sociological theories:interactionism & realism Flashcards
which theories are social structure
Marx (marxism )
Durkheim (functionalism-anomie theory)
merton (functionalism- strain theory)
which theories are interactionism
Becker(labelling theory)
which theories are realism
right realism (Murray/ Clarke/W&K)
left realism (Lea and Young)
claims of Becker
-Interactionists claim that people do not become criminals because of their social backgrounds, but rather argue that crime merges because of labelling by authorities.
- crime is socially constructed. Becker states that deviance ‘exists in the eye of the beholder’ and individuals define what is seen as deviant. An act is only criminal or deviant if people label it as such
Components of Becker
-When an individual or a group get labelled, it can have a knock-on effect on their behaviour.
-Self-fulling Prophecy describes what happens when a false belief (negative label) influences people’s behaviour in such a way that it ultimately become who they are.
-When someone is labelled, this can lead to them believing the label and acting accordingly.
credibility of Becker
+Focuses on the individuals rather than categorising us into groups of society, such as the working class or ruling class.
+Allows us to compare the way we interact with different people.
+Helps us understand the social construction of the world.
- Shows how the media can have an impact on the creation of deviance and can produce moral panic.
-Can be criticised for lacking reliability and representativeness.
-It’s not scientifically tested.
applications of Becker
- Cohen (1972) – The Mods and Rockers were labelled as deviant youth subcultures by the media. This led to a significant moral panic that young people were out of control, when in fact there was very little conflict between both youth groups. It led to a self-fulfilling prophecy because of the labelling, the Mods and Rockers did indeed end up on Brighton Beach. Although the damage was relatively committed
refuting evidence of Becker
-Left Realism and Marxists – This theory doesn’t pay sufficient attention to how social structures can make individuals criminal. For example, material deprivation can have a real, objective impact on your ability to do well in life, therefore it is not just all about labelling.
-Individualistic theories would argue that this theory ignores social learning, attachment issues and personality types and criminal behaviour.
supporting evidence of Becker
- Cohen (1972) showed that the media and the government overreact to minor social disorder and apply the label of folk devil to groups which labels them as deviant and criminal.
- Lemert (1964) – Primary and secondary deviance. An individual first commits primary deviance. Through a process of labelling the individual is forced to play the role of deviant. As a reaction to this role, the labelled person adapts their behaviour according to the role assigned to him. This behaviour reaction is called secondary deviance.
claims of left realism
-People turn to crime because they subjectively perceive themselves as unfairly disadvantaged over their peers.
-To reduce crime there needs to be practical measures to reduce crime and a long term change towards a more equal and caring society is needed
-According to lea and young, crime can be solved by changing the relationship between the public and police, dealing with the inequality in today’s society.
components of left realism
Relative deprivation
-People feel that they are being deprived when they compare themselves to others.
-People are more aware of their deprivation than in previous years due to social media.
Subculture
-Is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs often maintaining some of its founding principles
-There are a number of subcultures that subscribe to the mainstream goals of society e.g. materialism and consumerism
Marginalisation
-Social exhaustion or social marginalisation relegates groups to the fringes of society. This makes people feel that they don’t have a chance of life.
-This is more likely to affect the working classes and ethnic minorities.
credibility of left realism
+Explore the role of the victim of crime especially the poor and vulnerable in much more depth than any other criminological theory.
+Left realists aim to provide solution to the problem of crime.
+Uses the crime survey of England and Wales to see how crime affects individuals and who it affects most
-Theory doesn’t explain how to realistically solve crime
-It focuses on inner city high crime areas and therefor may give an unrepresentative view of crime
-Largely focuses on economic crimes such as benefit fraud or shoplifting.
applications of left realism
-There were 50,500 knife crime offences some countries saw an increase of up to 38%
-London rival gangs Dem Africans and the get money gang ae gangs of predominantly black youths who control the streets of golden green (London)
-These are young socially deprived marginalised boys who see no other option other than joining a gang because they are on the margins of society and feel they get nothing out of life.
refuting evidence of left realism
-While the government introduced directly elected police and crime commissioners in 2012, there is no evidence to suggest that this increased public support for, or confidence in, the police. This reform has not changed the relationship between the public and the police in the way left realists hoped.
-This theory fails to explain white-collar and corporate crime, or crime committed by ‘elites’ who are not marginalised.
supporting evidence to left realism
Merton (Strain Theory) - Those who are excluded from the benefits of mainstream society develop their own subcultures, norms and principles. Inevitably, for those excluded from legitimate avenues, this involves criminal behaviour.
Matthews (1992) argues that improving leisure facilities for the young, reducing income Inequalities, improving housing estates, raising the living standards of poorer families, reducing unemployment and creating jobs with prospects, will all help to cut crime