labelling theory Flashcards
(24 cards)
labelling theory - the social construction of crime AO1- Becker
no act is inherently criminal it only becomes deviant when its labelled.
a deviant is someone whom the label has successfully been applied to
moral entrepreneurs = people who lead a moral campaignore to change the law. this new law has 2 effects
- the creation of a new group as ‘outsiders’
- creation or expansion of a social control agency to enforce the rule
e.g ‘juvenile delinquency’ was created as a result of upper-class Victorian moral entrepreneurs aimed at protecting young people at risk. established ‘juvinIles as their own category
labelling theory - the social construction of crime AO1 - who gets labelled
whether a person is arrested depends on: appearance, situation and interactions
labelling theory - the social construction of crime AO2 - who gets labelled , Piliavin and Briar
police decsions to arrest a youth were based on physical cues such as gender, class and ethnicity
labelling theory - the social construction of crime - AO1, Cicourel the negotiation of justice
officers decisions to arrest are based on their typifications (stereotypes of the typical delinquent)
WC and ethnci minority juveniles = are more likely to be arrested. those from broken homes are more likely to be charged
MC juveniles = less likely to fit the typification and have parents who can negotiate successfully = less likely to be charged
agents of social control reinforce this bias
labelling theory - official statistics
interactionists - OS are socially constructed
statistcis produced only tell us about the actiivty of the police (whether they decide to proceed to the next stage of the system, highly influenced by the label they attach to the criminal)
they don’t give us a valid picture as they’re based on stereotypes
we shouldn’t take them at face value but should use them to investigate the processes that created them
dark figure of crime - between official statistics and real rate of crime
effects of labelling -Lemert - primary deviance Ao1
deviant acts that have not been publicly labelled
pointless to try and understanding the cause as its widespread and trivial
don’t make a habit of it
‘moment of madness’
effects of labelling -Lemert -secondary deviance AO1
result of a societal reaction
stigmatised and excluded from society
once they’re labelled, others can only see them in terms of their label - then becomes their master status
= A crisis for their self-concept. a solution is to accept the deviant label =
creates a self-fulfilling prophecy
leads to a deviant careers
and turn to other outsiders for support when they’re shunned by family = a deviant subculture
effects of labelling -Lemert - primary&secondary deviance AO2
Young - hippy marijuana users
initially, drugs weren’t an important part of their lives - didn’t define their identity, done in private
once the police persecuted and labelled the hippies they increasingly saw themselves as outsiders
its not the act but the hostile societal recation to it
effects of labelling - Lemert - primary&secondary deviance AO3
deterministic - we do have free will - its not inevitable we don’t have to adopt a deviant career
its not the act itself but the hostile societal reaction that creates deviance
effects of labelling - deviance amplification Ao1
term used to describe a process in which the attempt to control deviance leads to an increase in it
6 stages of deviance amplification:
1. press exaggeration and distorted reporting
2. moral panic: and so moral entrepreneurs wanting a ‘crack down’
3. police arresting more
4. reinforces the medias reaction and provokes more concern
5. demonising the group as ‘folk devils’ and marginalising them as outsiders
6. internalised label and resulting in more deviant behaviour
effects of labelling - deviance amplification - 6 stages of deviance amplification
- press exaggeration and distorted reporting
- moral panic: and so moral entrepreneurs wanting a ‘crack down’
- police arresting more
- reinforces the medias reaction and provokes more concern
- demonising the group as ‘folk devils’ and marginalising them as outsiders
- internalised label and resulting in more deviant behaviour
effects of labelling - deviance amplification AO3 - limitation - func
functionalists disagree and say deviance leads to social control, not social control leads to deviance.
effects of labelling - deviance amplification AO3 - limitation - victim
the deviant becomes the victim and so is not to blame for behaviour
effects of labelling - labelling and criminal justice policy AO1
increases in the attempt to control and punish young offenders can have the opposite effect
labelling results in an increased stigmatisation of young offenders, which results in an increase in deviance
negative labelling pushes offenders to a deviant career
We should avoid publicly naming and shaming offenders as this creates a perception of them as evil outsiders and push them into further deviance.
effects of labelling - labelling and criminal justice policy AO2
in the USA, theres an increasing tendency to see young offenders as evil and to be less tolerant of minor deviance.
effects of labelling - labelling and criminal justice policy - AO3 Braithwaite - positives for labelling
reintegrative society = we should label the act but not the actor.
Avoids stigmatising the offender as evil while also making them aware of the negative impact of their actions
Avoids pushing them into secondary deviance
effects of labelling - labelling and criminal justice policy - AO3 - establishment of careers
Shows how deviant careers can be established.
labelling theory - the social construction of crime - cicourel AO3
he collected data by going on patrol with police = validity
mental illness and suicide: Douglas, the meaning of suicide
to understand suicide we must discover its menaings for the deceased
rejects the use of OS - they are social constructs and only tell us about the label applied by coroners
to discover the deceased’s meanings must use qualitaitve methods e.g interviews with dead’s relatives
mental illness and suicide: Atkinson, coroners commonsense knowledge
OS are a record of the labels coroners attach
Focuses on the taken-for-granted assumptions that coroners make when reaching verdicts
Their ideas of ‘typical suicide’ were important in deciding their verdict , e.g certain modes of death were seen as typical
mental illness
Interactionists reject OS - they are simply a record of the activities of doctors with the power to attach labels
mental illness - paranoia as a SFP
Lemert - individuals who don’t fit easily into groups are labelled as odd and are excluded - their response is their secondary deviance and gives the ‘social audience’ further reason to exclude them.
Audience may discuss the ebst wya to deal with this person = individual thinks they are conspiring against them
= the audience’s fear for their ental health is confirmed
can lead to intervention and be labelled as suffering from paranoia and a mental patient - This becomes their master status
mental illness - institutionalisation
Goffman shows the possible effects of being admitted to a ‘total institution’ such as a psychiatric hospital
patients undergo a ‘mortification of the self’ in which their old identity is ‘killed off’ and replaced by a new one ‘inmate’
this is achieved by ‘degradation rituals’ e.g confiscation of personal effects
