relation to a care giver, is lost due to the lack of emotional

connection. She feels that because she wasn‟t able to establish a secure bond with her aunt,

she found it hard to understand where she belonged.

“My aunt thought I already adopted her, now there is nothing I can do. She wouldn’t

take care of me so she found some ashram”. (SS, personal communication,

December 24, 2015)

Participant shows that when children don‟t get the support they need or a person who they

can identify with, they tend to drift towards an introspection intending to find one‟s true

41


identity. They begin to question ideas, norms and notions of society in a quest to find their

identities. And as the researcher interviewed the participant the researcher could sense how

difficult experiences during childhood have moulded the participant‟s identity and

confidence.

Understanding institutions, its functions and role of self in relation to them: As roles start to

concretize and identities are formed, individuals try to find their place in society. Society and

its expectations play a very important role especially in the lives of adolescents (Beckett&

Herbert, 2010). Adolescents try to rationalise and find ways to fit in to the expectations

created by society. Participant states that the experiences she has gained through observations

of the way elements in her environment function, helps her understand and deal with stigma

in a positive manner. Participant shows a mature thought process when she says,

“Whatever they say or do is right it’s just about our understanding capacity like when

they scold if we think-chi!!Why are they scolding them always thinking bad then it’s

bad. But if we feel it’s for our own good then we know that it’s good”. (SS, personal

communication, December 24, 2015)

Most of their understanding comes from the observation of their environment and the people

around them. In this case the researcher could see how the participant‟s personal experiences

and the information gathered through observation helped in the formation and concretization

of her role and identity. Participant finds peace in helping others in similar situations through

sharing her experiences. As an example, she states the advice she gives to others at the centre.

“I tell her for your age and job that you’re doing many guys will propose you and

that you’re not at an age to take decisions like this and accept them.so she asks me

this happened what to do? I told her this is not your age just wait 5/6 years and we’ll

42


talk or approach sister and talk to them”.(SS, personal communication, December 24,

2015)

Participant also narrates an experience of a new girl who was brought to the rehabilitation

centre, and her experiences of being labelled. Participant states how she has tried to help her

by empathising with her situation, therefore, concretising her role in the centre as similar to a

care giver.

“She could not adjust with it, also with the clothes also we would have to wear what

they give she wouldn’t do that if she didn’t like it, but knows she’s better in all aspects

except in the matter of anger. She gets angry very fast, she doesn't realise what she’s

doing at that time. She starts beating and verbally abusing me so i just won’t be there

when she gets angry”.(SS, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

The interaction that occurs on the part of the children in the rehabilitation centre, and the

support systems, who are the primary care givers to these children, is an important aspect in

personal development of each child. Researcher found that the residents of the centre find the

authorities there to be caring and encouraging to their life goals.

Role of support groups in encouraging life choices: As the researcher probed further into

trying to understand the development of coping and experiences of labelling, the participant

showed clear indication about the satisfaction she has gained after being in the centre. This

feeling is seen mostly due to the freedom the participant experiences, to make own life

choices. She feels grateful towards the centre and what rehabilitation centres help children

like her become independent and successful. She narrates various ways the centre has helped

her and others there to make adaptive life choices.

“No one can really do any more than this. I have not seen anyone more than this. No

matter what situation they come from they can share their happy and sad experiences

43


with sisters here and they take care of us. If anyone scolds or they are finding it hard

to adjust, they would help us. They are very open to understand what we want to do in

life and what we like and help us achieving that”.(SS, personal communication,

December 24, 2015)

Attachment towards care givers or support systems: For children who have not experienced

normalcy in their childhood and are uncertain about who they are and their roles, attachment

towards a person/ people who show and provide care is inevitable. The participant showed

attachment towards one individual who according to her helped her and took care of her.

Participant talks about this one stable figure in her life in the remand home that would help

her by listening to the issues she faces and assist her in dealing with these issues. She feels

their relationship had been misinterpreted by the authorities and others in the rehabilitation

centre. The experience of being labelled also has risen from this situation. While talking

about this experience participant shows a slight attachment towards this person who has been

a strong support to her.

“There was this brother who always takes care of me, like a younger sister and i used

to tell him all my trouble but people outside thought differently about the relationship

we should like if i needed anything he would get that for me so people used to not

trust me”.(SS, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Restraint experienced from society: The participant has experienced various forms of control

imposed on her by various institutions in society. These unpleasant experiences have shaped

her understanding of the way society functions and the restrictions imposed on her behaviour.

Participant states that her aunt had control over most of the important life choices and

therefore, she felt helpless and restricted by her. This process occurred to a point where the

44


participant began to accept the situation and decide that maybe this feeling of not being in

control of her life is actually good for her.

“So when this happened and my aunty wanted to get rid of me and get me married

because for her that was ideal, I decided to agree to the marriage. At least then I

would be able to leave that house for good”. (SS, personal communication, December

24, 2015)

Feeling of being controlled by others in society:social interactions are only possible if the

individuals involved in them have an understanding of the roles they play and norms that they

have to abide by. Children in conflict with the law usually express certain disagreement with

these social moral norms. When certain institutions impose these rules on the participant, she

finds them controlling. The participant expresses similar concerns when she recalls an

experience of being in a social gathering and how she did not have the freedom to do what

she wanted and talk or interact with anyone she wanted. She narrates this experience as the

following.

“So one day when there was another function they said here itself that I shouldn’t go

to talk to the brothers so much when I go there. You will sit where we say and do what

we ask. Don’t wander and talk to people and all that. So once we reached there, there

was no place for us so we went up to the roof”. (SS, personal communication,

December 24, 2015)

Restrictions put on the way of life by society: The participant expresses the feelings of not

being able to meet the expectations of society because of the restriction on her behaviour. The

control she experienced during her stay in the remand home and her aunt‟s house moulded

the way she perceives society. Apart from there being control over her interaction patterns

and likes, participant also vents how restrictions have been put on the way she behaves and

45


feels that because of this she cannot project who she really is. Her real self is hidden due to

the restraints she experiences on her life choices and outlook towards society.

“Whenever we go to any gathering functions they say sit here or sit there, guests

come here so don’t come sit here. So stand and all this then I feel really bad. I have

experienced this also”. (SS, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Development of a coping method:Coping is largely seen as a way of using one‟s internal

mental abilities to deal with or minimize the stress or difficulties that usually arises externally

(Snyder, 1999). The participant expresses helplessness when it comes to dealing with the

stress created by social labeling. The feeling of having no choice but to accept what is

happening and avoid any confrontation is her coping strategy.

“Generally I don’t cope with issues that arise out of situation I cannot deal with/

change so I just avoided those situations consciously. We can talk only to counsellors

alone and no one else if we do talk to others they'll say we are talking about them and

gossiping about them. We should wait till our time comes to tell them the truth. So it’s

best we don’t talk about it”.(SS, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Feeling helpless and coping through acceptance of situation: The participant also expresses

how when she had no one to rely on and nowhere to go during the difficult times she faced;

she began to believe in the super natural power. The participant feels safe to know that there

is always someone watching over her and it gives her the strength to keep moving forward. In

some sense, her belief in the supernatural has made coping with stress easier.

“God as made everyone unique so we shouldn’t consider ourselves with what others

say or do. They all have that belief that these kids one hostel kids they have nothing

they buy and get money and they like this. This sort of view sometimes I also feel that

you people gives us things. We are beggars, and i feel sad. But sometimes I feel if we

46


continue here we'll have a life we'll soon be independent so we have that belief”.(SS,

personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Adaptive feelings when sharing coping strategies:The researcher found that after being in the

centre, the participant has developed a sense of responsibility towards others who seek her

guidance. She feels confident enough to help them through her experiences. Participant has a

strong urge to help anyone in need and intends to gather the trust of everyone at the centre.

To this she says,

“Almost everyone who stays here talk to me about how I cope with then I tell them my

experience the mistake I’ve made and how I've come off it. Sometimes praying helps

too. so when I tell them to do it. They do it because they trust me. Sometime it works

and they get adjusted”. (SS, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Freedom to make own choices and feelings associated with sharing coping strategies: There

is a set of positive emotions the participant goes through when she is able to help others.

These empathetic feelings provide motivation to help them persistently as well as it is

assurance to her that her coping strategies are working and beneficial to the people around

her. Even though she experiences constraints on her behaviour when she is out of the centre,

being in the centre makes her feel she has the freedom to say or do what she wants. It‟s a

controlled environment where she feels safe and trusted.

“One girl had come to me one day. She was sad about being restricted to do things

she wanted. I told her see we are orphans we have to bear with all this and take care

of our self, until God’s here everything will be okay”.(SS, personal communication,

December 24, 2015)

Perception of social labelling: The phenomenon that deals with the majority of the population

attaching stigmatizing labels to the minorities or persons viewed as to being deviant from

47


standard cultural norms, essentially defines social labelling (Mead, 1934). The effects of this

are hardly seen positive. The impact that labelling has on the social identity and idea of self in

the participant is quite evident as she expresses being punished for things she has not done,

indications of life being unfair to her. Participant expresses her feelings of how life is unfair

towards children like her. She feels that others outside the centre aren‟t aware of the

experiences they have faced and how strong it has made them. But from time to time hard

criticisms she faces does impact the way she perceives society and herself.

“Many hostel kids go there to study if we do any mistake they scrutinize and say

"hostel kids did this”. They don’t know anything, we did not do anything. They punish

us and if we are standing outside, the other kids who live at home say look all hostel

orphans got punished”.(SS, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Feeling of loneliness and abandonment from being labelled:as stated by social labelling

theorists, labelling portrays a power position in the hands of the majority to attach negative

labels to minorities. In this sense, minorities are already considered to be deviating from

normalcy. Therefore, the feeling of loneliness and abandonment doesn‟t come as a surprise in

the case of the participant. Participant states that her strongest support is herself. And she

shares this with others in the centre as well. She narrates and experience of a new girl who

joined the rehabilitation centre and how she felt alone and found it difficult to adjust there

with all the restrictions from outside environments.

“One girl had come to me one day. She was sad about being restricted to do things

she wanted. I told her see we are orphans we have to bear with all this and take care

of our self, until God’s here everything will be okay”.(SS, personal communication,

December 24, 2015)

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Feeling of sadness and helplessness dealing with labelling:the feelings that the participant

faced according to her experience with labelling is the main cause to have led to the

development of acceptance as a copingmechanism. The combination of feeling sad and

helpless proved to be overwhelming to the participant, to sometimes making her defensive

and proactive of how she feels.

“So every time there is only one problem. We have the inability to control what

people say about us and scold us. But we are used to it now. I have forgotten what

sadness this used to cause me”. (SS, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

The results of participant 1 show that the role she experiences and is exposed to from society

has a great influence on the development of her identity. The support she has from the centre

has a positive influence on her personal development. The participant experiences social

stigma in the form of the control and restrictions she faces through society. Participant shows

strong negative perception of social labels, followed by negative feelings such as loneliness

and abandonment. Acceptance of stressful situations she faces is the coping strategy she

mainly uses. Participant experiences adaptive emotions such as self-worth and happiness

when she is able to help others by sharing her coping strategy.

