Interactionism Flashcards
Interactionism refers to ….
how people in society interact with one another
What does interactionism argue and believe about crime?
that the official statistics on crime are socially constructed and believe that crime is also a social construction
Becker put forward …
that crime is a subjective concept and the agents of social control label certain acts as deviant or criminal and that it will be punished accordingly
What are the two types of deviance
- primary deviance
- secondary deviance
Who referred to the two types of deviance?
Edwin Lemert
What is primary deviance?
an act of deviance that has not been socially labelled at deviant
What happens when an act/ behaviour has been labelled as deviant?
the labelled individual will start to view themselves as deviant, this becomes their ‘master status’ and lead to self-fulfilling prophecy meaning that they start to internalise the label and act upon it
How do the media contribute to deviant or criminal behaviour?
they ‘demonise’ people who have been socially labelled as deviant, which creates a moral panic and those labelled appear as ‘folk devils’, marginalising and alienating them
further. This process is referred to deviancy amplification.
What is the definition of folk devils?
a person of bad influence on society
What is the definition of deviancy amplification?
process of which the extent and seriousness of deviant behaviour is exaggerated
What impact can labelling have?
it can often lead to stereotyping
What is secondary deviance?
an act that has been labelled as deviant
