Sociology 2259 Lecture Notes - George Herbert Mead, Labeling Theory, Erving Goffman
9 Feb 2013
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Interpretive theories of deviance: deviance emerges from the societal response to a behaviour/characteristic, deviance is socially constructed, doesn"t exist independently of us as humans, abortion is an example. Symbolic interactionists examine why the deviant label has been applied to certain behaviours/characteristics, and the consequences of such. Strain/social control theories: deviance --> control, someone engaging in deviance and then society comes in to controls the behaviour. Interpretive theories: control --> deviance, looks at society trying to control deviance before it happens. The social construction of deviance via labels: the meaning of deviance derives not from the act a person commits, but rather from society"s. Mirror image: cooley, our sense of self has 3 elements: : what we define as real, is real in its consequences : w. i. Thomas: what we define as deviance becomes real, actors negotiate their definitions of the situation. In order to understand an action, we must understand the actor"s definition of the situation.
