interactionist explanations Flashcards
what is the other name for the interactionist explanation?
the labelling theory
who developed the interactionist explanation?
-howard becker 1963
-edwin lemert 1967
what is the general idea behind the interactionist explanation?
everyone commits crime/deviance at some point in their life, the only difference between criminals/deviants and ‘normal people’ is that one side got caught
what is meant by social construction?
a social phenomena that is created by a society, isn’t naturally occurring
what are moral entrepreneurs?
(becker) groups that impose their values on the rest of society, even if they don’t reflect the views of the majority
includes newspaper editors, church leaders, police, and politicians
what do interactionists say about official crime statistics?
they’re regarded as social constructions, as they only represent the small amount of offenders that have been caught
what are the 5 points the interactionist approach focuses on?
-the interaction between deviants and those who define them as deviant
-the process whereby rules are selectively enforced
-the consequences of being labelled as deviant
-the circumstances in which a person becomes set apart and defined as deviant
-an analysis of who has the power to attach deviant labels and make them stick
what is becker’s concept of ‘outsiders’ similar to in other perspectives?
-subcultural theorists views of excluded groups
-murray’s view of the underclass being ‘outside’ of society
-left realist views of marginalised criminals
what is meant by ‘selective law enforcement’?
-only minorities are given deviant labels
-power structures allow groups to impose the label of deviant on behaviours/people they disapprove of
what’s an example of selective law enforcement?
British Crime Survey - young black men were most likely to be stopped and searched, arising from the perception that they’re the group most likely to offend
-reinforced within the occupational culture of the police (Canteen culture)
-builds resentment which can turn into deviance
what did cicourel (1976) contribute to the interactionist approach?
-said stereotypes affect whether a label is attached or not, leads to socially constructed crime stats
-studied juvenile delinquency in 2 US cities, found crime rates were consistently higher in WC areas, argued this was bcs the police held different views on the WC compared to MC
-MC behaviour was seen as a ‘temporary lapse’ because they’re from ‘good backgrounds’
-one city had higher delinquency, so had more juvenile officers and kept more detailed records, so stats didn’t have the same validity
-typifications and ‘typical criminal’
what is meant by primary and secondary deviance? who put the idea forward?
-Lemert 1967
-primary deviance = the act
-secondary deviance = society’s reaction that results in attaching a deviant label
what did lemert say about police application of the law?
-it’s not uniform, based on stereotypes
-mainly arresting people who conform to deviant stereotypes reinforces the idea that criminals come from a narrow social background
-eg stuttering seen as a deviant act in a canadian tribe, any signs of a child having a speech impediment caused the parents horror, making the child nervous and hence developed a stutter
what was Young’s work in notting hill (1971)?
-studied drug-taking squatters in notting hill, found the harder the police tried to eliminate drug use, the more it became a symbol of defiance (deviance amplification)
-formation of drug squads lead to more soft-drug use, as well as an increase in hard-drug use a decade later
what did becker contribute to the idea of primary and secondary deviance?
-labels affect peoples self-concept and their future actions, because their deviant label can become a master status
-relativity of crime (contextual, historical, cultural, generational)
