CRIM1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Symbolic Interactionism, Deinstitutionalisation
CRIM1000: Labelling Perspectives
• Labelling theories
➢ Look at process by which people become labelled as deviant
➢ Also looks at the consequences of this
• Symbolic interactionism
➢ Sociological perspective, aims to explain how people perceive and define
their social reality and meanings they attach to it in process of interacting
with others
➢ Centres on social reaction to particular individual (or type of offender).
• Tannebaums theory, 1938
➢ Childe iitiall patiipate i plagoups o steet
➢ As teens, become high risk-takers, potentially dangerous, but still seen as just
pla
➢ Adults fist defie situatio: good kids doig ad.
➢ Situation escalates, tension between kids and adults increases
➢ Adults eventually label the youths as bad
➢ Kids conform to this, and act the part
• Secondary Deviance Hypothesis – Lemert(1951)
➢ Reaction to primary deviance
➢ Peso adopts deviat self-iage.
➢ Primary deviant act —> society reacts —> accept & internalise deviant label
—> conform to new identity —> secondary deviance
• Power of the official label
➢ Beoes aste status
➢ Retrospective interpretation
➢ Leads to seoda deviae
➢ Deviance which is more organised, persistent and serious.
• Howard Becker
➢ Deviae = ot a ualit of a peso, ut a esult of soeoe defiig
soeoes ativit as deviat.
➢ What do statistis eall tell us? What ae the easuig?
➢ Agues that epets dot geeally agree on what constitutes healthy
behaviour
➢ Deviance is created by society
➢ The deviant is anyone to whom the label has been successfully applied
➢ Society uses the label to condemn, the deviant to rationalise
➢ Takes wider societal view of which groups are able to impose power
• Chambliss: saints and roughnecks
➢ Both his studied groups engaged in delinquent acts (two groups of high
school boys)
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Look at process by which people become labelled as deviant. Also looks at the consequences of this: symbolic interactionism. Sociological perspective, aims to explain how people perceive and define their social reality and meanings they attach to it in process of interacting with others. Centres on social reaction to particular individual (or type of offender): tannebaum(cid:859)s theory, 1938. Child(cid:396)e(cid:374) i(cid:374)itiall(cid:455) pa(cid:396)ti(cid:272)ipate i(cid:374) (cid:858)pla(cid:455)g(cid:396)oups(cid:859) o(cid:374) st(cid:396)eet. As teens, become high risk-takers, potentially dangerous, but still seen as just (cid:858)pla(cid:455)(cid:859) Adults fi(cid:396)st defi(cid:374)e situatio(cid:374): (cid:858)good kids doi(cid:374)g (cid:271)ad. (cid:859) Situation escalates, tension between kids and adults increases. Adults eventually label the youths as bad. Kids conform to this, and act the part: secondary deviance hypothesis lemert(1951) Primary deviant act > society reacts > accept & internalise deviant label. > conform to new identity > secondary deviance: power of the official label. Deviance which is more organised, persistent and serious: howard becker.
