Two groups of boys, one working class and the other middle class, engage in equal amounts of delinquent activity. The members of one group are considered "boys being boys," and the members of the other are considered "troublemakers." Which of the following theories best explains this difference? a) Labeling Theory b) Blame theory c) Social disassociative theory

a) Labeling Theory

Explanation:

In psychology and criminology, labeling theory states that people behave in ways that reflect how other people label them. In other words, we label people based on their social status, age, race, nationality and other factors and then the people from these groups start identifying themselves with these labels and behaving accordingly.

In this example, two groups of boys, one from the working class and another one from the middle class engage in equal amounts of delinquent activity. However, society labels them in different ways: "troublemakers" vs. "Boys being boys" probably based on the difference in social status. Thus, the theory that best explains this difference is the Labeling Theory.