Using a social constructionist approach, this study explores the self-perceptions of young men who, when at school, were classed as boys with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). The aim is to understand how these perceptions were forged throughout the young men's life-courses resulting in changing self-identities. The study also…

This paper uses Foucault's notion of parrhesia to analyse the story of another and to interrogate teacher education in terms of the particular moral order or the forms of socialization that it uses. I examine the context of my own teaching in terms of truth-telling and the normative expectations that were found to exist. Through reflection and…

This article explores how Greek Cypriot elementary school children construct their identities in relation to Sri Lankan and Filipino women who come to Cyprus as domestic workers. The article focuses primarily on the views of children whose families employ these women; however, the views of children whose families do not employ domestic workers are…

This study highlights a population that has been largely overlooked in sociological research on labeling and identity: people who formerly identified with emotional disorder labels and have chosen to discard them ("delabelers"). My qualitative analysis of 40 delabelers' narratives explores processes of identification and disidentification by…

This paper illuminates a period of change in the lives of a group of 20 vocational lecturers as they find themselves challenged by both their own and others' categorisation of what and who they are. Such conflicting perspectives are made even starker by their management's introduction of technological innovation into the lecturers' traditional…

For undergraduate engineering students, development of an engineering identity is an important outcome of their education as they progress towards their professional selves. This process is reflected in engineering colleges' frequent practice of referring to engineering students as "engineers" (even in the earliest days following matriculation) in…

It is essential for a school public relations professional to be familiar with disability competency as it relates to counseling programs within the schools and community. This article is an introduction to disability competency in such settings. The initial discussion highlights a historical perspective of the treatment of persons with…

Results of questionnaires administered to 295 gifted and talented students (9-15 years old) suggested that their stereotypes regarding gifted and talented students were highly positive. Students reported that giftedness can be attained by hard work, that they are not very different from others, and that others treat them well. (Author/CL)

This case study examines José, a bilingual Latino fifth-grader, and his complex and dynamic engagements in "travesuras" (mischievous behaviors). José's "travesuras" served to disassociate him from being labeled a "schoolboy." This disassociation was evident in how José: (1) renounced "school-like" work and…

Discusses the ease with which mental labels become imprinted in our system, six basic axioms for maintaining negative mental tattoos, and psychological processes for eliminating mental tattoos and labels. (RK)

Though labeling often is correctly condemned as reductionism, sometimes naming a disability assists the affected person by explaining unusual behavior and facilitating acceptance and remediation of it. (JG)

Since the late 1990s, the Independent Women's Forum (IWF) has run two major campaigns on the campuses of American colleges and universities. One, entitled "Free Cupid!," attempts to combine gender egalitarianism with conservative notions of heterosexual romance. The second campaign, entitled "Top Ten Things Your Professors Do to Skew You, "…

The author examines problems and strengths in current research on labeling of gifted children and offers suggestions designed to broaden the scope of such research to include aspects of self-concept, teacher expectancy and effects of labeling on children, families, peers, and school personnel. (CL)

Self-concepts of 54 regular class, 48 learning disabled (LD) and 22 students referred for special education were measured, and mothers were asked to rate their child's self-concept. Results revealed minimal differences between self-concept scores of LD and regular class children. Mothers of LD Ss predicted lower self-concepts than their children.…

A study involving 216 retarded and nonretarded 12- to 14-year-olds supported the hypothesis that viewing a peer labeled as retarded or nonretarded affects estimates of one's own recall. Subjects viewing a "retarded" actor estimated their own recall would be higher than subjects viewing the actor as a fast learner. (CL)