The document compares and contrasts two sociological approaches to mental health and illness: social reaction (labeling) theory and social constructivism. Social reaction theory views mental illness as arising from the social reaction of labeling someone as deviant, leading to secondary deviance, while social constructivism sees mental illness as entirely socially constructed through discourses and power relations with no primary deviance. Both theories are critical of mainstream views, but social constructivism is more radical in rejecting any physical or biological basis for mental disorders. The theories differ in their theoretical frameworks and implications for understanding the origins and nature of mental illness.