SOC212H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Child Abduction, Federal War, Medicalization
Document Summary
Everything we understand about the world, is socially constructed. We create or construct meaning-when we define some behaviour as deviant, we are socially constructing deviance. The constructionist approach recognized that people can only understand the world in terms of words and categories that they create and share with one another. The constructionist stance had its roots in two developments: the social. Construction of reality by berger and luckmann, labeling theory. The social construction of reality- how social life shapes everything that people know. Labeling theory- conflict theorists charged that labeling theory ignored how elites shaped definitions of deviance and social control policies. Feminists complained that labeling ignored the victimization of women at the hands of both male offenders and male-dominated social control agencies. Constructionist approach involved studying claims and those who made them. Sociologists ought to study how and why particular issues such as date rape or binge drinking on college campuses suddenly became the focus of attention and concern.
