Crime And Deviance: Interactionism And The Labelling Theory Flashcards
Labelling theory view of crime and deviance
Instead of seeking the causes of criminal behaviour, they ask how and why some people and actions come to be labelled as criminal / deviant
Official statistics are a social construct
Crime is caused by interactions, not caused by wider external forces such as blocked opportunities or capitalism
Lemert - primary deviation
Deviant acts before they are publicly labelled
EG fare dodging, littering etc.
Lemert says PD is relatively unimportant because the odd deviant act has little effect on people’s self conception and status - doesn’t affect their lives
Lemert - secondary deviation
Secondary deviation - the deviant behaviour engaged in as a result of being labelled
The important factor in producing deviance (according to labelling theorists) is societal reaction
The act is condemned by society - could lead to rejection or disapproval - the label may become internalised - SFP
The blame for deviance lies with the agents of social control rather than with the deviant
Crime statistics as a social construct
Crime stats only show an unrepresentative group of offenders who have been publicly labelled as criminal
This is because of the stereotypes and explanations that the police and other social control agencies have
Lemert’s study AO2
Stuttering and societal reaction: Canada
The problem of stuttering was caused by the importance attached to speech making - failure to speak well was a great humiliation
Children with the slightest speech difficulty were so conscious of their parents’ desire to have well-speaking children that they became anxious over their own abilities
This anxiety led to chronic stuttering
Evaluation of Lemert
Deterministic to suggest that the reactions of others will shape future deviance - Downes and Rock say people are free to choose a life not full of crime and deviance
Deviance is often overcome and a distinct phase within somebody’s life
Becker - the nature of deviance
Becker suggests that there is no such thing as a deviant act
An act only becomes deviant when others perceive and define it as such
Becker’ a view on the nature of deviance
Gave an example of a brawl with young people:
- in a low income neighbourhood: they’ll be viewed as delinquent
- in a wealthy neighbourhood: evidence of youthful spirits
What we count as C+D is based on subjective decisions made by moral entrepreneurs (agents of social control)
Becker - possible effects of labelling
A label can lead to becoming someone’s master status = it becomes their social status that overwhelms all the others statuses a person has
Our self concept is created by recognising how others see us - being aware of how we are labelled
Being labelled as deviant may produce a SFP whereby the label becomes one’s master status
People can become career criminals because they can’t shake off the label
Synoptic link to Becker’s effects of labelling
Rosenthal and Jacobson
Becker - the deviance amplification spiral
Negative label:
Some acts are publicly labelled. Secondary deviance then occurs as a result of societal reaction
Self concept:
Identity crisis = SFP
Label reinforced:
Begin to live up to their label and committing more secondary deviance
Master status:
Now people only see that person as that label = becomes their master status
Deviant career:
Secondary deviance - more hostile reactions and more deviance which leads to a deviant career (eg ex convict)
Young - hippie marijuana users
AO2 for deviance amplification spiral
The police had a media derived stereotype of hippie drug users as junkies. The marijuana users feel persecuted.
Police action unites these smokers and makes them feel ‘different’ – outsiders. They become known as the ‘folk devil’
In self defence hippies retreat into subcultures united around smoking marijuana. Deviant norms and values develop
Treated as outsiders, they express this through different clothes / lifestyle. Drugs now central to their identity = ‘drug subculture’ develops
Drug problem amplified + more join subculture
The original police stereotype is confirmed. Moral panic created by media = puts pressure on police to ‘solve the problem’. SFP is confirmed.
Drug charges may close off opportunities in normal life e.g. employment = leads to DEVIANT CAREER
Stan Cohen - mods and rockers
AO2 for deviance amplification spiral
1960s - examined the clashes between two British subcultures, the Mods and Rockers, and how the media and societal labelling exacerbated the conflicts
Mods and Rockers didn’t get along
The media played a pivotal role in amplifying the conflicts.
Newspapers and tabloids sensationalized minor incidents, portraying them as major acts of violence. This sensationalism contributed to public fear and moral panic.
This labelling led to a SFP where young people, labelled as deviants, began to behave in ways that conformed to these labels.
Police started to conduct mass arrests due to the increased media attention – reinforcing the negative image of these subcultures
Young people embraced deviant behaviour, further intensifying the social tensions between these groups.
Evaluation of young
Strength:
Shows that its not the act itself, but the hostile reaction that creates serious deviance
Weaknesses:
Is a deviant career an inevitable result of labelling
= not necessarily as people are free to do what they want / not deviate furhter
(Downes and Rock)
Cicourel
He found that social factors, including race, social class, and the location of the incident, played a significant role in the outcomes of juvenile justice cases
He argued that the decision to label a young person as a delinquent was not solely based on their actual behaviour but was also influenced by the social context and interactions that occurred
