Social Explanations Of Crime/Anti-social Behaviour Flashcards
What is meant by labelling in criminological psychology?
Labelling is using generic and broad terms to describe members of a minority group, which are usually inferior terms and therefore have negative connotation.
What is meant by stereotyping?
A generalised and simplified view of an individual or situation that is based on limited evidence. E.g. Most criminals are working class.
What does giving a negative label to an individual mean?
Likely to mean there is social stigma attached which is the extreme disapproval of members in society.
What will labelling someone a criminal lead to?
Labelling someone a criminal and treating that person as such, may produce criminal behaviour in the person who is subjected to this expectation.
This is because they themselves in terms of the criminal label. The person fulfils the criminal label and becomes what the label says, a criminal. The prophecy fulfils its self.
What are the two types of labelling?
Retrospective labelling
Projective labelling
What is retrospective labelling?
Interpreting someone’s past in light of how they have been labelled.
Consequently the earlier actions of the individual are relabelled as deviant even if they were not viewed as such at the time.
What is projective labelling?
Using a label to say what will happen to a person in the future.
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy?
It shows how a belief or expectation of a person/group, whether correct or not, affects the way a person/group will behave.
Explain the process of labelling and the self fulfilling prophecy
- We form certain expectations of people - disadvantaged groups are most likely to be labelled criminal behaviour.
- We communicate those expectations with various cues - those in power communicate their expectations via behaviour.
- People respond to these cues by adjusting their behaviour to match the cues
- The result is that the original expectation of the person becomes true - the person begins to see no other route than to act in accordance with the label and the label is internalised.
State two strengths of labelling and self fulfilling prophecy as an Explanation Of Crime/Anti-social Behaviour
👍🏻Bessemer et al (2013) provides supporting research evidence for labelling/the SFP. They found that the children of criminal families are paid more attention to by the authorities and are more likely to be caught, prosecuted and found guilty than children from other families. This suggests that they are labelled as criminal family members and that labelled children are more likely to end up fulfilling this expectation.
👍🏻Mason et al (2004) provides some supporting research evidence for labelling/SFP. She found that many mothers (48%) overestimated their child’s alcohol use and which showed a positive correlation to actual alcohol use a year later. Thus the expectation became self fulfilling.
State two weaknesses of labelling and self fulfilling prophecy as an Explanation Of Crime/Anti-social Behaviour
👎🏻Labelling/SFP lacks scientific credibility as we cannot experimentally test for the effects of labelling and the SFP due to ethical reasons, so conclusions are unclear. To set up an experiment to create criminals by treating them differently would be immoral and would break the BPS ethical guidelines.
👎🏻It is not possible to infer a cause and effect relationship, as the link between people’s expectations and others behaviours are only correlations. Labelling/SFP assumes our behaviour is determined by the expectations and actions of others, some may do the opposite of what is expected of them. Rebellion against a label is very possible, so people do not simply fulfil an assigned label but may go against the label which is the ‘self defeating prophecy’.
State 3 different social explanations from social learning theories
Social learning theory
Role models
Motivation
Describe social learning theory as an explanation for criminal behaviour
SLT is explains criminal behaviour in terms of modelling. Criminal behaviour is learnt through observing others in real life or through the media.
SLT argues criminal behaviour is learnt from Bandura’s (1977) four criteria are met. Attention is paid to the criminal role model. Retention of the observed criminal behaviour. Reproduction of the criminal behaviour and motivation to imitate the criminal behaviour.
SLT suggests the media often glamourise violence, meaning it is more appealing and likely to be imitated.
Describe role models as an explanation for criminal behaviour
SLT suggests that criminal behaviour may occur when role models are observed engaging in criminal activity.
E.g. Observing a family member who is committing a crime such as street robbery or through the media when a screen hero is violent on TV/computer game.
It is important that the criminal role model can be identified with. This effective criminal role models are typically the same sex, of similar age and have status or power.
Describe motivation as an explanation for criminal behaviour
Bandura (1977) argued that there are various factors that influence motivation to imitate/model behaviour such as:
Vicarious learning, how an individual learns indirectly by observing others being rewarded for their behaviour.
Observing a criminal who is making money by selling drugs is likely to be a motivation to copy his/her behaviour as the criminal is successful.
