Labeling theory refers to the way in which people determine another person's characteristics after he/she has been labeled under a negative category by an official agency.  The label given to a person equips him/her with emotionally connotative characteristics that people then use to identify and judge that individual.  A person may be given such a label if he/she has deviated too far from the accepted norm of behavior.  Thus, one small piece of information about a person that highlights a deviation can communicate a message that influences the impressions informed by others (LeFleur, 2005).

For more information on the labeling theory, please read Labeling Theories of Crime.