Symbolic Interactionism and Labelling Theory of Deviance

Course Introduction and Territorial Acknowledgement

• CRIM $2331$: Sociological Explanations of Criminal Behavior.

• Instructor: Dr. Sunny Mangat.

• Kwantlen Polytechnic University respectfully acknowledges that it operates in a region overlapping with the unceded traditional and ancestral First Nations territories of the Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt, and Kwikwetlem.

• The university also occupies the lands of the Kwantlen First Nation, which gifted its name to the institution.

Learning Activity: Forum Discussion on Labelling

• Learning Activity #6 Forum Topic: "How might being labeled as a \u2018criminal\u2019 affect a young person\'s identity and behavior?"

• Discussion Questions:

  • How does being labeled as a "criminal" affect identity and behavior?

  • Can the stigma associated with criminality perpetuate further criminal activity? Why or why not?

• Submission Requirements:

  • Initial response: One post of $150\text{--}200$ words.

  • Peer response: At least one response of $100\text{--}150$ words.

  • Peer post criteria: Enhancing the discussion without summarizing, restating, or evaluating the peer’s response; it must add to the discussion.

  • Deadline: Sunday by $11:59\,pm$ PST.

Core Principles of Symbolic Interactionism

• Theoretical Origins: Credited largely to the philosopher George Herbert Mead ($1943$) and his student Herbert Blumer ($1969$).

• Foundations: The theory is built on two primary foundations: Symbols and Interaction.

• Definition of Symbols: Signs that represent ideas or concepts. They can be expressed verbally or nonverbally.

  • Examples: A thumbs up meaning "yes," a thumbs down meaning "no," or forming a heart shape with hands to signify love.

• Role of Symbols in Society: Symbolic interactionists assert that society and culture exist only to the degree that individuals have internalized symbols and shared their meanings.

• Definition of Society: A sizable collectivity of individuals bound together by a shared culture composed of symbols. Interaction is essential for communication as people use these symbols to convey meaning.

Herbert Blumer: Social Meaning and Action

• Social Meaning ($1969$): Blumer emphasizes that humans act toward things based on the meanings those things hold for them, rather than acting due to inherent qualities of the things themselves.

• Contrast with Other Frameworks: While other theories suggest conditions like poverty, poor social circles, or strained relationships directly produce deviance, symbolic interactionists argue that the key is the significance individuals attribute to these conditions.

  • Example of Perception: One individual may view poverty as a defining part of their identity, while another views it as a challenge to overcome.

• Source of Meaning: Meaning is not inherent in an object or person; it is produced, altered, and transmitted through social interaction within cultural and social settings.

• Communication of Meaning: The meanings of items (e.g., expensive cars, marijuana, guns), conditions (e.g., poverty, broken homes), and acts (e.g., murder, robbery) are communicated by observing and analyzing verbal and nonverbal signals from others.

• Active Interpretation: Individuals are more than just passive receptors of meaning. They handle and alter meanings through an active interpretive process. Under the same conditions, different people may see slightly different meanings based on their interpretation of symbols.

• Definitions Created: Emerging from interactions, people create three key definitions: self, society, and situation. These definitions significantly impact future conforming or nonconforming behaviors.

The Self as a Social Construct

• Theme of Identity: Self-image, self-concept, and identity development are central themes. Self-concept results from prolonged social interaction.

• Response Feedback: Positive or negative responses from significant people (those surrounding the individual) lead to varying degrees of positive or negative self-image over time.

• Development of Self: The sense of self is not biologically or inherently present; it is developed via social interactions. We must view ourselves as others see us before developing self-consciousness.

• Personal Identity: Symbolic information from others\' reactions tells us who we are. For example, self-perceived attractiveness is based on interpreting how others react to us.

• Key Concepts and Theorists:

  • George Herbert Mead: Referred to this process as "the self as a social construct."

  • Charles Cooley (Charles Horton Cooley): Referred to identity formation as the "Looking-glass self."

• Objective View: Identity is created by the person placing themselves in the shoes of an observer to view themselves "objectively."

Mead\u2019s Components of the Self: I, Me, and the Generalized Other

• The \u201cI\u201d: The action-oriented, behavior-based part of the individual (the \u201cdo\u2019er\u201d). The actions of the "I" are never certain.

• The \u201cme\u201d: The introspective, reflective part of the person. It reflects the individual\'s ideas and beliefs about their social and physical traits. It is the self that the "I" acts upon.

• The \u201cgeneralized other\u201d: The internalized representation of what the individual believes other people think about them and their actions. It is invoked when asking, "What would people think?"

• Research Focus: Symbolic interactionism places special emphasis on the "I" and "me" aspects of the self.

Definitions of Society and Situation

• Defining Society: Formed through interaction and communication using symbols. Agents of socialization (family, friends, co-workers, media) shape how the world is viewed, affecting behavior. A belief that society is good or just affects how one behaves regardless of whether that belief is objectively true.

• Defining Situations: The process individuals go through to understand the social context they are in. Definitions of the social situation may vary significantly between individuals.

