Labelling and interactionism theory

What is the key idea of this theory?

Crime only occurs when we label behaviour or a person

What does interactionists argue and about which groups?

Those in power label some people as criminal more than others

Eg. Working class, young males, ethnic minorities

What is primary deviance?

Break the law but don’t see yourself as criminal, behaviour is minor (eg fare dodging)

-not labelled as a criminal, identity and future behaviour doesn’t change

What is secondary deviance?

Person accepts label and begins to see themselves as criminal, act in line with it

-leads to further crime, exclusive from society

What is master status?

Label of criminal becomes main way people see you

What is meant by self fulfilling prophecy?

When you are labelled deviant you become more deviant, you live up to it

What is moral panic?

Level of concern is exaggerated by the media

What did Cohen’s study of “Mods and Rockers” show?

Media exaggeration

Politicians and media called for a crackdown

Negative labelling of Mods and Rockers

What are interactionists?

Reject the use of crime statistics found by the police, as they measure what the police do rather than what the criminals do

What is meant by interactionists believing crime statistics are socially constructed?

Crime stats are not true reflections of crime, reflect what the police label as crime and who they label as a criminal

What are the strengths of labelling theory?

Explain patterns in crime statistics, some law enforcements may explain why the working class and minority groups are over represented in crime statistics

What are the weaknesses of labelling theory?

Wrongly implies that once someone is labelled, a deviant career is inevitable. Individuals can reject labels