Class 14- Social Process Theories

Week 8: Social Process Theories

Course Details

• Course: SOC 225 B02: Criminology

• Date: March 4, 2025

Neutralization Theory

• Concept: Criminals can hold conventional values while maintaining a criminal identity.

• Neutralization: Ability to drift between offending and conventional behaviors.

• Subterranean Values: Immoral values entrenched in culture despite being condemned.

• Techniques of Neutralization:

  1. Deny responsibility

  2. Deny injury

  3. Deny the victim

  4. Condemn the condemners

  5. Appeal to higher loyalties

  6. Necessity

  7. Ledger metaphor

  8. Rejection of law

  9. ‘Everyone else’

  10. Entitlement to benefit

Social Control Theories

• Self-Concept and Crime: Low self-control linked to weak self-esteem.

• Deviance and Self-Rejection: Associated with higher likelihood of deviance.

• Containment Theory: Insulating effect of strong positive self-esteem against deviance.

• Containments: Factors insulating youths include a strong self-concept and positive supports.

• Crime-Producing Forces: Composed of internal pushes, external pressures, and pulls.

• Social Control Theory: Dominant theory focusing on weak ties and bonds to society.

Social Control Theory: Social Bonds

• Attachment: Involvement with others fosters social conscience beginning in family.

• Commitment: Investment in a conventional life (education, savings).

• Involvement: Participation in conventional activities reduces time available for criminality.

• Belief: Commitment to conventional norms and values.

Labelling Theory

• Symbolic Interaction Theory: Focuses on how people attribute meaning and reality through symbols.

• Impacts of Labels: Labels carry characteristics that extend beyond individual traits.

• Positive/Negative Labels: Require interpretation and can lead to commitment to deviant careers.

• Reinforcement by Institutions: Police, courts, and corrections can exacerbate stigma.

Crime and Labelling Theory

• Definition of Crime: Influenced by others' reactions rather than inherent moral content.

• Labelling Agents: Include crime control institutions and close social networks.

• Moral Entrepreneurs: Groups influencing societal norms and legal orders.

Differential Enforcement

• Uneven Application of Law: Influences from race, wealth, gender, and social standing.

• Reflexive Power Relationships: Laws reflecting societal power dynamics.

• Historical Context: Example of NWMP and Indigenous peoples influencing policing methods.

Social Distance and Consequences of Labelling

• Power Dynamics: Influences the labelling process.

• Disparity in Sentencing: Histories of privilege vs marginalization.

• Effects of Labelling: Creates stigma and affects self-image; master status reflects one's identity.

• Dramatization of Evil: Society's reaction to deviance creates a feedback loop.

Primary and Secondary Deviance

• Primary Deviance: Undetected or unsanctioned deviant acts.

• Secondary Deviance: Sanctioned acts that shape personal identity as deviant.

Question Example

• Case: Elle steals a jacket unnoticed.

  • Options: a. Primary deviance b. Secondary deviance c. Stigmatization d. Commitment to conformity

General Theory of Deviance

• Non-Conformity: Deviants face social sanctions for not meeting societal standards.

• Deviant Subculture: Involvement in groups with norms conflicting with societal values.

• Impact of Sanctions: Leads to self-rejection and deviant associations.

Differential Social Control

• Self-Evaluation: Reflects perceived appraisals from others.

• Acceptance Seeking: Deviant youths gravitate toward groups that accept them.

Bias and Effects of Labelling

• Predisposition to Labelling: Vulnerability among powerless groups.

• Discriminatory Practices: Law enforcement's discretion leads to disproportionate labelling and deviance.

Issues with Labelling Theory

• Key Questions:

  • Onset and reintegration of deviance?

  • Relative nature of deviance?

• Role of Social Control: Identifies social agents' function in criminality.

• Distinction: Between primary deviance and developing criminal careers.

Integrated Theory

• Multifactor Approach: Crime cannot be explained by one factor alone.

• Latent Traits: Inherent characteristics that can predispose individuals to crime.

• Life Course Perspective: Criminal patterns vary over a person's life due to different influences.

Social Development Model (SDM)

• Integration of Theories: Combines social control, social learning, and structural models.

• Pro-social Bonds: Critical for success, solidified through early socialization.

Elliott's Integrated Theory

• Integrative Framework: Combines strain, social learning, and control theories.

• Focus on Disintegration: Studies how pro-social bonds become weak.

Integrated Structural Marxist Theory

• Conflict and Society: Interrelation of family conflicts with structural and process theories of crime.

Evaluation of Social Process Theory

• Causation of Criminal Behaviour: Links to socialization processes.

• Institutional Disruption: Impact of family, school, peers, and criminal justice system.

• Research Foundation: Robust support for social process theories.

Social Process Theory and Policy

• Socialization Possibilities: Teaching conventional norms as a means of criminality prevention.

• Youth Diversion Programs: Alternatives involving community restitution and rehabilitation efforts.

• Early Interventions: Promote educational success and conventional institution commitment.

Content Exclusions

• Specific Studies Not Covered: The Glueck Research, not pertinent for the exam.