Interactionism

Question 1

What type of study is interactionism?

Answer 1

Micro (small scale interactions)

Question 2

Labelling Theory (Becker)

Answer 2

• “Deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label”
• Labels will affect behaviour
• Action gets labelled, socially constructed

Question 3

Becker

Answer 3

• Society creates deviance by creating rules
• Once considered an outsider, treated as such
• Generally given a master status (greatest importance)
• Based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation
• Lead to stigma for society
• Person internalises label = self fulfilling prophecy

Question 4

Rosenthal and Jacobson

Answer 4

Pygmalion effect

• Our actions towards others
• Impact others belief’s about us
• Cause others actions towards us
• Reinforce our beliefs about ourselves
• Influence our actions

Question 5

Self-fullfilling prophecies

Answer 5

Once given a label/expectations, the person internalises this and acts accordingly

Question 6

How may a deviant career start?

Answer 6

Act - Label of act - Self fulfilling prophecy (internalise) - Master status (avoiding label) - Deviant career (can’t associate with people of a different master status)

Question 7

William Chambliss

Answer 7

Researched The Saints and The roughnecks in 1970

Question 8

The Saints

Answer 8

• Well dressed/polite
• Avoided school but good students
• Highly regarded by teachers
• Ended up successful jobs with good money

Question 9

The Roughnecks

Answer 9

• Not well dressed/mannered
• Working class
• Teachers saw them heading for trouble
• Ended up working class/low paid

Question 10

How did the labels Saints/Roughnecks affect their future chances?

Answer 10

The saints were well regarded they were aiming to achieve higher, the roughnecks had a negative stigma attached so they behaved in this way

Question 11

Daniel Briggs

Answer 11

• Study on what happens to young people in Ibiza
• Engaged in risky criminal behaviour
• Behave in a way that is expected of them
• Due to the label placed on them

Question 12

Blackman

Answer 12

• Claimed drug use was normalised for young people
• Current policies can’t work because people don’t consider careful leisure of drugs a problem
• Presents an argument for the decriminalisation of drugs

Question 13

Strengths

Answer 13

Developed a style of research called ethnography (in depth) used by many researches such as the CCCS

Question 14

Weaknesses

Answer 14

• Doesn’t explain why people act in a deviant way
• Ignores capitalism/issues of social power (e.g. class, race and gender)
• People can reject labels given to them
• Focus on lower class, outsider groups