Interactionism

Question 1

What is interactionism?

Answer 1

a theory that says in order to understand behaviour in society, you need to take a bottom up approach.
They see society as a product of human interactions and the meanings individuals place on those interactions.
They’re critical of structural theories (Func. & Marx.) as they focus on structural causes of crime (blocked opps. & social class)

Question 2

What do interactionists say about crime

Answer 2

‘normal’ and ‘deviant’ behaviour is relative and there’s no universal or fixed agreement on how to define them. Definitions of crime change with the historical period (homosexuality and suicide were illegal)

Question 3

What are the 4 concepts interactionists argue with crime in society

Answer 3

1. the social construction of deviance
2. labelling and deviance
3. the negotiation of justice
4. deviance amplification

Question 4

What’s the construction of deviance

Answer 4

Becker agues that no act itself is deviant, it’s a social construct and only becomes deviant when people label it as such.
Social construction requires one group with limited power who acts in a certain way and a group with more power to respond negatively and label the act criminal.

Question 5

What is labelling and deviance

Answer 5

Becker points out people react differently to the same act depending on the social context. Labelling can have certain effects on people (+ or -) and can lead to a self fulfilling prophecy.

Question 6

What are the effects of labelling in crime

Answer 6

Becker and Lamert argue labelling can lead to more deviance.
2 effects: primary and secondary deviance
Primary deviance: insignificant acts that haven’t been publicly labelled; they don’t alter a person’s identity so they don’t see themselves as deviant.
Secondary deviance: as a result of being publicly labelled, may find themselves stigmatised and excluded from normal society. Criminal label becomes a MASTER STATUS; meaning society will interpret other actions/motives the same as the label (+ or -).

Question 7

What’s a self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 7

The labelled person may see themselves as deviant and act accordingly with the label because they’ve internalised the label they were given.
This can create a deviant career as the temptation to commit further crime is increasing, the more they internalise the label.

Question 8

What’s the negotiation of justice

Answer 8

Idea that some groups have the power to avoid having negative labels put on them; suggested by CICOUREL.
In his study of delinquency, he showed criminal label is not fixed but negotiable.
Identified stages in the negotiation of whether behaviour was deemed ‘deviant’ or not

Question 9

What are the 2 stages in the negotiation of justice

Answer 9

Stage 1: police’s interpretation of someone’s behaviour; influenced by their assumptions and stereotypes.
Stage 2: if someone is arrested, further interpretations are made based on if the person fits the ‘typical delinquent’ stereotypes (influenced by gender, ethnicity and class).

Question 10

What’s deviance amplification

Answer 10

Attempts to control deviance by agents of social control (police, courts, media) can create further deviance.
E.g. increased stop and search by police enforced a deviant label on that community which lead to a snowball effect as the group engaged in more deviance.