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  • Interactionist Perspective and Labeling Theory

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    robelyn gayagay
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    Interactionists believe criminality develops through social interactions and the labeling of potential deviants by agents of social control. What is considered deviant is determined by social norms and can vary by context. No act is inherently criminal, but becomes so when labeled as such by powerful social groups who create rules. When an act is labeled as deviant, secondary deviance and stigmatization can occur where the person internalizes the label and seeks out other labeled individuals.

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    Interactionists believe criminality develops through social interactions and the labeling of potential deviants by agents of social control. What is considered deviant is determined by social norms and can vary by context. No act is inherently criminal, but becomes so when labeled as such by powerful social groups who create rules. When an act is labeled as deviant, secondary deviance and stigmatization can occur where the person internalizes the label and seeks out other labeled individuals.

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    84 views13 pages

    Interactionist Perspective and Labeling Theory

    Uploaded by

    robelyn gayagay
    Interactionists believe criminality develops through social interactions and the labeling of potential deviants by agents of social control. What is considered deviant is determined by social norms and can vary by context. No act is inherently criminal, but becomes so when labeled as such by powerful social groups who create rules. When an act is labeled as deviant, secondary deviance and stigmatization can occur where the person internalizes the label and seeks out other labeled individuals.

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    of 13

    • Interactionists are interested in how people

    interpret and socially construct the world around


    them.
    • They are interested in how criminality develops
    in the social interactions between a potential
    deviant and the agents of social control.
     “...social groups create deviance by making the
    rules whose infraction constitutes deviance,
    and by applying those rules to particular
    people and labelling them as outsiders – the
    deviant is one to whom that label has been
    successfully applied”
     • No actions are by nature criminal or deviant
    – it depends on the norms of the society and
    the reaction of members of society of society in
    different situations and contexts.
     takes the view that people become criminals
    when labeled as such and when they accept the
    label as a personal identity
     For example, consider the situations where
    swearing at the top of your voice would and
    wouldn’t be considered deviant:
     – In the pub with your friends
     – On the bus
     – At home alone
     – In class
     – In the supermarket
     – At a football match
    • Therefore ‘normality’ and ‘deviance’ is relative
    • It changes according to cultural context and
    historical period
    • Deviance is therefore a matter of interpretation
    • Provide some examples what is considered
    deviance changing according to context and period
    • States there is no such thing as a deviant act.
    • No act is inherently criminal or deviant in itself,
    in all situations and at all times.
    • An act only becomes criminal or deviant when
    others label it as such.
     The social construction of deviance requires
    two activities:
    1. One group which normally lacks power, behaves in
    a particular way.
    2. Another group with more power, responds
    negatively to it and labels it as criminal.
    • Becker claims a powerful groups create
    rules or laws to define what counts as
    deviance and labels those who fail to
    conform as criminals or outlaws
    (outsiders)
    • Agents of social control are made up of group
    such as the police, the judiciary, and probation
    workers.
    • They work on behalf of the powerful groups to
    label and define behaviour of less powerful.
    • The behaviour of less powerful is subject to
    greater surveillance and control by these social
    agencies.
    • Distinguished between primary and secondary
    deviance
    • Primary deviance is insignificant deviant acts
    that have not been publicly labelled.
    • Secondary deviance is the result of societal
    reaction – of labelling.
    • Secondary deviance leads to stigmatization
    where people are shunned and excluded from
    normal society.
    • Lemert asserts that the criminal label can
    become a master status where society interprets all
    actions and motives within the context of the label.
    • Secondary deviance leads to prejudice,
    discrimination and produce a self-fulfilling
    prophecy and the labelled person may seek refuge
    with other people branded with a similar label.
    • Think of the consequences for sex offenders and
    ex-cons.
     Once a person has been labeled by others
    through secondary deviance, it is common for
    that person to incorporate that label into his or
    her own self-concept. They develop a stigma,
    or a powerfully negative label that greatly
    changes a person's self-concept and social
    identity.
     Once people stigmatize an individual, they
    have a difficult time changing their opinions of
    the labeled person, even if the label is proven to
    be untrue. They may also engage in
    retrospective labeling, interpreting someone's
    past in light of some present deviance.
     Similarly, people may engage in projective
    labeling of a stigmatized person. Projective
    labeling is using a deviant identity to predict
    future action.

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