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PARTICIPANT 2

Participant 2 LP is a 14 year old girl who has been in a remand home and

rehabilitation centre for 5 year. LP is a primary school dropout. She has participated in two

other research studies dealing with parental abandonment and social stigmatization. She is

slow to warm up and believes to keep things to herself. LP has a quiet demeanour almost like

she has given up fighting the injustice that has happened to her. She has experienced social

labelling but sees that it has not affected her functioning. With regard to sharing she believes

every individual should be able to manage their own issues and feels uncomfortable to

involves herself in others matters. The result of participant 2 is given in table 4.

Table 4


Themes Super ordinate Themes

2.111.Financial trouble and no control over

circumstances

2.112.Feeling of helplessness over certain

situations

2.113.Avoiding attachments, rationalized

coping due to circumstances

2.114.Feeling of no control over her own

life

2.121.No significant changes due to being

labelled

2.122.Views being negatively labelled as a

motivator to do better

2.11.No control over

circumstances leading her

to join rehab

2.12. Exhibiting effects of being

labelled

2.211.Support of authority increases her

ability to do what she feels

2.212.Openness to change and the role she

plays in helping others

2.213.Accept circumstances and

understands society

2.221.Making sense of being labelled,

trying to understand her feelings

2.222.Aware of facing her problems in the

future

2.231.Feelings related to being labelled and

2.21.Increased understanding of

outer institutions

2.22.Rationalizing circumstances

as method of coping

50


trying to adapt

2.232.Coping through avoidance of

confrontation

2.233.Acceptance of situations

2.234.Dealing with situations from within,

not confronting it with people

involved

2.235.Adapting to negative situations

through venting and prayer

2.236.Rationalizing the use of coping

strategy

2.237.Adapting to negativity

2.238.Satisfied with coping method used to

deal with experiences from society

2.23.Avoidance of confrontation to

cope with negativity from

society

2.311.Perception of support systems

available to her

2.312.Not receptive to other support

systems available to her.

2.313.Comfortable with coping strategy

2.321.Understanding the emotions involved

in helping others

2.322.Doesn‟t feel the need to share their

difficulties.

2.331.Thinking about the implications of

getting involved in others matters if

one is not in authority

2.332.Understanding the role of authorities

to deal with social stigma

experiences

2.31.Role and perception of

support systems

2.32.Low confidence in ability to

help others

2.33.Role of authorities to deal

with labelling experiences

The researcher intended to examine the way that society shapes how we view certain

behaviours. If and when a child is seen to be deviating from the norms of society, the

consequences are sometimes in-human for them. Labelling is one such phenomenon that

psychologically affects the individual who is subjected to it leading to many negative

experiences.

51


No control over circumstances leading her to join rehabilitation centre: The participant

expressed unpleasant experiences faced by her from society. Some of these situations were

not in her control, such as financial troubles. Many of the children in conflict with the law

hail from low economic backgrounds. With this in mind, they all ill equipped to cater to the

expectations and restrictions set by society(Nataraj, 2004). Participant expresses acceptance

of situation and authority when it comes to making any sort of choice.

“I would do whatever they would ask me to do… I have gone for confession also. I

usually don’t react to any situation because it is not in my control”.(LP, personal


The participant also had no set environment where she could grow and flourish. The constant

dynamics in the facilities she was being shifted to, affected her ability to cope and trust others

as well.

Exhibiting effects of being labelled: The researcher found that the participant believes that

the circumstances were never good to her. Social stigma had an impact on her, but the effects

of labelling alone did not have a significant influence on her daily functions and thoughts. In

turn she indicates that being labelled has made her stronger to face society. Participant

narrates that the feelings that accompanied the teasing behaviour was unpleasant to her and

made her feel incompetent. Even then she states that she knew that she had to fight that

feeling and become better. She says that,

“It’s been pretty much the same for me, I have not faced much difference from before

and how I am now…just in the remand home they would tease me, I would feel very

inferior to them. When friends in school used to call me names and tease me I would

just keep to myself. But I felt very low and sad. But I had the determination to be

better than them”.(LP, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

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Children are seen to grasp and model behaviour of people who are in regular touch with

them. Less or no stability in the surroundings of the child could have a maladaptive effect on

the psychological functioning of the child as well. Due to the instability of the environment

the participant experienced, she was able to understand various roles performed by the people

around her as well as the functions of institutions. Participant felt that she had no power to

change the present functioning of the institutions around her, and in turn adapted to

them.While stating the following, researcher finds that participant has the insight that

accepting negativity will not help her situation, but she lacks the motivation to do something

about it.

“Being labelled by others teasing and scolding, beating friends… that… I know that

by letting it be, it happens everywhere I go, I am not solving anything but I don’t

know when I'd face them and deal with the root of my troubles”. (LP, personal


Increased understanding of outer institutions: participant shows her eagerness to help others

not face the situations she has. But also shows certain level of discomfort sharing her ideas.

This might be due to the changing environments and feelings of abandonment leading to trust

issues. The participant is aware of how her surroundings functions through her experiences

which she states in the following.

“I don’t talk to others only about my problems, it never helped me. Otherwise I speak

to everyone generally. But now on I should try helping other people too and directly

address my issues as well”. (LP, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Rationalizing circumstances as method of coping: conscious avoidance of addressing her

problems was evident from the information collected by the researcher. The participant has

come to rationalise the behaviour of people around her, as well as her own when it comes to

53


negative experiences or stigma. Participant says that she has empathetic feelings towards

others in the centre and at the remand home and does not want any responsibility of negative

experiences happening to them because of her.

“I don’t like it. I don’t like to see my friends getting hurt. It’s like I go complain about

them... Then they would get punished and I don’t like that. I don’t like them getting

beatings”.(LP, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Avoidance of confrontation to cope with negativity from society:the researcher viewed that

the participant‟s nature was that of a closed person. Children who usually go through

negative experiences regarding societal roles at early stages of their lives find it hard to cope

and express positivity in their outlook towards society. The method that the participant seems

to be most comfortable with in dealing with social stigma is that of avoidance and emotion

based coping. She says that,

“No whenever I feel sad or face any difficult situation, I don’t tell anyone about it. I

just keep it to myself and not do anything about it”.(LP, personal communication,

December 24, 2015)

The only outlet she finds to cope with stress is that of self-talk. Participant rationalizes her

situation and decides on avoidance as a better method of coping.

“When I am overwhelmed with feelings, I curse them within me (smiles) I don’t tell

them anything directly I just curse them and then I will be fine. I don’t like recalling

and talking about my issues. The best for me is to let it go”.(LP, personal


“I don’t go get angry very often. I am very quiet always. I used to talk before but

every time you would get close to someone I would have to leave and go elsewhere.

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So I don’t like talking to anyone now. If they come here I would not mind talking to

them. But that’s the reason”.(LP, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Researcher finds that the only care the participant has experienced comes from that of the

support groups around her. The participant tends to testify to others as well to address their

issues with the authorities (who are seen as support and care givers), and they would help

them. She herself too copes with very difficult situations by depending on her support group.

Role and perception of support systems: Researcher found that the role of care givers is seen

to be very important in the regular functioning of the participant. Apart from the feeling that

she can manage stressful situations by herself, she shows to trust only towards her support

system. She talks about speaking to outside assistance providers such as counsellors,

teachers, but feels that it doesn‟t help her much.

“Even when they say go speak to them, I feel uncomfortable disclosing my issues

with people who come from other places. I feel fine talking to sisters and priests only

because from before I was like this”. (LP, personal communication, December 24,

2015)

Low confidence in ability to help others: from all the experiences gained by the participant,

her stance is to sort out her own difficulties before she feels apt to help others with theirs. The

participant is seen to be unsure about whether she would be able to help others through

sharing her experiences and coping strategies with others. Although, she feels confident that

she will be able to manage her own difficulties that arise from society, rather well.

“I'd rather feel happy….but I don’t think i can trust anyone until I solve all my

troubles first. I am not very close to anyone that why not many people come to me for

help. Nothing is permanent here so rather than facing the pain of leaving someone

55


close or them leaving its better not to be close to anyone. And deal with the troubles

ourselves”. (LP, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Participant also narrates that she doesn‟t want to involve herself in other‟s problems just like

the way she isn‟t comfortable in other people involving in her matters. Mostly it is the fear of

not being able to give others in the centre a positive solution and her insecurities in her

ability, prevents her from sharing her coping strategies.

“I don’t like getting involved. I like to help but I myself have my own issues to deal

with so no need to involve in other matters. I don’t want people to blame me and tell

that because I suggested something, this happened and all that”. (LP, personal


Role of authorities to deal with labelling experiences: According to the participant it is seen

that the ultimate power position lies within the support groups. In the social settings that the

participant has experienced, the roles of care givers are firmly set. Participant also shows trust

in the systems and propagates others to seek help from them as well.

“When people facing the same situation come to me I tell them to go speak to the

authorities because everyone will listen to them… I am powerless in this matter”.(LP,


The results of participant 2 show that she has negative experiences that has shaped her

perception of social stigma and developed feelings such as helplessness and avoidance of

attachments. Participant involves herself in observing roles performed in society and

understands functions of society. This understanding in turn has shaped her coping of being

avoidant of confrontation. Participant also shows signs of dependence on the authorities in

the centre to cope with stressful experiences.

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PARTICIPANT 3

Participant 3 ST is a 15 year old girl who has been in a remand home and

rehabilitation centre for 5 years. ST has studied till grade 5 and dropped out of school due to

her disinterest in academics. ST has a bubbly attitude and has an approachable personality.

Participant is seen to have a positive outlook towards life and is happy to help anyone in

need. ST also has a strong belief in the super-natural. Most of her coping happens through

this belief. She believes to have not faced social labelling directly but has experienced it

through someone close to her. The result of participant 3 is shown in table 5.

Table 5


Themes Super Ordinate Themes

3.111.Sharing coping strategies with others

aids in development of an identity

3.112.Feels the need to help others by

sharing own experiences

3.113.Expects positive outcome by

addressing labelling issue

3.114.Increase in sharing behaviour due to

trust in others

3.115.Feeling of satisfaction within oneself

by helping others

3.121.Prayer and venting proved helpful,

influencing sharing coping method

with others

3.122.Feels satisfaction in the choice of

method adopted to cope with social

stigma

3.123.Positive emotions generated due to

sharing behaviour

3.11.Moulding identity through

sharing coping strategies

3.12.Feeling of satisfaction as

reason for the sustenance

and sharing coping

strategies

3.211.Constantly moving and no control

over living space

3.212.Feeling helpless and sad over social

3.21.Restricted and controlled by

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situations not in her control

3.221.Rationalizing with social situations

in relation to labelling

3.222.Acceptance of any outcome

regarding sharing of coping methods

circumstances

3.22.Acceptance of social

situations

3.311.Observation of close friends

experiences shaped her

understanding of social stigma

3.312.Perceived social labelling from

family

3.313.Idea of family affected due to

labelling experience

3.321. Understanding the institution of

marriage as an escape from reality

3.322. Is not affected by various functions

performed in society

3.31.Perception of social labelling

through other‟s experiences

3.32.Understanding the

institutions in society and

their functions

3.411.Belief in supernatural power and

coping through prayer and venting

generating positive results

3.412.Confidence in her method of coping

through prayer

3.413.Venting seen as another coping

strategy

3.414.Confronting the people involved in

labelling people

3.421.Support from other institutions

helped her better understand how to

deal with stigma

3.422.Support gained in the centre, assisted

adjustment process

3.423.Ways through which support systems

help in overall development

3.41.Prayer and venting applied to

cope with social labels

3.42.Role of support systems in

overcoming negativity

Adolescence is a developmental period that is quite stressful as it involves the transition from

childhood dependency to being independent and self-sufficient in adulthood (Smith, Cowie,

& Blades, 1998). During this period, therefore, it is important to have proper personal growth

58


and positive outlook towards life. The researcher found that this participant was quite

satisfied and had a good understanding of how sharing coping strategies was helping her. She

experiences positive feelings when she is able to make a change in another person‟s life. She

states that,

“When people share their trouble with me about how they went to CWC, I know how

it is to be an orphan but I have sister, so I always tell them to not think they have no

one there always somebody to take care of you. I feel very happy helping them I don’t

remember any bad felling when coming across my experience”.(ST, personal


Moulding identity through sharing coping strategies:Most of the ideas the participant shares

with individuals who come to her seeking for help, emerge from her experiences with social

stigma. Participant also believes that her strategy of praying and venting is helpful for her

own development as well as others too. The researcher also observed the trust other children

in the centre invested in her. And over all she feels positive about sharing.

