Interactionism labelling theory

• What do labelling theorists believe about deviance?

  Deviance is a social construct, not inherent.
• Who argued that social groups create deviance?

  Becker (1963)
• How does an act or person become deviant according to labelling theory?

  When labelled by others as deviant.
• What do labelling theorists argue about social control agencies?

  They label certain groups as criminal.
• What did Piliavin & Briar (1964) find about police arrests?

  Based on stereotypes of manner and dress.
• What are typifications according to Cicourel (1976)?

  Stereotypes of the 'typical delinquent.'
• How do working-class and ethnic minority juveniles relate to typifications?

  They are more likely to be arrested.
• What happens to middle-class juveniles regarding typifications?

  They are less likely to fit the typification.
• Why do crime statistics not provide a valid picture of crime patterns?

  Working-class people fit police typifications.
• What does Cicourel argue about crime statistics?

  They should be treated as a topic for investigation.
• What is the 'dark figure of crime'?

  The gap between official stats and real crime rates.
• How do sociologists gain a more accurate view of crime rates?

  Using victim surveys or self-report studies.
• What does Lemert (1972) argue about labelling and deviance?

  It encourages individuals to become more deviant.
• What is primary deviance?

  Deviant acts not publicly labelled.
• What is secondary deviance?

  Results from societal reaction and labelling.
• How does labelling affect an individual's identity?

  It can become their master status.
• What is a self-fulfilling prophecy (SFP)?

  Living up to a label assigned by others.
• How did Young's study illustrate the self-fulfilling prophecy?

  Hippies retreated into a deviant subculture.
• What is the deviance amplification spiral?

  Control attempts lead to increased deviance.
• What did Cohen's study of mods and rockers illustrate?

  Media exaggeration led to moral panic.
• How do labelling theorists differ from functionalists regarding deviance?

  Control produces further deviance, not social control.
• What does Douglas (1967) argue about understanding suicide?

  We must discover its meanings for the deceased.
• Why does Douglas reject official suicide statistics?

  They are social constructs reflecting labels.
• What qualitative methods does Douglas suggest for studying suicide?

  Analysis of suicide notes and interviews.
• What does Atkinson (1978) focus on regarding coroners?

  How they use common-sense knowledge to construct reality.
• How do coroners' assumptions affect suicide statistics?

  They swell the official statistics through labelling.
• What do interactionists think about official statistics on mental illness?

  They are social constructs reflecting doctors' labels.
• What does Lemert (1962) show about socially awkward individuals?

  They may be labelled and excluded from groups.
• What is the master status in the context of mental illness?

  The label 'mental patient' becomes dominant.
• What does Goffman (1961) show about total institutions?


  They can lead to a mortification of the self.
• What are degradation rituals in total institutions?

  Practices that strip away old identities.
• What does Goffman suggest about the process of institutionalization?

  It is not deterministic; some resist it.
• What are the strengths of labelling theory?

  • Challenges the idea of deviant differences
  • Highlights the role of societal reaction
  • Reveals importance of stereotyping
  • Shows bias in official crime statistics
  • Emphasizes power in defining deviance
  • Illustrates self-fulfilling prophecies
• What are the weaknesses of labelling theory?

  • Shifts blame from deviant to labelers
  • Assumes deviance requires a label
  • Fails to explain causes of deviance
  • Too deterministic regarding deviance
  • Ignores structural factors in deviance
  • Lacks focus on crime victims
  • Offers no real policy solutions