SOC 2070 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Erving Goffman, People V. Turner, Symbolic Interactionism

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2070
• Professor: Patrick Parnaby

Document Summary

Interpretivist approaches labelling theory: origins in symbolic interactionism. Born into the social system interact via symbolic communication (shared meaning) Our sense of self" emerges via symbolic communication the i" is source of impulse and action the me" is awareness of oneself as meaningful object relative to others. Sense of self" (who we are, how we should behave etc. ) is, in part, a product of how others perceive us: meaning it"s a product of social interaction, nothing is inherently deviant. Deviance: is anything labeled as such through symbolic communication (becker 1963) What are the effects: primary vs. secondary deviance. How reactions/labels lead to a reorganization of self: primary. Violation of norms, but usually not serious. Act might be recognized and labelled, but seen as isolated. Deviant act doesn"t define person"s role or status. Label is not internalized; not part of one"s sense of self: secondary. Violation of norms is persistent and more serious. Deviant label is internalized as part of self".