“Most of the friends have come to me to help them with their relationship issues.so we

are too young to be involved in romantic relationships before I used to help them

because I really like helping. So now here i will help when i can and if anything else i

go and tell sister about it. But I’ll always help one way or another. I’d tell the

authorities if it’s something that i cannot handle”.(ST, personal communication,

December 28, 2015)

Feeling of satisfaction as reason for the sustenance and sharing coping strategies: coping

strategies that the participant adopts to deal with social stigma has largely been influenced by

her support system (centre). Modelling the behaviour of authorities has helped her adapt to

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difficult situations and help her peers confront the same as well. The participant also has a

strong belief in the super natural forces that she believes helps her be strong and confident.

“Yes, they used to always say that I should pray to god but I never believed and since

I came to this hostel facility I did it because I couldn’t manage so well initially. And it

worked and my intentions grew and I started to believe in god. I’d have the courage

to face my problems and tell the authorities. They would help me. That’s when I

started telling others that if they'd also do this it’ll be better”.(ST, personal


The role of parents in a child‟s life is known to be most important as influencers of their

personal welfare. The participant expressed her understanding of the reason she isn‟t with her

parents but has also metaphorically expressed super natural power she believes in, to be

guiding her like a parent would. To this she says that,

“I feel like I’m talking to my own mother. If anyone consoles me they know that if they

say gods here pray to statue of mother Mary i feel better. I forget my issues for few

days then. So only when I face similar situation again, I remember it”. (ST, personal


The participant had no control over the facilities she was being shifted to. The researcher

found that the participant expressed her understanding of the way society functions, as to

having many restrictions and controls on her behaviour. The roles of authorities are also well

known to her and she tends to model the behaviour of her support group that has led her to

develop coping techniques.

Restricted and controlled by circumstances: Participant feels helpless and sad over the social

situations that aren‟t in her control. She expresses the way she misses her family due to

60


shifting different facilities and her concern about not having a stable environment to live in.

But researcher also found that the participant adapts easily to new and stressful situations.

“Before that I was in CWC and before that I was in Nagarabhavi. So that place some

problem happened and they put me in CWC because that place closed down when I

was in the rehab I discontinued my studies s they sent me to this centre and it’s been

10 years since I am with authorities and in different facilities, so initially I would

always cry saying I wanted to see my sister or family, because for so long I wouldn't

see them”. (ST, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

Acceptance of social situations:Viewing the changes that have happened around her and the

restrictions by society, the participant feels helpless and rationalises her behaviour and the

behaviour of others around her to cope with the changing circumstances. When the stress

event is overwhelming, individuals tend to adapt to it if there is no other way to control it.

The same way, the participant begins to accept her situation and uses this acceptance to cope

with social stigma.

“I know the reasons I faced labelling by society. But it’s ok… I understand why

people need to show their power over others. I deal with my problems by venting it to

god and I know that situations always have explanations and I have learnt to accept

it”. (ST, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

At a stage where observation and modelling play an important role in a child‟s life, the

participant expressed the way listening to other‟s experiences of being labelled had a more

intense impact on her understanding of society. The idea she has about the institutions and

functions in society large arise due to this.

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“I had a close friend whose family used to torture her a lot, so she had come here

with me. She was with me in CWC and rehab. Most of my awareness about social

labelling came from this experience”. (ST, personal communication, December 28,

2015)

Perception of social labelling through other‟s experiences:When one considers sharing

experiences especially to children, individuals must also be aware about the imaginative

capacity of a child‟s mind. The participant expressed how her idea on stigmatising society

arises from the experiences she has heard of her peers. This has largely influenced the way

she perceives society as well. A friend of hers shared her story with the participant, and this

dialogue had a deep impact on her understanding of social stigma.

“Her parents used to scold her a lot like for example they used to ask her to do so

much work. Second mother was always torturing her they only would ask her to do

some things and say why you are doing this. They would make fun of her in front of

other people”. (ST, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

Understanding the institutions in society and their functions:

The researcher aimed at understanding the interface between various institutions in society,

with the development of adolescents. The researcher found that,observation and experiences

of social stigma influenced the way she understood functions in society. Also the participant

had various sources to aid her understanding of roles in society. Such as marriage as an

institution was an idea that interested her. Participant talks about a friend who shared her

story with her, and feels that she can relate to the same situation. They have together made

future plans as well showing how social interaction can affect identity and thinking.

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“There was a bomb blast at a hospital in which her mother passed away only her

father is alive now she’s 19 now so she wants to get married so she’s waiting for me

to first finish my studies so we’ll find someone and marry together she’s working now

in another centre, because both of us need to earn money. In society nothing works

without money”. (ST, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

Participant‟s ideas about society arise from the way she has experienced interaction and

contact with the outside world. She does not feel comfortable interacting with the society that

deems them to be deviant and negative.

“I never think about society at all. Society has so many types of people within it and

all have different views about us. Even before I wouldn’t do that and I only concern

myself with me, my centre, my sister and friends”. (ST, personal communication,

December 28, 2015)

Most of the knowledge gained by the participant about the way society functions and how to

perform the roles assigned by society has come from the observation of support groups. In

order to decrease the psychological stress that the participant experiences due to various

factors such as stigmatization, these support systems have helped her find positivity in her

coping strategies. Social interactionism has suggested that the external environment of an

individual has a role to play in shaping his/ her overall personality and outlook towards life.

Family being the primary source of support, it is important to understand the crucial role it

plays during the formative years of the child- adolescence (Kowalski, 2013).

Prayer and venting applied to cope with social labels:family and primary support systems

(centre) are seen to be widely influential in catering to the psychological needs of the

participant. The development of prayer as a method to cope with difficulties and belief in

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super natural powers, are seen to be stemming from observation of the authorities in the

centre.

“Since I came to that centre, actually in there, I didn’t believe in god so much. But I

experienced it since then. sometimes when I feel negative and want something like call

my sister and speak to her on the phone…..I’d feel scared to ask sister, generally i feel

uneasy to aske anything from any one, so what i do most of the time is write a letter

and put it under mother Mary’s statue and pray”. (ST, personal communication,

December 28, 2015)

Role of support systems in overcoming negativity: Children coming from remand homes and

rehabilitation centres initially are seen to experience a lot of negativity from people around

them. The participant states that in this centre the authorities and friends she has made are

indeed very supportive of her. The care they provide doesn‟t make her feel different than

others around her. The participant states in the following, how the support system has been

crucial in helping her overcome the negativity she faces.

“Many ways they have helped me. When I initially came here, I used to cry a lot. The

studies and all I would hate that. Then they explained it to me here saying if I

completed my studies, how I am counselled by others I could do the same and help

others too later. If i study it’s good for my life. I could be independent”. (ST, personal


“Here they take care of us and think about our future. In the remand home we had no

such opportunities. I would be so sensitive but sister consoled me”.(ST, personal


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The results of the participant show that she experiences feelings of satisfaction and positivity

through sharing coping methods. This in turn also plays a role in the formation of her

identity. The restriction she experiences from the circumstances she faces has led her to

develop acceptance of social situations as a coping strategy. Support systems too have been

influential in generating prayer and venting as methods of coping. Perception of labelling that

the participant has is largely due to the stigmatization effects of other‟s experiences.

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PARTICIPANT 4

Participant 4 PD is an 18 year old girl who has been in a rehabilitation centre for 1

year. PD dropped out of school when she failed to pass her SSLC examinations. Participant 4

shows strong ability to analyse and rationally think over every situation she faces. She

propagates to others to do the same. PD believes in not taking the negativity she faces by

society personally, and dealing with it through empathy and understanding .she has an older

sister image in the centre. PD has been exposed to social stigma before she was in the centre

and believes most of her coping methods have developed due to personal experiences.

Listening and advising others is her main concern. PD also has very strong feminist ideas and

strongly believes in women empowerment. The result of participant 4 is shown in the table

below.

Table 6



4.111.Established identity and role

4.112.Formation of identity through

life experience

4.113.Empathy and sense of self with

relation to others.

4.121.Rationalised thinking about life

4.122.Labelling in inevitable in

society and analysing situations

will help overcoming this

4.123.Role of the centre and

authorities and its functions in

helping labelled children

4.124.Role of society and girl child to

tackle social labelling

4.125.Higher understanding of the

functioning of social

institutions

4.11.Formation of social identity

and role in society

4.12.Understanding functions of

society and social roles

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4.211.Shares coping method

providing support to those in

similar situation

4.212.Sharing troubles gives access to

positive coping strategies

4.213.Feelings with regard to labels

arising due to failure

4.214.Method of coping plays a main

role in the formation of identity

4.215.Experience of negativity

becomes a lesson to cope with

social issues

4.216.Sharing coping method with

those being labelled

4.217.Feelings associated with

sharing coping methods

4.221.Support systems seen as

models for sharing behaviour

4.222.Observing and adopting pro

social behaviours of support

groups

4.21.self-fulfilment as reason for the

sustenance and sharing of coping

strategies

4.22.Modelling behaviour of support

system

4.311.Empathising as a coping

strategy

4.312.Analysing situations to

understand labelling better

4.313.Rationalizing negative

experiences

4.314.Dealing with issues by oneself

seen as being independent

4.315.Process of coping with negative

labels

4.321.Labels that arise due to failure

4.322.Role of society in social

labelling of females

4.323.Idea of social labels gained

through other‟s experiences

4.324.Role of females in tackling

social labels

4.31.empathy and analysing situations

as coping strategies

4.32.Influences on the idea of being

labelled

In order to avoid being labelled the participant makes sure that her role is definitive

in relation to that of which she is assigned by society. The researcher found that the ability to

67


analyse situations plays an important role in this participant‟s life. Over all her idea of coping

with social stigma arises from empathy and avoidance of confrontation.

