Interactionism and Labelling theory: Flashcards
Crime/Deviance is socially constructed:
How is crime/deviance socially constructed? (use sociologist)
Becker argues that deviance is not about the behaviour itself but about how society labels certain actions.
Deviant can mean different things to different people showing how it is socially constructed.
Key word:
What are moral entrepreneur’s?
People or groups who try to change laws by labelling certain behaviours as wrong or harmful.
Crime/Deviance is socially constructed:
What effects do the laws that moral entrepreneur’s make have? (use sociologist) e.g. marginalising some groups
Becker - laws created by moral entrepreneurs marginalise people by labelling them deviants.
Platt (1969) in the 19th century, reformers created juvenile delinquency laws.
This labelling can isolate young people and increase the likelihood of them committing crime due to the self-fulfilling prophecy.
Crime/Deviance is socially constructed:
What effects do the laws that moral entrepreneur’s make have? (use sociologist) e.g. social control
Becker argues that moral entrepreneurs push for new laws not because a behaviour is harmful, but to increase their own power.
e.g. Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, claimed it was to protect young people.
However, it helped the M/C gain more power over the W/C by making marijuana illegal and therefore restricting freedoms.
Crime is socially constructed:
What factors effect whether someone is convicted of a crime? (THERE ARE 3)
Interactions with police: If people have positive interactions with officers, they are less likely to be convicted.
Appearance and background: People from ethnic minorities or W/C backgrounds are more likely to be convicted than white M/C.
Situation of the offence: White-collar crimes (non-violent) are less likely to be punished than blue-collar crimes (violent).
Crime is socially constructed:
Who is labelled when it comes to crime? (use sociologist)
Piliavin and Briar (1964) found that police decisions to arrest youth were influenced by gender, class, and ethnicity.
This shows that crime is socially constructed, shaped by society’s norms and biases, not fixed or objective.
Key word:
What is the negotiation of justice?
How legal outcomes can be influenced by race, class, gender, rather than based on fairness.
Meaning justice is not always equal or impartial.
Crime is socially constructed:
How can justice be negotiated (use sociologist)
Cicourel (1968) police decisions to arrest are influenced by stereotypes.
This leads officers to focus on certain groups, increasing arrests in those areas, which reinforces their biases a cycle that creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.
M/C less arrested than W/C because their background doesn’t fit the stereotype, and W/C youth are more likely to be prosecuted.
Crime is socially constructed:
How can official crime statistics not be trusted? (use sociologist)
Cicourel’s argues statistics that are used for crime aren’t accurate as they don’t give a valid picture of the patterns of crime.
e.g. white collar crime is less reported than blue collar crimes so it doesn’t give an accurate picture of what the crime rates are - gives an advantage to the ruling class as more restrictions are put on the W/C.
Crime is socially constructed:
What is the dark figure of crime and how does it show that crime is socially constructed?
The “dark figure of crime” is the crime that goes unnoticed or unreported.
e.g. white-collar crime is often hidden, showing that the justice system favours the middle class. Also crime is based on stereotypes not accurate data therefore cannot be trusted
Crime is socially constructed:
How can alternative statistics show that crime is socially constructed?
Victim surveys (asking people about crimes they’ve experienced) - get a more accurate picture of crime.
However, people forget/exaggerate meaning that they might not be accurate. Also everyone’s experience of crime will be different - too broad.
The effects of labelling:
What is primary deviance? (use sociologist)
Lemert (1951) argues that primary deviance is when minor deviant acts that aren’t publicly labelled.
As they go un-noticed it has little impact on how a person views themselves.
Effects of labelling:
What is secondary deviance? (use sociologist)
Lemert (1951) argues that secondary deviance occurs when a person continues to act deviant after being publicly labelled.
The negative label from society continue cycle of deviance - self-fulfilling prophecy.
The effects of labelling:
What is the master status? (use sociologist)
Becker (1963) - a label that becomes the most important characteristic of a person.
This label shapes how others perceive them and can lead to the SFP in which they conform to their label resulting in crime.
Effects of labelling:
What is a deviant career? (use sociologist)
A deviant career is when a person becomes more involved in deviant behaviour due to societal reactions and labels (OVER A LONG TIME PERIOD)
Young found that when police labelled marijuana users, they formed a deviant subculture.
This reinforced their deviant behaviour, turning drug use into a central part of their lifestyle and leading to a deviant career.
Effects of labelling:
What is the difference between secondary deviance and a deviant career?
A deviant career is a long-term pattern of deviant behaviour.
Secondary deviance happens when someone is labelled as deviant and that label pushes them to act in ways that confirm the label.
