interactionism

• Becker - labelling theory?

  Deviance is not a quality of the act a person commits, but a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an 'offender'. The deviant is one to whom the label has successfully been applied
• Whos study does Becker use to support his labelling argument?

  Malinowski
• What does Becker's labelling theory propose?

  • whether or not a label is applied will depend on how the act is interpreted by the audience
  • this is determined by who commits the act, when/where it is committed, who observes it
  • deviance is socially constructed
• Who theorised master status?

  Becker
• What is master status?

  When people are looked at by others solely on the basis of one type of act which they have committed, all other aspects of that person are ignored
• Who theorised the deviant career?

  Becker
• What is a deviant career?


  The various stages that a person passes through on their way to being seen as, and seeing themselves as, deviant
• Labelling theory on selective law enforcement?

  Argue that agencies of social control use considerable discretion and selective judgement in deciding whether and how to deal with illegal or deviant behaviour
• Becker - selective law enforcement?

  Police operate with pre-existing conceptions and stereotypical categories of what constitutes 'trouble', criminal types and so on, and these influence their response to behaviour they come across
• Cicourel - selective law enforcement?

  Juvenile crime rates higher in working class areas than middle class areas, as the police viewed the behaviour of these groups differently even when engaging in the same actions
• Social construction of Official crime statistics?

  • Criminal statistics are a social construction because they are the product of social processes
  • Involve not only offenders but reporting and the behaviour of the police
• What did the CSEW estimate?

  31% of crimes are reported and recorded
• Moral panic?


  Exaggerated reaction from the media, police or wider public to the activities of social groups
• Example of a moral panic?

  Mods and Rockers
• Folk devils?


  Groups associated with moral panics who are seen as troublemakers by the media
• Who theorised deviancy amplification?

  Wilkins
• Deviancy amplification?


  The response to deviance by agencies such as the media can actually generate an increase in deviance by their exaggerated, sensationalised and distorted reports of events
• What did Wilkins theorise?

  Deviancy amplification
• What did Becker theorise?

  • Master status
  • Deviant career
• What did Braithwaite research?

  types of shaming
• What did Becker suggest were the two types of shaming?

  • Disintegrative
  • Reintegrative