“For me it is like I avoid being labelled. Usually I tell the others what to call me, and

they call that way only”. (PD, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

Formation of social identity and role in society: The formation of identity during the period

of adolescents is what determines the level of self- concept and self-worth. Constant exposure

to negativity and labelling in children gives rise to negative self-image (Jensen, 2006). The

participant shows definite identity that she has created for herself in order to tackle labelling.

She employs a non-judgemental stance when it comes to her idea about the functioning of

society.

“The way we see ourselves is very important. As you grow older your thoughts

become better you know what’s right and what’s wrong”.(PD, personal


Participant tries to empathise with other people around her. She has the tendency not to react

to situations on impulse but rather act on it after careful consideration. She propagates the

same to the others at the centre.

“We should not be judging people on what they tell us. We don’t know what they are

going through or who they are as people. What those people might be feeling. Some

people are brought up that way they don’t know the difficulties we face. They have

different thinking and thought process”.(PD, personal communication, December 28,

2015)

Understanding functions of society and social roles: for an individual to develop a certain

coping method to tackle social stigma, understanding the roles of various institutions and

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functions of the same is crucial. In the case of the participant it can be clearly seen that she

assess the situations she faces based on her idea of the roles they play in society. Also the

researcher found that the participant categorises her peers based on how able they are to

analyse the difficult situations they face. She talks about her peers at the centre as well as

society in general with regard to negative experiences she has faced.

“Some people have lesser analysis power it takes some time for them to understand

things when they are angry, they might just say rude bad things, but should not feel

bad about that we should be able to understand their situation too. If we concern

ourselves with this our trouble only will increase. If we are about to fight or label just

because they are doing so there would be no difference between us and them”.(PD,


The participant tends to compare the situation of females in conflict with the law now, to the

time when she was first exposed to the system. She states that it‟s much easier for her now

and about the functioning of families and society.

“Before it was very difficult they had to work so much. No money. No help. Now

society is growing and is not backward anymore. People have better understanding

power too. Science is progressing and in society people are equipped to face

problems”.(PD, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

The participant‟s feeling of responsibility towards her peers is a main factor that influences

her sharing behaviour. The participant finds the need to help others around her not face

situations she has, as she knows how that would feel. Researcher also found that others

exhibit a level of trust in her and find it comfortable to share their difficulties with her.

Self-fulfilment as reason for the sustenance and sharing of coping strategies: Participant

provides care and support to others who are in similar situations as her or are facing some

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sort of social stigma. The positive emotion of being able to help others and change their lives

is what sustains this behaviour in her. The coping strategy she adopts largely defines her

identity in the centre. She states this with an example of how people approach her at the

centre.

“Others when they faced difficulty situations they would say elder sister I am facing

this, what should I do? What should I say? I feel hurt then I start to analyse that you

there in some trouble when there is a problem I hear both sides of the story. I think

from both sides and then give them solution”.(PD, personal communication,

December 28, 2015)

Modelling behaviour of support system: The development of pro-social behaviour arises from

the observation of the support group, i.e. people the participant is in constant touch with. The

generation of coping strategies employed by the participant too has been due to modelling the

actions of the authorities, how they manage difficulties and analyse situations.

In 2005, Jane, Carol, and Boustead conducted a study titled: Coping style and psychological

health among adolescent prisoners: a study of young and juvenile offenders, which explored

the role of coping styles as a predictor of poor psychological health among adolescent

offenders. Adolescents usually are seen struggling to find their identity and role in society.

When this feeling is coupled with the way they perceive labels, the results can be quite

negative for the self- image of the child. The participant is seen to be modelling the behaviour

of the authorities and elders around her. She stresses on upbringing and relationships with

parents showing how important it is for proper development of children.

“Through others like parents or sister with see that is situation how we should

manage things they would make us brave and support us and our decision”. (PD,


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Empathy and analysing situations as coping strategies: The participant shows that the

labelling experience she has faced or heard from her peers has only helped her to understand

society better. In a way she sees this experience in a positive light motivating her to learn

more about the behaviours of others. Rationalization of issues is seen as to be a mature way

of thinking and participant has learnt this from her environment and people she interacts with.

She states that,

“When we calmly think about what happened… it builds independence dealing with

our own troubles and anxieties its importance that we don’t recall the situations and

let it be. Also I don’t discuss much of my troubles with others; I just let it sort out

itself when the time comes”. (PD, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

Influences on the idea of being labelled: The participants had strong views about the

institutions involved in the social labelling phenomenon. The researcher also found that the

participant has had many experiences where female children have narrated incidents from

their lives regarding social labels. Participant shows strong feminist ideas and supports

empowerment of women. She believes that women have the ability to be strong and

independent and shares the same views with the others at the centre.

“I feel pain to hear the things these girls come and tell me. I feel sad that they have to

face all that alone. It affects us all mentally as well. In life and society every girl

should live well and be good. The reason i adopt this coping is because my mother

brought me up this way. She taught us that we should respect others, value life and

help others”. (PD, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

The results of the participant 4 show how through understanding the roles various institutions

play in society, has influenced the formation of her identity. Participant feels self-fulfilment

after being able to share her coping methods. Modelling the behaviour of her support system

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has helped generate venting issues, empathy and analysing situations before reacting to them,

as coping methods.

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PARTICIPANT 5

Participant 5 SP is a 17 year old girl who has lived in remand homes and

rehabilitation centres for 10 years. SP has never gained any sort of formal education but is

currently pursuing a course in tailoring in order to establish her independence. SP comes

from a very traumatic childhood where she was abandoned on the streets by her biological

parents and then experienced the same with her adoptive parents. She has very poor

development of speech but has shown significant overall improvement since she has joined

the rehabilitation centre. SP has experienced social stigma and labelling from a young age,

even before coming into the remand home and rehabilitation centre and shows how evidently

it has affected her self-worth and social identity. SP shows a strong urge to help others in the

centre but sees herself to be still learning to be pro social. Participant shows eagerness to

learn more and establish independence. She has no feelings of animosity towards society and

believes the negative experiences she had faced has helped her grow. The result of participant

5 is shown in table 7.

Table 7



5.111.Experience of stigma from a young

age

5.112.Negative experiences of social

stigma

5.113.Feeling of abandonment from

family and society

5.114.Social adjustment troubles and

loneliness

5.115.Trying to rationalise behavioural

change in her family

5.116.Questioning negative experiences

from society

5.117.

5.11.Experience of social stigma

and perception of society

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5.121.Idea about the way society

functions

5.122.Powerlessness when facing social

labelling

5.123.Exposed to other supporting

institutions that help deal with

labelling

5.12.Understanding the roles of

various institutions in society

5.211. Coping with social stigma through

venting out difficulties

5.212. Belief in supernatural power and

prayer as a method of coping

5.213. Satisfaction with coping method

leading to sharing of the same

5.221.Support system‟s role in coping

5.222.Support groups helping to generate

ability to be self sufficient

5.223.Role of support group in

encouraging to fight against social

stigma

5.224.Support experienced from peers at

the centre

5.225.Confidence provided by support

systems helping build strong self-

image

5.226.Feeling independent and capable to

deal with negative experiences

5.21.Venting and belief in super

natural to help cope with stress

5.22.Role of support groups in

building strong sense of self

5.311.Satisfaction leading to sharing of

coping strategies

5.312.Positive feelings associated with

sharing behaviour

5.313.Motivated to help others to feel

good about self

5.321.Modelling behaviour of support

systems to deal with difficulties

5.322.Satisfaction with current coping

method

5.31.Development of self-image

through sharing coping

strategies with others

5.32.Positive feelings associated with

the sustenance of coping

strategy

Social labelling is a phenomenon whereby a stigmatized group, make externally given

negative labels their own, by self-consciously referring to oneself as the label/tag (Galinsky,

74


Hugenberg, Groom &Bodenhausen, 2003). The participant has had the experience of stigma

from a young age. She has been abandoned by family twice and has since coped with her

situation through prayer and rationalization.

Experience of social stigma and perception of society: The participant shows her

understanding of the way society functions through her experiences with it. The participant

has had negative experiences regarding social stigma. Being abandoned by her family and

feeling of loneliness due to lack of communication skills is evident from her behaviour. But

the participant has also has begun to understand the role society plays in her life. Participant

narrates the incident where her own family abandoned her. She experienced stigmatization

before coming into the remand home and rehabilitation setting, therefore, finding it difficult

to adjust without being able to communicate how she feels.

“I found them once while I was still in the hostel, but they refused to recognise me.

They said they did not know who I was. The hostel people said I could go back home

now. But my family did not want me. When this family refused to take me back or even

recognise me, I felt really bad. I was so sad that no one wanted me”. (SP, personal


Understanding the roles of various institutions in society: The idea about the way society

operates,seems to be stemming from the powerlessness the participant faced when being

labelled. The environments she was exposed to have also helped her understanding of various

roles people have in society. She uses her knowledge of roles and functions in society to

compare with her own situation and feels emotionally vulnerable. She states that,

“If I had a good family i would be so happy from the start. People like me... it’s very

difficult for us to understand others. Because we were brought up in so many different

75


environments and after being rejected by the only two families I knew... I trusted.... I

realised that this was my life”. (SP, personal communication, December 30, 2015)

The participant feels that she has not had a stable environment where she could learn how to

behave and what her roles are in society. Due to abandonment she faced at a young age, the

only stability she views in her life is that of the support group she has.

Venting and belief in super natural to help cope with stress: The participant copes with social

stigma through venting out difficulties, due to modelling her support group, she has also

developed a strong belief in the super natural, and uses prayer as a method to vent out her

difficulties. The participant showed satisfaction in her coping technique.

“Whenever I feel alone, sad of when I could not handle something, I would always

speak to god (pray). And then I would feel my burden has decreased and everything

has become lighter. I talk to sisters also if I feel I am facing a really difficult

situation”.(SP, personal communication, December 30, 2015)

Role of support groups in building strong sense of self:Support groups helped the participant

to generate ability to be self-sufficient. The participant expresses that the encouragement she

gets through her support system helps her build a strong self-image, and she feels capable of

dealing with the negative experiences she faced and become independent.

“Everyone is very supportive here. They would say we are here for you; you don’t

have to suffer alone. I talk to people now, this is my family now. I don’t want to go

back”. (SP, personal communication, December 30, 2015)

When children are exposed to positive emotions and environments in day to day life, they

tend to develop a positive, adaptive perception of themselves as well as the society around

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them. The participant sees society receptive to her efforts of sharing and caring for others

around her. The participant also feels positivity and growth in her self- image.

Development of self-image through sharing coping strategies with others:Through sharing the

participant‟s method of coping with negativity, such as prayer and venting, she finds a sense

of satisfaction that she is able to affect somebody‟s life. The participant feels that she had no

role to play before she came to the centre. Now she feels responsible and part of a

community. Participant shares her difficulties and issues with her peers and care takers and

feels positive about it. She says that,

“But now that I am able to communicate with them and share my experiences I also

tell them the same thing that they should pray or just talk to someone so they feel

lighter and happy. Because that is what worked for me”. (SP, personal


Positive feelings associated with the sustenance of coping strategy:Researcher found that the

participant was satisfied with the coping method she adapted through modelling and

observation of her support group. There are positive feelings associated with her behaviour of

wanting to help others around her. The feeling of being trusted by her peers helps sustain the

coping strategy she applies to deal with social stigma.

