Topic 3 Labelling Flashcards
According to labelling theorists, what is the primary focus when studying crime and deviance?
The reaction to the act rather than the act itself
True or False: Labelling theorists believe that deviance is a result of an individual’s inherent criminal nature.
False
Fill in the blank: Labelling theorists argue that the process of ____________ individuals as deviant can lead to further deviant behavior.
labeling
What term describes the process by which an individual’s identity and behavior are influenced by how others categorize them?
Labeling theory
What is the term for the negative reaction and treatment an individual receives after being labelled as deviant?
Stigmatization
Who is the prominent sociologist associated with the development of labelling theory?
Howard Becker
What is the term for deviant behavior that occurs as a result of being labelled as deviant?
Secondary deviance
True or False: Labelling theorists argue that deviance is a social construction and varies across cultures.
True
What term describes the act of an individual engaging in behavior that is deemed deviant due to being labelled as such?
Self-fulfilling prophecy
What is the term for the process by which individuals conform to the expectations of a deviant label?
Deviant career
Fill in the blank: Labelling theorists emphasize the importance of ____________ in the creation of deviant identities.
social reactions
According to labelling theory, what can happen when individuals are labelled as deviant by society?
They may internalize the label and adopt it as part of their identity
True or False: Labelling theorists believe that deviance is a fixed and unchangeable trait in individuals.
False
What term describes the process by which individuals are labelled as deviant based on certain characteristics or behaviors?
Social construction of deviance
What is the term for the act of an individual engaging in behavior that is not considered deviant, but is labelled as such?
Primary deviance
Fill in the blank: Labelling theorists argue that deviance is a result of societal ____________ rather than individual characteristics.
reactions
Who coined the term ‘master status’ to describe how a deviant label can override other aspects of an individual’s identity?
Erving Goffman
True or False: Labelling theorists believe that the criminal justice system plays a positive role in reducing crime.
False
What term describes the act of individuals being treated as though they have already committed a crime due to being labelled as deviant?
Pre-crime
According to labelling theorists, what can societal reactions to deviance lead to?
Further deviant behavior
Fill in the blank: Labelling theory suggests that deviance is not inherent in the ____________, but in the reactions to the behavior.
act
What term describes the act of an individual conforming to a deviant label and engaging in further deviant behavior?
Deviant amplification
True or False: Labelling theorists argue that social institutions have a neutral impact on labeling individuals as deviant.
False
Who introduced the concept of ‘moral entrepreneurs’ to describe individuals who lead moral crusades to label certain behaviors as deviant?
Howard Becker
Fill in the blank: Labelling theorists emphasize that deviance is not a quality of the ____________, but a consequence of the application of rules and sanctions to an offender.
individual
What does labelling theory discuss?
They argue that no act itself is criminal in all time and situations. It is the perception and label of an act as criminal that really makes a crime. It is not the nature of the act that is deviant, but society’s reaction to that act.
What are moral entrepreneurs according to Becker?
According to Becker, a moral entrepreneur is someone with high status in a community.
Why did Becker discuss the Marijuana Tax Act?
That social control agencies campaign for a change in the law to increase to their own power. For example, the US Federal Bureau of Narcotics successfully campaigned for the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937.
What are typifications?
Typifications are stereotypes the police have on individuals who are likely to be criminals.
What did Cicourel mean by the negotiation of justice?
The idea that middle class parents can negotiate with the criminal justice system to avoid middle class youths from being charged. They can hire expensive lawyers, knowing how the legal system works and can plead their way out, with excuses like, ‘they have a promising future’.
What is the difference between primary and secondary deviance (Lemert)?
Primary deviance is a small act that hasn’t been labelled as criminal. The individual does not see their actions as wrong. Secondary deviance, the person’s act has been caught and recognised by society as criminal, they get the criminal label.
What is the mortification process?
This is a process of when a client arrives at the mental hospital and pressure is placed on them to accept the ‘mentally ill’ label and their individuality is removed. They lose their sense of self.
What is reintegrative shaming?
The act is label as bad, not the person committing the act, as if to say ‘he’s done a bad thing’ rather than ‘he is a bad person’.
What is disintegrative shaming?
This is when not only the crime but also the criminal is labelled as bad, and the offender is excluded from society.
Why is labelling theory not useful?
The labelling theory is not useful because it fails to explain why people commit crime in the first place, the primary act of deviance.
