SOCI 1210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Labeling Theory, Moral Panic, Norm (Social)

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-labelling theory
-edwin lemert
-secondary deviance occurs when a person’s self concept and behaviour begin to
change after his or her actions are labelled as deviant by members of society
-the person may begin to take on and fulfill the role of a deviant as an act of rebellion
against the society that has labelled that individual as such
-person gets labelled, and then begins to own label
-secondary deviance can be so strong that it bestows a master status on an individual
-master status: a label that describes the chief characteristic of an individual
Different types of crimes
-sociological study of crime, deviance, and social control is especially important with respect to public
policy debates
-as a society, we want a sense of safety and security, and desire the rule of law
-at the same time:
-our laws are deeply shaped by the politics surrounding them
-its often difficult to have a clear picture of how safe our society actually is
-television news broadcasts frequently begin with chaos news
-crime, accidents, natural disasters, etc. -that present an image of society as a dangerous and
unpredictable place
-however, the image of crime presented in the headlines does not accurately represent the types of
crime that actually occur
-this distortion creates the conditions for moral panics around crime
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-moral panic: occurs when a relatively minor or atypical situation of deviance arises that is amplified and
distorted by the media, police, or members of the public
-this can cause governments at times to choose a hard approach to an issue that is perceived by
the public to be a problem
-previous conservative government perfect example
-many arguments made that we need to be tough on crime and guard against terrorism
-crime lowest since 1970’s, virtually no terrorists threats whatsoever
What is crime?
-although deviance is a violation of a social norm, it is not always punishable, and not necessarily bad
-crime, on the other hand, is a behaviour that violates official law and is punishable through formal
sanctions
-societies have informal and formal ways of maintaining social control
-within these systems of norms, societies have legal codes that maintain formal social control through
laws, which are rules adopted and enforced by a political authority
-not all crimes are given equal weight
-society generally socializes its members to view certain crimes as more severe than others
-in north american society, crimes are classified as one of two types based on their severity
-violent crimes are based on the use of force or the threat of force
-nonviolent crimes involve destruction or theft of property, but do not use force ot the threat of
force; sometimes
Subcategories:
-street crime: offences committed by ordinary people against other people or organizations usually in
public spaces
-corporate crime: crime committed by white collar workers in a business environment
-victimless crime: perpetrator is not explicitly harming another person
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Document Summary

Secondary deviance occurs when a person"s self concept and behaviour begin to change after his or her actions are labelled as deviant by members of society. The person may begin to take on and fulfill the role of a deviant as an act of rebellion against the society that has labelled that individual as such. Person gets labelled, and then begins to own label. Secondary deviance can be so strong that it bestows a master status on an individual. Master status: a label that describes the chief characteristic of an individual. Sociological study of crime, deviance, and social control is especially important with respect to public policy debates. As a society, we want a sense of safety and security, and desire the rule of law. Our laws are deeply shaped by the politics surrounding them. Its often difficult to have a clear picture of how safe our society actually is. Television news broadcasts frequently begin with chaos news.

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