interactionists explanations of c+d Flashcards
intro
Interactionists questione the positivist idea that those who commit crime are different from those who do not. Interactionism stresses that people are not controlled by society, they control their own life. Interactionists accept that criminals are no different from the rest of us because most people commit some form of crime or deviant act in their lifetime. They emphasise the importance of societal reaction to deviant acts.
point 1
Interactionists different people will attach different meanings to the deviant act that has been committed, and to the perpetrator. The labels people attach to objects and others around them are relative to the time, culture, place and the person themselves. This is demonstrated in the research of Kitsuse when he interviewed heterosexual students about their responses to what they thought were sexual advances from people of the same sex. He found a wide range of responses. Kitsuse’s work suggests that there is no agreed definition of what homosexual is, in the same way that there is no agreed definition of what is deviant.
development 1
This can be rejected. An example of this is Reiss’ study of young male prostitutes. Although they engaged in homosexual behaviour, they regarded what they did as work, and maintained their image of themselves as being ‘straight’ despite engaging in sex with men.
eval 1
Liazos argues that Even by claiming to speak for the underdog, labelling theorists hardly present any challenge to the status quo because they don’t appear to investigate the crimes of the rich and powerful, Gouldner, a Marxist, supports Liazos. He argued that all they did in their studies was to criticise doctors, psychiatrists and police officers for their role in labelling - and they failed ever to look beyond this at more powerful groups who benefit from this focus on marginal groups.
point 2
argue that laws are a reflection of the activities of people (moral entrepreneurs) who actively seek to create and enforce laws. Becker’s found in the USA in the 1937 Through a press campaign and lobbying of senior politicians, the Bureau was successful in outlawing cannabis growing and use. However, Becker points out that the campaign was only successful because it ‘plugged in’ to values commonly held in the USA which included the belief that people ought to be in control of their actions and decisions; that pleasure for its own sake was wrong; that drugs were seen as addictive and as such ‘enslaved’ people.
explain 2
The term Becker used to describe the campaign was of a ‘moral crusade’, and it is this terminology (and moral entrepreneurs) which sociologists use to describe movements to pass laws.
development 2
Furthermore Becker suggested that rules are the products of people’s initiative, people he called ‘moral entrepreneurs’. He states that moral entrepreneurs set about to make certain acts illegal because it is in their own interests and/or they believe it is in the interests of society
eval 2
Marxist writers would criticise this idea, as it suggests that all laws are passed as a result of intervention by moral entrepreneurs. Taylor, Walton and Young suggested that it ignores the role of power in the creation of laws; it does not have a coherent theory of power as it fails to explain why some groups have more power than others to get laws passed or changed.
point 3
However the label can also be accepted, as when someone is labelled as deviant they will see themselves as bad, Malinowski describes how a youth killed himself because he had been publicly accused of incest. When Malinowski had first inquired about the case, the islanders expressed their horror and disgust. But, on further investigation, it turned out that incest was not uncommon on the island, nor was it really frowned upon, provided those involved were discreet. However, if an incestuous affair became too obvious and public, the islanders reacted with abuse, the offenders were ostracised and often driven to suicide.
explain and development 3
Becker uses this example to argue: Someone has to enforce the rules or, at least, draw attention to them - these people usually have a vested interest in the issue. In the example of the incestuous islanders, the rule was enforced by the rejected ex-lover (moral entrepreneur) of the girl involved in incest. If the person is successfully labelled then consequences follow. Once publicly labelled as deviant, the offender was faced with limited choices - one of which was suicide.
eval 3
Marxist writers argue that labelling theory lacks a discussion of the nature of power. Labelling does not address the issue of differences in power between groups, which makes some more able than others to get laws passed and enforced which are beneficial to them. In defence of labelling theory, Becker does suggest that there are differences in power and that it is the role of the sociologist to side with the underdog.
conclusion
To conclude, Interactionist theories of crime and deviance can be criticised as they do not explain why some problems presented in the media are amplified and why some are not. It ignores white collar crime, romanticises working class crime by excusing it and ignores the concept of power and those who have the power to impose labels. However, developments have acknowledged that the behaviour may come before the label but since the 1990s Right Realist theories have surpassed Interactionism in their influence over government policy