“God only told me. Before I would feel angry but I would not react… I thought I had

no power or control over this. I would just bear it… I did not learn to talk for so long.

And only now I can share things with people. I would feel so alone… when I was

quiet, people used to tell each other and say things like why is she so dumb... now i

saw girls and people here praying and they all look so happy. So i learnt that this

works for me too”. (SP, personal communication, December 30, 2015)

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The participants feeling of being helpless has deteriorated since she has been able to

communicate her feelings to her support group. She is able to vent how she feels and believes

that when people listen, it makes her believe in it more. Regarding how her support group has

helped her, she says that,

“When I have difficulties, they would say pray to god and everything will be fine…

before no one would come to me for help, because I myself was very helpless. But now

that I am able to communicate with them and share my experiences”. (SP, personal


The result of the participant shows that she experienced negative feelings such as

abandonment, loneliness and adjustment troubles due to being labelled. The participant has

developed an understanding about how society works and her role in it as being submissive

and powerless. She has a strong belief in the super-natural and uses venting as a coping

strategy. Support system has played an important role in helping her build a strong sense of

self. Through sharing her coping methods, she feels positive and has developed a strong self-

image. Participant shows satisfaction with her current coping methods.

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PARTICIPANT 6

Participant 6 GGR, is a 17 year old girl who has experienced being in remand homes

and rehabilitation centres for 4 years. GGR is a upper primary/ middle school dropout. GGR

found it hard to adjust with her peers due to her anger issues. Participant experienced many

situations where her anger went out of her hand due to her inability to control the situation

around her. She lived with her aunt who was indifferent to her. GGR believes that all that she

has learnt is due to her own experience. She looks at being in the centre in a positive manner.

GGR believes that most of her coping abilities towards social stigma were maladaptive

before she was sent to the rehabilitation centre. After coming to the centre she recollects

many positive experiences and changes in her personality. Result of participant 6 is shown in

the table below.

Table 8



6.111.Violent outbursts of aggression

due pent up anger

6.112.Feeling of loneliness, guilt and

sad due to being labelled

6.113.Formation of an identity due to

the labels given by others

6.114.Negative reactions to labelling

clouding judgement

6.121.Self-defeating thoughts

impacting perception of society

and identity

6.122.Indifference of society towards

helping her cope with social

labels

6.131.Negativity experienced from

family

6.132.Stigmatized by peers in remand

6.11.Displacement of anger caused

due to social labelling

6.12.Distorted idea of self and identity

generated by society

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home generating feeling of

being unwanted

6.133.Labelling experienced in

school

6.134.Social labelling influencing

development of negative

identity

6.135.Feeling hopeless and helpless

about her situation and

displacing anger

6.136.Feeling of anger against

authorities and sense of being

helpless

6.137.Losing control over reactions to

stressful situations

6.13.Feelings associated with being

labelled

6.211.Coping with overwhelming

emotions through avoidance of

situation

6.212.Avoiding confrontation to deal

with situations not in her

control

6.221.Did not perceive coping

method as a choice

6.222.Ability to help others increase

in self-concept

6.231.Development of new coping

strategies to deal with social

pressures

6.232.Coping with stress through

meditation

6.21.Avoiding confrontation as a coping

strategy

6.22.increase in self-concept promotes

sharing behaviour

6.23.Influence of support groups in

developing new coping strategies

6.311.Assistance and guidance

provided by support groups

6.312.Experienced positive and

helpful nature of people in

society

6.313.Support of one person main

role in development of her

identity

6.314.Socializing in the centre largely

affects identity and coping

6.315.Changing idea of a negative

society to a positive one

6.31.Role of support systems in

overcoming negativity and change

in perception of society

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6.321.Reduction in guilt feeling after

being able to help others

6.322.Trust plays a main role as an

influencer to adopt certain

coping method

6.323.Satisfaction and

accomplishment gained


strategies

6.32.Increased self-worth from sharing

coping strategies

Criminals do not differ from others in their original impulse to commit crimes but societal

interaction plays an important role in developing a pattern of deviant behaviour

(Tennenbaum, 1938). In this regard it is very important – the interaction that takes place

between individual and society largely affects the perception of identity and self.

Displacement of anger caused due to social labelling:Pent up negative emotions usually are

displaced in a very violent manner. The participant‟s anger towards her family that she is not

able to express directly to them was projected over her peers at school. Constant negativity

experienced by the participant during her childhood, made her form maladaptive ways of

coping with the stress around her.She became violent due to her helplessness over her

situation. She says that,

“I used to fight physically beat them and all. All used to scold me that I have come

like a beggar and I got so angry. They all have parents who take care of them but they

don’t know anything about me. I lost my patience and i took a slate and hit them (her)

on the head then went home and cried a lot about why i am like this. I felt so alone”.

(GGR, personal communication, December 31, 2015)

Distorted idea of self and identity generated by society:The participant faced many self-

defeating thoughts that shaped the way she perceived herself as well as the environment

around her. The participant showed signs of generalizing the behaviour of a few prominent

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people in her life, to that of society. The researcher also found that the participant wasn‟t very

open to the help that was available to her at difficult times. This may be due to the trust issues

she had developed during her childhood.

“When I get angry and would react so violently no one would come to help me… Help

me understand what was happening. All the names they would call me started to make

me feel like they were true”.(GGR, personal communication, December 31, 2015)

There was also expression of comparison between the participant and others who she was in

contact with. She believed to be unlucky not to have had parents and family who‟d treat her

well and care for her. For this the feeling of guilt is evident.

“Before I used to think that everyone else is happy. They all have a good life… and I

am the only one suffering like this alone. And no one wants to be a friend with me was

my thinking back then. I used to think that society is very selfish. No one will help

anyone in need”.(GGR, personal communication, December 31, 2015)

Feelings associated with being labelled: There were many negative experiences the

participant faced during her childhood that made her adapt anger as a coping method. The

feeling of being stigmatised came not only from her peers and family but also few authorities

in the centre she was at. In reality the researcher found that the participant had a strong

feeling of loneliness, helplessness and loss of self- control regarding the situations she faced.

Regarding authorities and peers at the remand home, she states,

“All people would call me very mean names like mad and mental and all that and

because they used to call me bad names i would get angrier. In life everything was

going wrong, I could not control anything. It was as though my life was falling apart.

So I would just react angrily and finish that matter. When I was being labelled, I had

no one to talk to at that time. Then I would react very impulsively… Difficulties

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meaning everyone used to blame me, scold or beat me for any mistake even if I did not

do it”. (GGR, personal communication, December 31, 2015)

When faced with stressful situations the participant began to understand there wasn‟t much

she could do about it but avoid instances that would trigger her anger. In the centre she

encountered her support group who helped her understand the maladaptive nature of her

coping and encouraged new coping strategies.

Avoiding confrontation as a coping strategy:The participant copes with overwhelming

emotions by avoiding confrontations and feels the need to take her time to understand

situations that are not in her control. She narrates that her only support at the time even before

being in the remand home, her aunt, was indifferent towards her.

“I felt so alone. My aunty also used to hit me, i felt so suicidal. Then only i decided to

run away from home... so yeah when i get angry i would just react badly. But now I

give it some time to understand what is happening around me”. (GGR, personal


Increase in self-concept promotes sharing behaviour:Participant feels that she had no choice

but to fight back at the situations she faced when she was younger. The feeling of not having

anyone to look up to or trust was evident. The social situation of the participant at that time

made her feel that she had no choice but to cope through violence and acting out her

emotions.

Through sharing her experiences and the way she has developed adaptable methods of coping

has generated a positive feeling in her life and the participant feels more responsible.

“Before I feel alone and like I had to do everything but now that I am able to help

others I feel I myself am improving. I share that power to change someone else life if

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feel everything nice to know that people trust me completely and that only because I

help them. But talking to someone really helps. They have that conviction to do what i

ask and it does help me too”.(GGR, personal communication, December 31, 2015)

Influence of support groups in developing new coping strategies: The researcher found that

the participant has been able to positively adapt to stressful situations through mediation and

self-talk. The participant also feels confident to talk about her issues to authorities and

believes she can feel better equipped to tackle social stigma, with their support.

“When they told me to go to the counsellor, I was not very open to her and did not

speak much. Slowly I understood that they were only trying to help. Venting out and

talking about my feelings instead of expressing anger worked well. It felt better and I

did not feel guilty”.(GGR, personal communication, December 31, 2015)

While talking about counselling and how it could help the way she perceives society outside

the rehabilitation centre, she states that,

“Initially I could not do it… I would count very fast and finish it. It did not help at

all… but now I learnt to stay and say it calmly and control my breathing so more

peaceful now. I have started meditating too… I tell myself that I am not the only one

suffering now... or who has difficulties. Others have too. So by myself i can relate

now”. (GGR, personal communication, December 31, 2015)

Psychologists state that every child is like a blank slate when they are born. Through

observation of the environment and people around them, they tend to internalise information

that helps form their identities. In processes like this, a care giver‟s role is crucial for the

effective functioning of the child in a social environment. With children in conflict with the

law, their primary care giver‟s usually become their support systems and aid in the proper

development of the child.

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Role of support systems in overcoming negativity and change in perception of society:The

assistance and guidance provided by the support group of the participant has helped her

experience positivity around her and create more adaptable reaction behaviour to

psychological stress. The participant shows trust towards one person who has been able to

help her in difficult times.

Socializing with peers and people around in the rehabilitation centre, the participant has

helped her develop a stronger identity and changed the way she used to view the negativity

found in society.

“When I came here I have improved so much. Here they look after me really well...

when I am sad and sitting alone they come and ask me what is wrong. Before no one

would show me that concern... I have many friends here too… Before I did not have

any friends now I know what mothers love means. One counsellor had come here and

sisters had sent me to her saying I have anger issues”. (GGR, personal


Increased self-worth from sharing coping strategies:A lot of anger was expressed by the

participant when she faced any form of social stress. Sharing her coping abilities now have

helped her reduce the feeling of guilt she has been facing. Emotion oriented coping has come

to place where sharing coping methods is sustained due to the positive feelings it generates.

The participant shows that adapting certain methods of coping or advice, goes hand in hand

with trust in that particular individual and therefore feels responsible.

“Usually the others who I share my things with listen to me because they have seen

that I have changed for good and they know that what i am saying will work. I had

nothing to share before when if I wanted to I could not really help anyone so when I

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kept doing it and now I like helping other people it very peaceful”. (GGR, personal


The result of the participant shows that there is a distorted idea of self and identity and

negative feelings associated with having experienced labelling. Anger is a concern in the case

of this participant. Participant now uses avoidance of confrontation as a coping strategy.

Through the support from the authorities and peers at the centre, participant is able to

experience increase in self- concept and self-worth through sharing her abilities to cope with

stress.

Cross Case Analysis

This part of the chapter focusses on the cross case analysis, with research objectives

in mind. After gaining insight into each participant‟s idea, concept of social stigma and

coping, the researcher proceeded toward the formulation of master themes cross case wise.

The deeper understanding gained in the result part of this chapter, plays a very important role

in helping the researcher understand how children in conflict with the law perceive labelling.

The results of the cross case analysis is shown in the figures that follow.

