Self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 1

What are the effects of labelling?

Answer 1

-Affect self-concept
-Affect way others treat you and may lead to SFP
-Society label according to way others treat you - lead to SFP

Question 2

What is a self-fullfilling prophecy?

Answer 2

-false prediction of situations
-affects persons behaviour and attitude
-makes prediction come true

Question 3

How can the SFP explain criminal behaviour?

Answer 3

-Society’s reaction to deviant behaviour impacts on the future behaviour of that person
-Observer’s beliefs about the expectations of a person influence interactions and create the expected behaviour

Question 4

Example of stealing for SFP

Answer 4

-Stealing is criminal
-Person who commits the act then lablled by society as criminal
-Due to label, treated in way consistent with label (fines etc)
-Person adopts their label as part of self image

Question 5

How does a person develop a ‘criminal career’

Answer 5

Criminal career is the consequence of being labelled as a criminal

Question 6

How does SFP use stereotypes?

Answer 6

-Observer’s beliefs based on stereotypes or schemas of that person
-Notice beh that conforms to their belief, ignore what doesn’t. Reinforcement of their opinion

Question 7

Step one in SFP (plus example)

Answer 7

Perceiver has expectations of a target person
(shop owner perceiver and suspicious of customer as think they are a criminal)

Question 8

Step 2 + example

Answer 8

Perceiver’s beh towards target reflects expectations
eg owner watches customer carefully and follows round shop asking what they are looking for

Question 8

Step 3 + example

Answer 8

Target’s behaviour towards the perceiver reflects how they have treated them
eg customer takes something as treated as a criminal

Question 9

End result

Answer 9

Prophecy is fulfilled

Question 10

How can SFP explain recidivism?

Answer 10

Once have a label, hard to get rid of. People reinforce label by their behaviour, becomes part of self-concept so more deviant behaviour.
-If label as a child this might worsen behaviour

Question 11

Evaluation

Answer 11

EACH

Question 12

Evidence (3)

Answer 12

-Jahoda: African tribe. Name child day of birth. Certain temperament attached. High arrests for Wed (22%) only 6.9% for Mon. Names affected how treated, diff patterns of beh
-Meichenbaum: 6 female delinquents from 14. Teachers told had academic potential. Teachers behaved diff towards, performed better in exams
-Rosenthal and Jacobsen: children said to excel in education, others reached potential. Treated diff. Bloomers IQ rose. How we are treated influences beh

Question 13

Applications (3)

Answer 13

-2nd chance, employment programmes and opportunities for ex-offenders. Reduces chance of SFP reoccuring and reduce recidivism. Shift stigma labelling
-Early intv: education, pos labelling, pos SFP. Stop chance of offending due to SFP
-Police training: reduce bias and wrongful arrest, prevents SFP due to police stereotypes

Question 14

Comparisons and credibility (4)

Answer 14

Reductionist - ignores bio like brain injury, better as phys scientific. reduces cred, one sided
Deterministic - ignores free will. siggests SFP lead to crime all time. Reduces cred, not true
SLT - better explains vio crime - bobo doll, causation. explains sudden development which SFP doesn’t -low cred
Reductionist - ignores co-morbid and situational -other reasons for crime

Question 15

How good is the research (4)

Answer 15

-Correlational: no c&e. hard to test as unethical. lowers cred
-Longitudinal studies: see full course of SFP and beh develop. accurate conc, increases cred
-Poor samples: same ages (Rosenthal) Gender (Meichbaum) Reduces cred as not rep of population. HOWEVER Jahoda - male = prison population but same race so ethnocentric