The Labelling Perspective

• Standpoint: The Labelling perspective is the study of deviance from a Symbolic Interactionist standpoint.

• Determination of Deviance: What makes an act deviant is not the act itself, but the contextual meaning attached to it by society.

• Three Basic Questions of Labelling Theorists:

  • $1.$ Who gets defined or labelled deviant?

  • $2.$ How does this process occur?

  • $3.$ What are the consequences of being designated deviant?

Tenets of the Labelling Perspective (Figure $6.1$)

• The process follows a specific trajectory:

  • Initial primary deviance (influenced by a multiplicity of factors).

  • Unofficial and/or official labelling (influenced by economic and power relations).

  • Deviant is shunned by conventional society.

  • Development of a deviant self-image, self-concept, and identity.

  • Ongoing involvement in deviance (secondary deviance) within a career context, which reinforces the deviant identity.

Power and the Application of Labels

• Role of Power: Power differentials between those who define and those who are defined influence how labels are applied. Groups with authority can compel weaker members to follow their lead.

• Status and Social Position: Social power is often determined by status factors including income, occupation, property ownership, age, sex, ethnicity, and regional affiliation.

• Legitimate Authority: The state grants unique legal authority to specific roles to classify others as criminals or deviants. These agents of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) include:

  • Police officers

  • Judges

  • Correctional workers

  • Psychiatrists

  • Social workers

Labelling Theory in Practice

• Behavior Subjectivity: No behavior is inherently deviant; the label of deviance makes it so. Individuals are not criminals until society labels them as such.

• Master Status: Labels like "gang member" can become an individual\'s primary identity or "master status."

• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Once a label is internalized, the individual acts according to the stereotypical role associated with that label (e.g., acting like a gang member), which reinforces society\'s view of them (Williams \u0026 McShane, $1999$).

Shame and Stigmatization: John Braithwaite

• Theoretical Framework: John Braithwaite, \u201cShame and Reintegration\u201d ($1989$).

• Types of Shaming:

  • $1.$ Stigmatization (Disintegrative Shaming): Shaming that stigmatizes and excludes the individual from society.

  • $2.$ Reintegrative Shaming: Expressions of disapproval while sustaining a relationship or respect for the individual. It labels the behavior as deviant rather than the person.

Edwin Lemert: Primary and Secondary Deviance

• Social Divisions ($1967$): Society is composed of diverse cultural groups separated by age, ethnicity, and class, leading to clashes due to different norms and power relations.

• Primary Deviance: Initial acts of law-breaking where the person has not yet intimately associated themselves with deviant behavior. It does not impact their self-image.

• Secondary Deviance: Occurs when individuals change their psychological perspective and behavior patterns to defend against, attack, or adjust to negative labels. The individual responds to the assigned label.

• The "Social Mirror": Lemert argues that when deviance is detected, a mirror is held to the individual reflecting a negative self-image.

• Neutralization Techniques: Mechanisms used by the deviant individual to neutralize feelings of guilt or shame.

Symbolic Interactionism and Social Policy

• Precursors to Identity: Official labelling/stigmatization by social control agents are seen as precursors to a deviant identity.

• Policy Recommendations:

  • Reduce negative labels and stigmatization.

  • Deinstitutionalization: Reducing or eliminating the institutionalization of offenders.

  • Diversion Programs: Aiming to remove accused persons from the court system before formal proceedings start.

  • Sentence Reduction: Minimizing sentences to lessen stigma.

  • Radical Noninterventionism: Restricting government involvement to only the most severe misconduct.

  • Decriminalization: Removing non-serious offenses (prostitution, gambling, light drug usage) from the Criminal Code (Solomon, $1983$).

Critiques of Symbolic Interactionist and Labelling Theories

• Historical Neglect: Fails to connect current deviance definitions to historical occurrences.

• Political/Economic Oversight: Undervalues the role of macro political and economic forces in assigning labels.

• Root Causes: Overlooks the initial causes of primary deviance and fails to provide sufficient justifications for various wrongdoings.

• Pre-label Deviance: Some individuals show behavioral or personality deviations before any labels are applied.

• Elite Deviance: Focuses on the powerful as labellers while ignoring the criminal behavior of the socially and economically privileged.

• Passive Recipient View: Views the individual as a passive recipient of stigma, ignoring their active role or resistance.

Summary of Theoretical Frameworks

• Meaning in Interaction: Meaning is not intrinsic; it is created through verbal and nonverbal symbol interpretation. Culture exists through shared meanings of these symbols.

• Self-Concept: Identity evolves through interpreting symbolic messages in cultural contexts. The self is a reflection of interpretations of others\' emotions (the social mirror).

• Definitions: Meanings shape definitions of self, society, and situation, which in turn affect behavior.

• Theorist Summary:

  • Mead: "The self as a social construction"; components include the "I," the "me," and the "generalized other."

  • Cooley: "The looking-glass self."

  • Lemert: Primary vs. secondary deviance based on label internalization.

  • Braithwaite: Stigmatization vs. reintegrative shaming.

• Practical Application: Supports decriminalization, diversion, probation, parole, and community service orders to minimize the negative impact of formal labels.