(1) Labelling, Moral Panics and Interactive Construction of the Deviant Figure Flashcards
Examples of hypodermic syringe model
(1) moral panics:
- eg satanic panic was created by media fuelling fear of anything resembling satanic cults),
- eg, pizzagate, bioterrorism
(2) folk devils
What is a folk devil?
person or group of people who are portrayed in folklore or the media as outsiders and deviant, and who are blamed for crimes or other sorts of social problems; see also: scapegoat
eg, portrayal of refugees, lgbtqi+ groups in the US
MST - Moral Panics: (1) Grass Roots Model
general public feels the moral panic and its widespread! (eg, drug crisis and crime in the states)
MST - Moral Panics: (2) Interest Groups Model
interest groups (like police, religious groups, media, etc) have a stake in bringing forward an issue which is independent of the interests of elites (such that elites can’t dictate the timing of panics - rejects dominant ideology approach here)
MST - Moral Panics: (4) Attributional model
- 1) concern (some reported conduct or event sparks anxiety)
- 2) hostility (the perpetrators are portrayed[labeled] as folk devils)
- 3) consensus (the negative social reaction is broad and unified)
- 4) disproportionality (the extent of the conduct, or the threat it poses, are exaggerated)
- 5) volatility (the media’s reporting and the associated panic emerge - and also dissipates - rather suddenly)
4 analogies for defining deviance
(1) Statistical
(2) Medical
(3) Functional & dysfunctional (identifies functional and dysfunctional parts of society and that society discriminates against the dysfunctional)
(4) Relativistic (closest to Becker’s own view) (depends on whether the group considers it to be bad - once the group decides the rules)
Labelling (Becker’s Outsiders): 3 stages of creating deviance
- (1) ‘making the rules whose infraction constitutes deviance’,
- (2) ‘applying those rules to particular people’
- (3) ‘labeling them outsiders’
Labelling (Becker’s Outsiders): What’s common for all deviant actors?
They’re all labelled as outsiders!
Labelling (Becker’s Outsiders): when do we know if an act is deviant or not?
Once others have responded to it! deviance lies in the interaction btw those who commit act and those who respond (noting that bc society isn’t homogeneous, society responds
Labelling (Becker’s Outsiders): consequence of deviant labelling
Master status –> Once labelled main identification is that they’re deviant, ie, sex offender – the first marker of your identity – all you are is a sex offender, all you are is a thief
SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY IN A WAY
Labelling (Becker’s Outsiders): shortcoming of labelling
- Deterministic - does everyone accept the label?
- Not acknowledging the agency in the acts of the rule breaker?
- Offenders are victims?
- Romanticising them, making them seem as victims of these problems
- Too focused on interactions - where are the structural inequalities? [and why might they be underplayed?]
Dominant Ideology Approach: Labelling theory says that self-identity and the behavior of individuals may be determined or influenced by
the terms used to describe/classify them –> deviance isn’t inherent in an act but focuses on the tendency of majorities to negatively label minorities or those seen as deviant from standard cultural norms
Example of labelling
incels - involuntary celibates –> employing biology and human nature to justify the labels and ideology behind them - actively seeking for verification of self-loathing world views
Labelling (Becker’s Outsiders): when do we know if an act is deviant or not?
Once others have responded to it! deviance lies in the interaction btw those who commit act and those who respond (noting that bc society isn’t homogeneous, society responds
