Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Labelling theory
- Derived from symbolic
interactionism
- Emphasis on understanding
the reaction and definition of
deviance
- Becker- ''No action is
inheriantly deviant
- Argues social groups create
deviance by creating rules and
labelling particular people.
- A strength on the labelling theory is that it has been applied
in other theories of crime. For instance Taylor, Walton and
Young in the New criminology.
- Moral entreprenuers
- Just because someone breaks a
rule doesnt mean they will be
labelled as deviant
- Moral entreprenuers must enforce
the rules or draw attention to the
act.
- Criticised by Marxists: are all rules/laws the result
of moral entreprenuers? Whatt are the conditions
under which some groups fail and other succeed?
- A02 Appliation: thhe
outlawing of cannabis in the
USA in 1937.
- People respond differently to rule
breaking
- A02 application- Kituse study of
attitudes towards homosexuals
in a time where it was illegal
ranged from complete tolerance
to extreme hatred
- Criticised for failing to explain primary
cause of deviance and distinguishing
between the seriousness of crimes
- Consequences of law
enforcement
- Labelled- internalise label-
self fulfilling prophecy-
master status- deviant career
Anmerkungen:
- Master status- occurs when a label has been successfully applied to an individual and all other characteristics become unimportant/ irrelevant.
- A02 application-
Rosenthal and
Jacobson- IQ tests
- Criticised as being labelled doesn't always
lead to more deviance. It is thus seen as
deterministic. For example, in schools when
labelled as hopeless cases, this theory may
suggest it would result in truancy. Instead, as
Mirza found in her study of black girls, some
reject the label and actually are successful in
exams.
- Case study on consequences: Jock
Young study of deviance
amplification among hippies. The
more police took action against the
minority that smoked weed, the
more deviance occurred.
- A strength of this case study is that it
highlights how the interactions between
offenders and the police actually produce
more crime rather than less
- Cohen- Moral panic/folk devil
- Members or the group are
demonised by the media as
people society should fear
- Criticised for ignoring the fact some individauls
may actively choose deviance. Neo-marxists
suggest some people may chooxe to deviate for
political motive
- Labels applied by
authorities and the
deviance is exagerated; the
publicty actually causes
more deviance
- A02 application;
mods and rockers
1960s
- current application;
chavs, terrorism etc
- This labelling could lead to the formation
of subcultures among individuals who
have been given the same label
- Phenomonology; many similarities
with labelling theory
- Interested in the micro scale
interactions and the meanings that
participants themselves bring to
social phenomona
- Cicourel- no clearcut way or distinguishing
between delinquent and non-delinquent
behaviours. It is dependant upon a process of
interaction and negotiation
- Deviancy can be negotiated. Individuals use their
cultural capital to negotiate their way out of trouble.
Explains why middle class individuals appear to be
less deviant
- A02 application; Brock Turner case study. Only 3 months
for raping a girl.
- Suggests police recorded
statistics may lack validity.
Under reporting of white collar
crime
- Law enforcement/ creation are selective
- Police use typifications
(shared categories)
- Case study on typifications: Rapid Development
Unit- studies racist policing strategies. Labelled
more black men as criminals and stopped more
of their cars than whites, especially expensive
ones.