Symbolic Interactionism And Phenemonology

Question 1

Becker

Answer 1

Society decides waht is a deviant act, thus deviance is socially constructed

A crime is only a crime when its been labelled as a crime

Committing an act of devaince leads to being labelled —> 3 steps

Question 2

Becker (3 steps of being labelled)

Answer 2

Master status: a status that overrides all others
Self fullfiling prophecy: you are what you believe you are
Deviance amplification: join a subculture of people labelled with similar master statuses

Question 3

Lemert (2 types of devaint behaviour)

Answer 3

Social reactions to devaince may cause further deviance

2 types of devaint beahaviour:

Primary deviancy: common acts of deviant behaviour that havent been publicly labelled

Secondary deviancy (less common acts of deviant behvaiour that have been publicly labelled, so have consequences for the individuals identity)

Question 4

Goffman

Answer 4

Examined treatent of patients in mental institutions, argued that the treatment made patients worse

MORTIFICATION —> death of personal identity
Own clothese removed, possesions removed, gave them numbers —>

INSTITUTIONALISATION: Patients believe they cannot fucntion in the outside world —> may reoffend on release —> labelled as an ex-mental patient

Question 5

Taylor, Walton and Young (Critique of SIs)

Answer 5

Some acts are naturally deviant in all societies

Question 6

Becker (Critique of T, W and Y)

Answer 6

Counter critiques by saying that killing someone is acceptable in some contexts; fails to explain why deviance occurs in the first place; labelling theory too deterministic e.g. labelling doesnt explain acts of terrorism, fail to explain whu only some acts are labelled as deviant

Question 7

Phenomonology

Answer 7

SIs and Phens are similar —> both focus on social reactions to crime
Only difference is that Phens try to explain cause of the label