Table 9

Results of Objective 1:To Understand the Experience and Perception of Social Labeling and

the Subjective Experience of Being Labeled.

Theme Superordinate Theme Master Theme

Formation of self

and social identity

Distorted idea of

self and identity

generated by

society

Feeling of

1.01.labeling impact on

social identity

1.0 Distorted social identity

and negative emotions of

being labeled

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loneliness and

abandonment from

being labelled

Negative feelings

associated with

being labelled

Low confidence in

ability to help

others

Displacement of

anger caused due to

social labelling

Feelings associated

with being labelled

Feeling of being

controlled by others

in society

Restrictions put on

her way of life by

society

No control over

circumstances

leading her to join

rehab

Restricted and

controlled by

circumstances

Exhibiting effects

of being labelled

Perception of social

labelling through

other‟s experiences

Influences on the

idea of being

labelled

Experience of social

stigma and

perception of

society

1.02.Negative feelings

associated with

being labeled

2.01.Societal

restraints on

thoughts and

behavior

2.02.Influencers

and

experience of

stigmatizatio

n

2.0 Experience of social

control, labels and

stigmatization

87


Figure 1: Super Ordinate and Master Themes of Objective 1.

2.0.EXPERIENCE OF

SOCIAL CONTROL,

LABELS AND

STIGMATIZATION

1.01. Labeling impact on

social identity

1.02. Negative feelings

associated with being labeled

1.0 DISTORTED SOCIAL

IDENITY AND

NEGATIVE EMOTIONS

OF BEING LABELLED

2.01. Societal restraints on

thoughts and behavior

2.02. Influencers and

experience of stigmatization

88


1.0.Distorted social identity and negative emotions of being labelled

Stigmatising labels are often internalised by adolescents to form their identities and

outlook toward society. Children who are surrounded with a strong support system are seen

to adapt well and tackle social stigma positively. Most adolescents though, are not able to

understand the proceedings and functions of certain institutions in society due to their

complexities as well as their own physical, mental changes into adulthood.

Labeling impact on social identity:Family being the primary source of support, it is important

to understand the crucial role it plays during the formative years of the child- adolescence

(Kowalski, 2013). Most children in conflict with the law have already been scrutinized for

their dis regard towards societal norms, it is crucial for the primary support systems to guide

and nurture the goodness in them. Participant 1 strongly states how being stigmatized before

coming into the remand home has affected the way she perceives herself. This process in turn

affects the development of coping methods once she was in the remand home and

rehabilitation centres.

“My aunty had adopted me… first my grandma used to take care of us after my

parents passed away, through her I met aunt. When grandma passed away my aunt

adopted me. My aunt thought I already adopted her, now there is nothing I can do.

She wouldn’t take care of me, and used to call me names and criticise everything I do,

so she found some ashram”. (SS, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

The indifference expressed by society also plays a very important role in shaping the identity

of children. Societal pressures, labelling experienced from family member, friends etc. give

rise to self- defeating thoughts that in turn impact the perception of society and formation of a

social identity. Participant 6 clearly shows how she compares herself to others in society and

her social identity is seen to concretize around this aspect.

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“Before I used to think that everyone else is happy. They all have a good life… and I

am the only one suffering like this alone. And no one wants to be a friend with me was

my thinking back then. I used to think that society is very selfish. No one will help

anyone in need”.(GGR, personal communication, December 31, 2015)

Negative feelings associated with being labeled:Social support is usually provided by the

primary care givers of children. In adolescents this system consists of the family of the child.

In the case of children who are in conflict with the law, it is important to note that this link

that would help children adapt to social stress in a positive manner is usually severed

(Baqutayan, 2011). Thus creating feelings of abandonment and loneliness as well as

generating negative emotions towards society. The feeling of helplessness is usually seen to

modify into anger and other mal adaptive behaviours. Participant 1 states that she feels

helpless when it comes to controlling what other people think about children like her. She is

accustomed to feeling sad due to being labelled and now feels that it does not matter as much

as it used to.

“So every time there is only one problem- Our inabilities to control what people say

about us and scold us. But we are used to it now. I have forgotten what sadness this

used to cause me”. (SS, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Participant 6 discusses about how she feels about being labelled. Due to being called names

and criticised she states that she would get angry and react violently, which is pretty evident

in the behaviours of children in conflict with the law. She narrates this experience as,

“I used to fight physically beat them and all. All used to scold me that I have come

like a beggar and I got so angry. They all have parents who take care of them but they

don’t know anything about me. I lost my patience and i took a slate and hit them (her)

90


on the head then went home and cried a lot about why i am like this. I felt so alone”.

(GGR, personal communication, December 31, 2015)

When one‟s own identity is strongly affected by the social stress that one goes through, it is

important to know that their self-image is usually damaged and children in this state have

very low confidence and self-esteem. They perceive themselves to be alone, abandoned and

incapable of helping other people. Participant 2 narrates that if she would be able to tackle the

stigma she faces from society, she would feel positive and trusting. Due to continuously

being exposed to negative name calling in the remand home, she feels incapable to create

good interpersonal relations.

“I'd rather feel happy….but I don’t think i can trust anyone until I solve all my

troubles first. I am not very close to anyone that why not many people come to me for

help. Nothing is permanent here so rather than facing the pain of leaving someone

close or them leaving its better not to be close to anyone. And deal with the troubles

ourselves”. (LP, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

2.0.Experience of social control, labels and stigmatization

External sources of labeling usually induce the idea that the stigmatizing labels is

actually what defines a child and children adopt to self- labeling behaviors and act upon them

(Jensen, 2006). These external sources are institutions in society that are constant reminders

of the deviance committed by children in conflict with the law.

Societal restraints on thoughts and behavior:Since children can be molded into functional

adults, society usually takes it upon itself to dictate the behaviors and roles to various people

in society. Especially female children in conflict with the law express their feelings over the

control and restrictions on their movement, speech, clothes and like. Participant 1 perceives

91


stigma through their control expressed by society in modifying the behaviors of children like

her. This experience has influenced the way she thinks and this phenomenon is seen in other

children in the centre as well. Participant 1 state talks about how she feels controlled and

influenced by society in the following:

“Suddenly people there were like don’t sit here stand there. Don’t wear dress like this

or like that what will people day.one hand there is no freedom at all to do what we

want but we can’t do anything about it”. (SS, personal communication, December 24,

2015)

Participant 2 conveys that because of the actions of few children breaking the social moral

norms of society, some of them also express the way they have no control over the facilities

they are being shifted to and feel helpless, slowly adapting to the situation around them even

though they feel negative about it.

“I don’t have that in my control. If they send me from one facility to another, I cannot

say anything. It’s not in my power. So if I am close to someone, I have to leave

eventually anyway. So I don’t need to share and be close to anyone”. (LP, personal


Influencers and experience of stigmatization: The perception towards being labeled depends

on the child‟s own self-concept and analyzing capacity. Many children in conflict with the

law show lowered self- worth and self- criticizing behaviors after being exposed to social

stigma. These children find it hard to manage the emotions they go through when being

labeled. Some of the participants though, did not feel that labeling has changed the way they

function much. Participant 2 states:

“It’s been pretty much the same for me, I have not faced much difference from before

and how I am now…just in the remand home they would tease me, I would feel very

92


inferior to them. When friends in school used to call me names and tease me I would

just keep to myself. But I felt very low and sad. But I had the determination to be

better than them”. (LP, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

The idea about social stigma and labelling also is seen arising from the narrated experiences

of others in the facility. The imaginative capacity of children is usually very high and in

situation regarding feelings and difficulties faced they tend to graphically picture the story in

reality. Participant 3 talks about her perception of labelling that have risen from the

experience of a close friend. She states that she has a strong relationship with a girl at the

centre who has influenced her ideas on social stigma.

“Her parents used to scold her a lot like for example they used to ask her to do so

much work. Second mother was always torturing her they only would ask her to do

some things and say why you are doing this. They would make fun of her in front of

other people”.(ST, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

Some of the ideas on social stigma came from the indifference they experienced during their

stay with their families. This experience of constant negativity from people outside as well as

close to them defines how they generalise and view society- understanding the way it

functions. Participant 5 has faced social stigma from a very young age, even before being

admitted in a remand home.She talks about a family who had adopted her from the streets

and how she assumes that they might have faced negative views from society for this

behaviour and therefore, abandoned her. She relates this incident to being abandoned by her

biological mother as well. She has not been able to cope with the same until she came to the

centre.

“I believe society and people used to always make fun of them for taking me in. and

maybe that is why they did not want me there anymore. My real family also said they

93


don’t know me. They left me on the streets and so I can understand now why they

would say that. When I was younger, they traced where I might have come from, but

my parents said they did not know me. I remember sometimes, when someone says

bad things to me”.(SP, personal communication, December 30, 2015)

Table 10

Results of Objective 2:To Understand the Coping Strategies of Female Adolescents in

Conflict with the Law in Rehabilitation Centers who Face or Faced Social Labeling and are

Affected by it.

Theme Superordinate Theme Master themes

Role of support groups in

encouraging life choices

Attachment towards care

givers or support systems

Role of authorities to deal

with labelling

experiences

Role of support systems

in overcoming negativity

Modelling behaviour of

support system

Role of support groups in

building strong sense of

self

Influence of support

groups in developing new

coping strategies

Role of support systems

in overcoming negativity

and change in perception

of society

Feeling helpless and

coping through

acceptance of situation

Rationalizing

circumstances as method

of coping

avoiding confrontation to

3.01. Role of

support groups in

the development

of adaptive coping

strategies

3.0 Interface between support

groups and developing

coping strategies

94


cope with negativity from

society

Acceptance of social

situations

Prayer and venting

applied to cope with

social labels

empathy and analysing

situations as coping

strategies

Venting and belief in

super natural to help cope

with stress

Avoiding confrontation

as a coping strategy

3.02. Coping

strategies against

social labels


3.0.The interface between support groups and developing coping strategies

Many children find it easier to adapt to societal norms when they are in

rehabilitation centers, as these centers are trained in providing the care and support need for

the children to join back society. Coping usually is seen as a mediator of emotion. The

development of coping strategies in the sample, were largely seen as products of observation

3.0. INTERFACE

BETWEEN SUPPORT

GROUPS AND

DEVELOPING COPING

STRATEGIES

3.01. Role of support groups

in the development adaptive

of coping strategies

3.02. Coping strategies

against social labels

95


and modeling (Folkman& Lazarus, 1988). The participants expressed positive emotions while

adopting new methods to cope with labels and stigma. The researcher was also able to find

the main system involved in the development of these children was the support group.

Role of support groups in the development of adaptive coping strategies:The role of social

support groups in managing stress play a very important role in the overall development of a

child‟s identity (Baqutayan, 2011). Freedom is not generally experienced by the children in

conflict with the law. Society always scrutinizes the actions of those who are deviant from

social norms. Participants like SS (participant 1), expressed positive emotions stemming from

the idea of how support systems, that is the rehabilitation centre, were encouraging of their

life choices and did not express any control or restrictions over them.

