Why is Howard Becker significant in Sociology?

Howard Becker is a labelling theorist who believed that an act in not inherentely criminal until it is labelled and until there is a societal reaction to this act. This is important in sociology when studying crime because this indicates that crime is a social construct. We as a society decide what is criminal which then causes it to be labelled. Becker completed a study of hippy marihuana users and found that the hippy users were deemed as outsiders, especially by the agents of social control, this then led to the deviance amplification spiral because they lost their self concept and their master status was now nothing more than a 'deviant' which caused the drugs to become a peripheral in their activities and which ultimately, led to a societal reaction. Becker is important because he looked at crime from a micro point of view; seeing how we as individuals have an impact on the society unlike other previous theories such as Marxism that looked at society from a macro point of view, therefore, Becker is important to sociology, especially when studying crime because we now see a different point of view that focuses upon the individual.