Topic 2 - Interactionism And The Labelling Theory Flashcards
What does the Labelling Theory argue crime is caused by?
Caused by interactions and not caused by wider external forces such as blocked opportunities
What does the Labelling Theory see crime statistics as?
A social construction - they only show an unrepresentative group of offenders
What does Lemert argue that is a major causes of deviance?
Societal reaction - the public identification of the deviant individual
Difference between primary and secondary deviations?
Primary - act before they are publically labelled, no one knows
Secondary - deviant behaviour engaged in subsequently as a result of being labelled
Chambliss’ study - Saints and Roughnecks - that links to Lemerts theory
Saints engaged in primary deviance and wasn’t caught so didn’t internalize a deviant identity
Roughnecks after being labelled by the police experienced secondary deviance as they saw themselves as delinquents
Evaluations of Lemert
Not all deviance is labelled and some people engage in deviant behaviour without being caught
Who does Becker argue that crime is decided by ?
Moral entrepreneurs - agents of social control
What does Becker argue that being labelled can lead to?
Lead to becoming someone’s master status through the self fulfilling prophecy- Leading to a deviant career
What does Becker call the process in which the attempt to control deviance leads to an increase in the level of deviance?
The Deviance Amplificaion Spiral
How are the Mods and Rockers an example of a deviance amplification spiral?
Media played a pivotal role in amplifying the labels
Leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy in which young people labelled as deviant behaved in those ways
Police completed mass arrests due to increased media attention
Strengths of Becker
It’s not the act itself, but the societal reaction that creates deviance
Weaknesses of Becker
Ignores other causes of crime, like deeper rooted ones
How did Cicourel study of typifications explain crime statistics?
He argues that police had typifications of what a crimal should look like = leading to a social construction of crime statistics
What was Cicourels idea on the Negotation of justice?
He argued there was numerous things making the justice system unfair e.g.
influence of social class - m/c are treated more leniently
Language - how a person speaks influences how they are treated
What is an example of Cicourels idea of the negotiation of justice?
Bullingdon Club - Boris Johnson and David Cameron part of a delinquent group but due to being middle class, was not punished