“Here it is much better, here they take care of everyone equally and same way. When

sister gets a cake also we will say no sister you eat they say we should share and give

us everything they can, so basically you won’t get that sort of love and care from

family or home and they are very open to our life choices and encourage us to do

what we want and what makes us happy”.(SS, personal communication, December

24, 2015)

Support groups are viewed as role models and people in power with the ability to make

changes, to these children since they help them tackle any difficulty they have. With relation

to dealing with social labelling as well, support groups are seen helping children understand

better the choices people make and various behaviours they portray. Participant 3, ST, talks

about how she attended a seminar to deal with the situation they are in, and found that to be

helpful to a point where she is motivated to do the same later in her life.

“I like to help because last year we all went out for a function and then there was a

brother there who conducted some seminar and they were so helpful so i want do that

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too. If anyone asks me for help i have to help them i cannot say no to them”.(ST,


Participant 2, feels happy about the support she receives from the centre but at the same time

senses that she is incompetent to help them the same way. Hence, when others at the centre

approach her for some help, she directs them to the authorities at the centre.

“When people facing the same situation come to me I tell them to go speak to the

authorities because everyone will listen to them… I am powerless in this matter”.(LP,


When children arrive at the centre they are usually ill equipped to deal with the stress society

creates for them. In this scenario, supports systems are seen to change and influence the way

these children cope with such distress. Being exposed to constant negativity from society,

children in conflict with the law exhibit low self- concept and distorted identities, participants

like SP (participant 5), often hail from abusive backgrounds and centre as a support system

helps build a strong sense of self. SP talks about her experience with social stigma and how

her support group helped her.

“Now here I see sisters and my friends all so selflessly helping children like me. I feel

happy, I feel happy to be in the centre, before I had no hope about my life. Now I

believe I can live. The people her help me to move forward. They help me become

independent and now I don’t feel worthless”. (SP, personal communication,

December 30, 2015)

Participant 6 narrates her experience in the rehabilitation centre, how they were able to help

her overcome the stigmatization she faced from society even before she was put into the

remand home, and increase her interpersonal abilities.

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“When I came here I have improved so much. Here they look after me really well...

when I am sad and sitting alone they come and ask me what is wrong. Before no one

would show me that concern... I have many friends here too… Before i did not have

any friends now I know what mothers love means. One counsellor had come here and

sisters had sent me to her saying i have anger issues”. (GGR, personal


Coping strategies against social labels:Coping with social stress has a great impact on the

psychopathology of adolescent girls and is seen that pubertal timings were associated with

internalization of social stress leading to distress and anger (Sontag, Graber, Gunn & Warren,

2008). Avoidance of confrontation and acceptance of situation were seen as the two main

coping strategies applied by female adolescents in conflict with the law. Participant 2 talks

about how she does not like to confront the issues she faces from society.

“I don’t know I don’t like talking about it directly to them. I did not like to stress on

one thing once it’s done. So I just let it be. I don’t find the need to talk to others about

it and whenever I feel sad or face any difficult situation, I don’t tell anyone about it. I

just keep it to myself and not do anything about it”. (LP, personal communication,

December 24, 2015)

Participant 3 rationalizes with the situation, accepts the way things are in her life and clearly

shows her belief in the supernatural.

“I know the reasons I faced labelling by society. But it’s ok… I understand why

people need to show their power over others. I deal with my problems by venting it to

god and I know that situations always have explanations and I have learnt to accept

it”. (ST, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

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Belief in the super natural and prayer is seen as the second highest method of coping, which

is usually due to the influence of support groups but is seen effective against tackling social

stress, from what participant 5 states:



that I am able to communicate with them and share my experiences and whenever I

feel alone, sad of when I could not handle something, I would always speak to god

(pray). And then I would feel my burden has decreased and everything has become

lighter. I talk to sisters also if I feel I am facing a really difficult situation”. (SP,


Due to the feeling of helplessness experienced by some of the participants like LP

(participant 2) and PD (participant 4), they have developed rationalizing and analysing as

their coping strategies. Apart from accepting that they cannot change how society thinks or

feels about them, they try to understand the reason behind such negative behaviour and

rationalise with it. LP states that she likes to empathise with the people involved in teasing

her, and don‟t want to be responsible for others to get punished because of her.

“I don’t like it. I don’t like to see my friends getting hurt. It’s like I go complain about

them... Then they would get punished and I don’t like that. I don’t like them getting

beatings”. (LP, personal communication, December 24, 2015)

Participant 4, on the other hand thinks about how she has learnt through experience that

through analysing situations, solving issues become much easier. She is able to help others by

making them understand to be patient and think before they react.

“I learnt through growth only as in I grew older I could understand situations better

and when I applied this understanding to my problems they get solved, it’s all about

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trial and error. Now I’d think that like how i feel they’d also probably feel that way.

Shame shy and all that to confront them troubles, I just wait for them to be

comfortable enough to share things with me”. (PD, personal communication,

December 28, 2015)

Table 11

Results of Objective 3: To Analyze the Reasons for Adopting a Certain Coping Strategy.

Basic Theme Organizing Theme Global Theme

Moulding identity through


self-fulfilment as reason for

the sustenance and sharing

of coping strategies

Development of self-image


strategies with others

increase in self-concept

promotes sharing behaviour

Increased self-worth from


Freedom to make own

choices and feelings


coping strategies

Feeling of satisfaction as

reason for the sustenance

and sharing coping

strategies

Positive feelings associated

with the sustenance of

coping strategy

4.01. Development of self

and social identity


strategies

4.02. Adaptive feelings


coping strategies

4.0 Sharing of coping

strategies

promoting the

development of a

positive self

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4.0.Sharing of coping strategies promoting the development of a positive self

Learning to share can be challenging for children. In the case of this research, the

participants showed immense positive growth after adapting sharing behavior. Even though

the sharing that has happened is not materialistic in nature, the emotions the participants go

through when they share cooing strategies are seen very similar to that. Children in conflict

with the law struggle during the period when they build their identities and concretize roles in

society. Especially at adolescents, it is crucial for them to have the right guidance. Through

sharing coping methods with other facing or faced similar social stigmas, participants were

able to develop their self- concept and establish strong identities. In turn they also

experienced positive emotions.

Development of self and social identity through sharing coping strategies: Stigmatizing labels

applied externally to individuals is seen to create a phenomenon in these individuals, where

these negative labels are self- consciously applied to them. They tend to refer to themself by

4.0 SHARING OF

COPING

STARTEGIES

PROMOTING THE

DEVELOPMENT OF

A POSITIVE SELF

4.01. Development of self

and social identity through


4.02. Adaptive feelings


coping strategies

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those labels attached and in turn this process becomes their identity (Bodenhausen, 2003). In

the similar manner, sharing of coping strategies applied by the participants helped generating

a positive social identity as they received appreciation and positive emotions from others

around them; this feel good feeling sustains the sharing behaviour in children, as shown by

participant 3.

“Most of the friends have come to me to help them with their relationship issues.so we

are too young to be involved in romantic relationships before I used to help them

because I really like helping. So now here i will help when i can and if anything else i

go and tell sister about it. But I’ll always help one way or another. I’d tell the

authorities if it’s something that I cannot handle”. (ST, personal communication,

December 28, 2015)

The researcher also found that a lot of positivity was generated through the sharing coping

strategies with others that in turn uplifted their self- image and self-worth. Participant 4, 5

and 6 speak about the feeling of being wanted and gaining the ability to help others in times

of their difficulties, makes the participants feel responsible and appreciated. When participant

4, PD shares her coping with others at the centre, she experiences positive emotions as stated

below.

“I feel I have done something good. I have helped them and I have that ability to help

others. And the ones I help also always model what I do when people they know need

help”. (PD, personal communication, December 28, 2015)

Participant 5 talks about when she faces issues support groups helping her cope with it and

how that works for her. She is yet to experience the feeling of sharing her coping methods

with others and helping others in similar situations as her.

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that I am able to communicate with them and share my experiences”. (SP, personal


Participant 6 feels accomplished and trusted when she is able to help others at the centre who

go through social stigma. She says that,

“Before I feel alone and like I had to do everything but now that I am able to help

others I feel I myself am improving. I share that power to change someone else life if

feel everything nice to know that people trust me completely and that only because I

help them. But talking to someone really helps. They have that conviction to do what i

ask and it does help me too”. (GGR, personal communication, December 31, 2015)

Adaptive feelings associated with sharing coping strategies: Pro- social behaviours promotes

harmonious relations with others, usually this behaviour is associated with achieving success

and satisfaction(Jackson &Tisak, 2001). Sharing coping strategies is mainly for the outcome

of promoting pro social behaviour. In the participants, it gave rise to positive emotions such

as happiness, satisfaction and freedom. These factors become the main reason for the

sustenance of sharing behaviour. Participant 1 SS, relates to others in the rehabilitation

centre, and that is what motivates her to help them cope with the issues she faces. She

believes through helping others, she is helping herself. She states that,

“When people share their trouble with me about how they went to remand homes, I

know how it is to be an orphan but I have sister, so I always tell them to not think they

have no one there always somebody to take care of you. I feel very happy helping

them I don’t remember any bad felling when coming across my experience”. (SS,


103


Participant 5 SP, talks about positive emotions she goes through when she is able to help

others. She too believes that helping others makes her feel accomplished and sustains this

pro-social behaviour.

“I feel very happy that I am able to do something for others too. And when I tell them,

they will pray and vent…and I have seen that it helps them too the way it helps me.

It’s all about trust I think. If we believe in something it will work”.(SP, personal


104


Propositional model

MANIFESTS ITSELF

MANIFESTS ITSELF

LEADING TO

Figure 4: Representation of the Propositional Model for the Study

EXPERIENCE OF SOCIAL LABELLING&

STIGMATIZATION

Control and Restrictions by society Negative impact on development of self

Distorted thoughts and

deviant behaviour

Lowered Self- Worth,

Sadness, Guilt, Anger

SUPPORT SYSTEM AS AN INFLUENCER

Promoting adaptive coping

strategies

Happiness, Self – fulfilment,

increased self- concept

Reduction in repetition

of deviant behaviours

Increase in sharing and

pro-social behaviour

105


The propositional model focused on linking the main objective of the study to the

master themes that are derived from the data collected. The main objective of the study

wasto understand the experienceof social labelling and coping infemale adolescents in

conflict with the law. The master themes derived from the cross case analysis shows that the

results can evidently be placed in two categories.

The first and second master theme derived which are distorted social identity and

negative emotions of being labelled, and experience of social control, labels and

stigmatization, both focus on the development of distorted identities, feelings of low self-

worth, sadness, anger and guilt. Participants also showed that stigmatization was mostly

experienced by them through the control and restrictions placed on them by society over their

thoughts and behaviours. Participants also exhibited negative experiences of being labelled

such as loneliness, trust issues, abandonment, anger, vengefulness and remorse.

The third and fourth master themes being, the interface between support groups and

development of coping strategies and sharing of coping strategies promoting the development

of a positive self, show a more positive approach towards dealing with social labelling

phenomenon. This process generated and increased self- worth, competence, empathy,

happiness, satisfaction and overall growth. Support groups play a very important role in

generating adaptive methods of coping in children in conflict with the law. Development of

self and identity and adaptive feelings such as happiness, self-fulfilment and increase in self

concept can be seen though sharing of coping strategies with others facing similar difficulties.