The effects of labelling:
What is the deviance amplification spiral? (use sociologist)
The deviance amplification spiral is a process where efforts to control deviance actually lead to an increase in deviant behaviour.
Society’s reaction - stronger - more police - more deviance - cycle continues
Cohen’s - media and police reactions to deviance can increase crime e.g. public reaction insighted more aggressive behaviour as being labelled caused mods and rockers to embrace that behaviour.
Key word:
What are folk devils?
They are groups or individuals labelled by society through the media as a threat to societal norms.
Key word:
What is a moral panic?
A widespread exaggerated fear or concern about a perceived threat to societal values.
e.g. Video games influencing children into committing violent acts.
Effects of labelling:
How do folk devils and the dark figure link?
Dark figure - crimes that go unnoticed whereas folk devils receive a lot of attention.
This focus on folk devils can diverts addressing hidden crimes e.g white collar crimes.
The effects of labelling:
How does labelling affect criminal justice policy? (use sociologist)
Triplett (2000) argues that when young offenders are labelled as “evil,” they become more likely to commit crimes - police tolerant of smaller crimes - cycle continues.
Haan (2000) - argues that the same thing happened in Holland in which the increased stigmatisation of young offenders also caused more people to offend.
This shows that negative labels can push people into a deviant career. Both believe there should be less criminalisation of minor offenses - avoiding shaming offenders - means less likely to become deviants - no marginalisation.
Key word:
What does disintegrative shaming mean?
Where the crime and the criminal is labelled as bad and the offender is excluded from society.
Key word:
What does reintegrative shaming mean?
Where is crime is labelled as bad but not the person.
e.g. ‘they have done a bad thing but aren’t a bad person’.
The effects of labelling:
How does reintegrative shaming affect criminality? (use sociologist)
Braithwaite (1989) - Where reintegrative shaming is used crime rates are lower - shows how shaming the criminal is not effective.
Reintegrative shaming separates the crime from the person which also prevents secondary deviance and therefore reducing crime.
Key word:
What does reintegrative shaming means?
Reintegrative shaming helps offenders recognize the harm they’ve caused without labelling them as “evil.”
Mental illness and suicide and how it effects crime and deviance:
What are interactionists views on using official statistics when it comes to suicide? (brief)
Interactionists argue that to understand suicide, people must study its meaning for those who commit it.
Prefer qualitative methods as it is more personal and gives more insight whereas quantitative methods use assumptions.
Mental illness and suicide and how it effects crime and deviance:
How can suicide statistics been influenced? (use sociologist)
Douglas (1967) argues that suicide statistics are influenced by the people who create them.
Suicide can be labelled as being negative rather than solving the cause leading to more suicide through marginalisation.
However by using qualitative methods such as reading suicide notes or talking to survivors it can help solve the root cause and not alienate anyone.
Mental illness and suicide and how it effects crime and deviance:
Why shouldn’t official statistics be used to show that how suicide links to deviance? (use sociologist)
Atkinson (1978) - official suicide statistics reflect the labels assigned to deaths, not the true meanings behind them.
He argues that coroners make assumptions about a ‘typical suicide’ e.g. bereavement.
Qualitative data should be used as it is more personalised and can get to the root of the problem in society without people feeling marginalised and causing further deviance (suicide)
Mental illness and suicide and how it effects crime and deviance:
How does mental illness link to the self fulfilling prophecy? (use sociologist)
Rosenhan’s 1973 when researchers were labelled as mentally ill, hospital staff treated them as such, even though they acted normally. This highlights the powerful impact of labelling on how people are treated (it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy).
Mental illness and suicide and how it effects crime and deviance:
How does institutionalisation (being in a mental health hospital) affect crime? (use sociologist)
Goffman’s (1961) shows how being admitted to a psychiatric hospital changes a person’s identity, as they lose their old self and are labelled as ‘inmates.’ Some adjust to this new role, while others resist or cope in different ways.
Braginski et al. (1969) found that some inmates pretended to be just sick enough to stay in the hospital but not too sick to have more freedom.
Institutionalisation can lead to stigma from being labelled as mentally ill or an inmate, which affects how society views individuals which can lead to more social exclusion pushing individuals toward criminal behaviour as a way to cope.
Evaluation of labelling theory:
What are the criticisms of the labelling theory? (use sociologist)
Durkheim would argue that labelling can have a positive side, as it reinforces boundary maintenance by clarifying societal norms. When deviance happens, society reacts to reaffirm acceptable behaviour, strengthen social solidarity meaning everyone has the same norms and values.
Right realists argue that labelling theory focuses too much on how society reacts to crime, rather than on the offender’s personal responsibility. They believe this allows offenders to avoid accountability by blaming their actions on societal reactions, rather than acknowledging that crime is often a result of individual choices.
