Robert Merton Advanced the Idea That Labeling Can Bring About

question 32

Essay

Robert Merton advanced the idea that labeling can bring about self-fulfilling prophecies: that inaccurate beliefs, if repeated loudly and frequently enough, can become true. Compare the ideas of Merton and those of the sociologist Elijah Anderson, who believed that a self-fulfilling prophecy has contributed to racial conflict in the United States.

---

Definitions:

Assets

Resources controlled by a business due to past transactions or events, from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable are amounts owed to a company by customers for goods or services delivered on credit, expected to be collected as cash.

Notes Payable

A written agreement to pay a specific amount to a lender at a future date, typically including interest payments, classified as a liability on the balance sheet.

Ending Equity

The total value of all ownership interests in the company at the end of the accounting period, after all revenues and expenses are accounted for.