Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA.
Sex Abuse. 2024 Sep;36(6):714-744. doi: 10.1177/10790632231200835. Epub 2023 Sep 6.
Individuals convicted of a sexual offense are subject to considerable levels of stigmatization that should lead to internalization of the criminal label according to some versions of labeling theory (Becker, 1963). Recent research has begun to explore how individuals resist and otherwise negotiate their identities in response to stigma, although this research has not yet been applied to the study of stigma associated with the "sex offender" label. Such research is significant because a noncriminal identity is important to facilitating and maintaining desistance from crime. Using in-depth interviews with 20 individuals previously convicted of a sexual offense in a southern U.S. state, this paper investigates the strategies individuals have used to resist stigma associated with the "sex offender" label and how these strategies may help to interrupt the process of self-stigmatization. Results suggest these individuals employ a variety of resistance strategies, which may serve as another tool for managing a "spoiled identity."
个体被判犯有性犯罪，会受到相当程度的污名化，根据一些标签理论的版本，这应该导致犯罪标签的内化（Becker，1963）。最近的研究已经开始探索个体如何抵抗和协商他们的身份，以应对污名，尽管这项研究尚未应用于与“性犯罪者”标签相关的污名研究。这项研究意义重大，因为非犯罪身份对于促进和维持犯罪戒除至关重要。本文通过对美国南部一个州的 20 名曾被判犯有性犯罪的个体进行深入访谈，调查了个体用来抵抗与“性犯罪者”标签相关的污名的策略，以及这些策略如何帮助中断自我污名化的过程。研究结果表明，这些个体采用了多种抵抗策略，这可能成为管理“受损身份”的另一种工具。
