Topic 5 - Interactionism

• Interactionalists take a micro view of society, focusing on the individuals and their personal means and motives. They believe crime is socially constructed and should not be taken at face value.
• Becker

  • Deviant behaviour is behaviour that is labelled as such- focus should be on why people are labelled
  • Most people commit crimes (primary deviance) but only some people are caught and stigmatised for them (secondary deviance) which leads to more crime through the labelling process
  • Uses the example of outlawing cannabis in the USA in 1937 which was only successful as it was plugged into common values- he calls this a moral crusade.
• Stages of labelling theory

  1. A moral entrepreneur tries to attach a label to an act of secondary deviance
  2. The labelled person may accept the label
  3. The label becomes the master status
  4. Self-fulfilling prophecy occurs
  5. May negotiate their identity - an individual has the power to reject the label
• Akers criticises Becker's theory for not providing a reason for why someone might be labelled - it is an incomplete theory.

  
  

  However, Hall et al (Neo-Marxist) does argue black young men are likely to be labelled by media to distract from economic problems.
• Functionalists argue Becker fails to recognise the functional aspect of crime; focusing on the act is more beneficial than the labelling process. Merton criticises Becker for failing to recognise how the structure of society can motivate less fortunate individuals to innovate, Becker has no explanation.
• Cicourel

  • Police acted as moral entrepreneurs for MC and WC youth
  • Labelling process is a series of interactions based on sets of meanings. Police stop and interrogate (based off meanings of suspicious) and decide whether to make an arrest -each stage is negotiable.
  • Most youth convicted had fathers who were manual workers. When MC youth were arrested they were less likely to be charged as they didn't fit the stereotype of a typical delinquent. Parents were able to negotiate justice.
• Marxists are critical of interactionists who fail to identify where these stereotypes of typical delinquents originate. Gordon argues the bourgeoisie control agents of social control, such as police, so target the WC.
• S. Cohen

  • Media presented a distorted picture of Mods and Rockers as folk devils 'hell bent on destruction' which led to a moral panic
  • The amount of serious violence and vandalism was greatly exaggerated
  • Created a deviancy amplification spiral in which police made more arrests, which generated more violence and media as people saw it as unjustified
• McRobbie and Thornton criticise S. Cohen for being outdated since we now have a more critical view of media and access to multiple viewpoints. Castells argues people can now upload first-hand accounts which reduces the likelihood of moral panic.
• Philips and Bowling

  • Police over-police ethnic minority groups, particularly black men (6-9 times more likely), due to racial profiling
  • If only one type of person is stopped and searched then only one type of person will be found to have committed crimes, leading to the self-fulfilling prophecy.
  • Lead to a culture of distrust and defiance within black culture, leading to further arrests.
• Functionalists criticise Philips and Bowling as they see police as working in our interest - stop and search rate policy is justified as it reflects the consensus that some groups need more policing than others. Murray argues stricter social control is necessary for black men as they have grown up without a strong father figure so are vulnerable to crime.