Through this model one will be able to understand that social labelling is perceived

to be negatively affecting the development of identity and sense of self. Through the

experiences faced by the participants it can also be viewed that this negativity experienced by

them, influences the way they perceive society in general as well as any re-occurrence of

106


crime (McGrath &Weatherburn, 2012). Regarding coping, through the results of the study

and this model, support systems (authorities and peers at the centre), play a very important

role in help generating positive and adaptive methods of coping with stressful situations. The

model can also help in the generation of interventions for children in conflict with the law.

By educating the general population and individuals who have firsthand experience in

handling children in conflict with the law, one can help create conducive environment for

positive growth and lessen the occurrence and repetition of deviant behaviours.

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Chapter 5

Summary and Conclusion

Social labelling phenomenon dictates that when a child is being labelled, he/she is

found to internalise these labels and act upon them giving rise to a self- fulfilling prophecy.

This is seen as the idea/ experience of being tagged or labelled negatively by society. This

process is seen possible due to social interaction (O‟ Grady, 2011). When one deviates from

standard cultural norms, it gives rise to deviance. Children in conflict with the law express

this deviance towards the control and restrictions they perceive coming from society.

There is an imbalance that occurs when the stress created by society exceeds the

coping ability of the child. The confrontation with societal pressure and expectations has

probed this research to understand the pattern of coping that female adolescents in conflict

with the law adopt against being labelled. The current study focuses on understanding the

experience of social labelling and coping in female adolescents in conflict with the law.The

specific objectives are as listed below:






The study followed a qualitative research method using semi structured interviews

for data collection. Six female adolescents were interviewed and data was recorded and

analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).The individual case results

showed that each participant had generated their own perception of social labelling due to

negative experiences they have faced of heard of from someone close to them. Each

108


participant also had a different set of coping strategies to deal with social stigma such as

meditation, self- talk, praying, projecting feelings, venting and avoidance of stressful

situations. Most of the participants also stated to have faced loneliness, worthlessness, low

self-esteem and feelings of abandonment during some part in their lives. Relationship wise,

participants showed low trust towards others around them, strained relations with family,

generating new ideas around support groups being their true family and using their own

negative experiences to help others around them. The major findings of the study are listed

below.

Major Findings of the Study

The principle focus of the study aimed at understanding the experience of social

labelling and coping in female adolescents in conflict with the law. The researcher

performed case by case analysis and proceeded towards a cross case analysis using IPA

method. The findings are as follows:

1. There is a social identity and labelling interface that shows how this develops a

distorted sense of self that is seen to be generated through society.

2. Stigmatization leads to negative emotional experiences such as loneliness,

displacement of anger, abandonment, trust issues and low confidence, which were

feeling associated with being labelled

3. Having no control over own circumstances and feelings of being controlled and

restricted by society are experiences of social control, labels and stigmatization that

children in conflict with the law go through.

4. Experience of being labeled that shaped their perception,was seen through the

exhibition of negative effects of being labeled such as aggression, loneliness, low

109


interpersonal skills and trust issues. Perception of social labelingalso was generated

through other‟s experiences of social stigma.

5. Role of support groups in developing coping strategies was seen through overcoming

negative labeling experiences, developing new coping strategies, encouraging life

choices, building a strong sense of self and changing the perception of society in

children in conflict with the law.

6. Coping strategies adapted against social labeling were, acceptance of situations,

avoiding confrontations, rationalizations, analyzing difficulties, prayer, venting and

feeling of empathy for others.

7. Sharing coping strategies led to the development of a sound social identity, self-

fulfillment, increased self-image, self- concept and self- worth.

8. Adaptive feelings that were associated with sharing coping strategies were, freedom

to make own choices, feeling of satisfaction and positive emotions as outcome to

sharing behavior.

Limitations of the Study

1. Labelling theory largely seems to be focusing on adopting impractical policies which

has been critically looked upon as it does not tend to explain more serious crimes in

society which are considered universally wrong or deviant. Due to this factor

labelling can become an automatic response and not a conscious one.

2. The process of being labelled emphasizes on not the fault of individuals but that of

the society and family in inducing deviance, this can increase the repetition of

deviant behaviours.

3. Personality traits, Parenting styles and other phenomena could also be a reason for

deviance and concept of social labelling alone might not be able to explain it.

110


4. During the process of narration or questioning, the study might induce ideas in

children in conflict with law, which go against their wellbeing and establishing

coping patterns might be difficult.

Implications of the Study

1. The strong basis of the findings, create knowledge and insight about the wide spread

of the labelling phenomenon and will help in client empowerment, helpingthem cope

with labelling influences and how it can be managed in situations they face, more

effectively.

2. Various fields of Psychology can use this information as a base for understanding the

process of coping with social labels and its effects on the child‟s wellbeing.

3. Study shows that there are changes and influences that occur in the coping pattern of

children in conflict with the law, due to being labelled; therefore it would be helpful

to bring such changes in to the awareness of the participants.

4. Furthermore the study implies Psycho-educating the participants, families, authorities

and institutions/ managements involved on how to effectively manage stress.

5. Generate methods for effective emotional management and adaptive behaviours as

well as the awareness and guidance will help children in conflict with the law deal

with other elements that social labelling generates, such as stress, loneliness, anger

and helplessness more effectively.

6. Help in reduction of crime and deviance committed by children in conflict with the

law once they re-integrate back to society.

7. To probe further research on the relationship between societal labelling and crime as

well as factors and experiences that lead to deviance of social moral norms.

111


Scope for Further Research

This study aimed at understanding the experience of social labeling phenomenon,

coping with social stigmas and reasons for adopting certain coping strategies. Many areas

can be researched upon using the information in this study:

1. Detailed study on the psychological processes of children in conflict with the law can

help understand their psyche. Further research can generate many helpful insights to

it.

2. Research can be conducted to understand authorities, parents or care-givers

perspective on the labeling phenomenon. This in turn might also be beneficial in

helping children handle intimacy and relationships in a much adaptive manner.

3. Learning about the coping strategies employed by different stigmatized groups such

as, orphans, child laborers, children below poverty line, disabled children and so on

will help generate interventions which can be applied to help cope with social stigma

positively. These interventions can enhance adaptive feelings such as worthiness,

self- image and self- concept in stigmatized populations.

4. Peer pressure and education influencing the repetition of deviant behaviors can be

further researched upon.

5. The study focused upon the idea of social stigma in female children in conflict with

the law. Research can also be undertaken to understand male perspectives on the

matter.

6. Psycho- educating the care- givers on the psychological processes of children and

providing guidance towards Career development in children in conflict with the law

are also topics that have good scope for research.

112


7. Research on proceedings of the juvenile justice system and understanding the

interface between deviance and labeling can help the general population to better

understand the concepts that come under social stigma.

The study on coping with social labeling in female adolescents in conflict with the

law concludes here with the understanding that factors which are involved in the labeling

phenomenon have strong emotional effects on children in conflict with the law. Care- givers/

support systems play a crucial role in generating adaptable coping strategies for these

children.

113


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Appendix A

Consent Form for Participation in a Research Study

Christ University

EXPERIENCE OF COPING WITH SOCIAL LABELLING IN FEMALE

ADOLESCENTS IN CONFLICT WITH LAW

Description of the research and your participation

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Mili Reddy, currently

pursuing a Masters of Philosophy in Psychology program, under the guidance of Dr. Tissy

Mariam, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Christ University.

The purpose of this research is to understand the experience of social labelling and coping

strategies adopted and propagated in female adolescents in conflict with the law.

Your participation will involve providing the researcher with an interview, lasting for about

one hour.

Should you choose to participate in this research, you will be given due recognition

for your contribution in the event of it being published, albeit in anonymous form. This

research may further help the researcher to gain a better understanding of Juvenile

perspective(s) of how they cope with trauma and abandonment, create strategies to deal with

difficult social situations and reasons for choosing certain coping method as sharing the same

with other individuals in similar situations.

Protection of confidentiality

The researcher will ensure that your privacy is maintained and that the information

you provide will be kept strictly confidential. Your identity will not be revealed in any

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publication regarding this study. Tapes and transcripts will be numbered and stored safely.

The data will be revealed to concerned authorities and the institution, only after gaining your

permission to do so.

Voluntary participation

Your participation in this research study is voluntary. You may choose not to

participate and you may withdraw your consent to participate at any time. You will not be

penalized or questioned in any way should you decide not to participate or to withdraw from

this study.

Contact information

If you have any questions or concerns about this study or if any problems arise, please

contact the researcher [email protected]

Ph. No: 7829069702

Consent

I have read this consent form and have been given the opportunity to ask questions. I

give my consent to participate in this study.

Participant‟s signature_______________________________ Date: _________________

mailto:[email protected]

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Appendix B

Demographic details of the participants

Demographic sheet

Name:

Age:

Years spent in the remand home or rehabilitation centre:

Education:

Socio Economic Status:

Languages known:

Personal Details:

1. Can you tell me something about yourself?

2. What are your interests?

3. Can we talk about your friends?

4. Who are you most comfortable with?

Relationship with primary care givers:

1. Can you describe your relationship with your care giver(s)?

2. Who are you closer to in your family? Who do you spend most time with?

3. Could you describe your role in or some activities you do in your family?

4. Could you describe your relationship with your care giver(s)?

5. Can we talk about your relationship with your siblings?

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About self in relation with others:

1. Can you describe your relations with others?

2. Could you talk about your feelings when you‟re with your friends?

3. Can we discuss instances where you have had negative experiences from society?

4. Do have any idea about how your relatives, neighbours and friends perceive you as a

person?

Subordinate questions:

1. Have you ever looked back into your history to explore the experiences that have

shaped you into the person you are today?

2. What are the major feelings you went through during the times you spent in the

remand home or rehabilitation centre?

3. Have you ever thought of how your future would be?

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Appendix C

Semi Structured Questionnaire

EXPERIENCE OF COPING WITH SOCIAL LABELLING IN FEMALE

ADOLESCENTS IN CONFLICT WITH LAW

(Social labelling: deals with the phenomenon of majority of the population attach stigmatizing labels/

name calling, to the minorities or persons viewed as to being deviant from standard cultural norms.)

1. Think about the time you have been here at the centre or at a remand home,

please discuss if you have faced or experienced social labelling by the

authority, peers, family or society.

2. How has the experience affected your work and functioning?

3. Let us talk about the people involved in the experience?

4. What are the ways you dealt/ deal with the experience in your life?

5. How are you been able to manage it?

6. Let us discuss about the difficulties you have faced in coping with labelling

and how has it affected you?

7. How do you view social experiences? How has it changed the way you see

society?

8. What are the major changes that took place in your life due to being labelled?

9. What are the ways that the centre can help you to deal with the difficulties you

face?

10. Which are the support systems you have come across? How have they helped

you cope with labelling?

11. Shall we talk about the reasons you chose this pattern of coping?

12. Let us talk about sharing your pattern of coping with others at the centre?

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13. Let‟s talk about the experience of sharing your coping strategies with others

facing similar situations or difficulties.

14. What are the ways they have been able to incorporate your methods to deal

with their difficulties related to being labelled?

15. How does this make you feel about yourself and the people involved?

16. What are the reasons why you share your coping strategies with others?

17. Discuss experiences, functioning, processing, coping, precautions.

experience of coping with social labeling in female...

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