What fo interpretive and critical theories not focus on?
Do not focus on the act.
- perception of the act
- reaction to the act
- influence of power in perceptions and reactions
- deviance is constructed through the social typing process
What are the interpretive and critical theories ways of thinking?
Interpretive theories - symbolic interactionism - labelling theories - deviant careers Critical theories - conflict theories - power-reflexive theories - post-modern theories
What happened before interactionist theories?
They ignored the role of observer
- creation of offences
- how some were considered to be deviants
Interaction theories = radically changed deviance studies
Deviance: process of social construction
= created/developed by society
= “constructed” through cultural or social practice
Categories of deviance change
What is the Mead’s “The I and the Me”?
Social self composed of
1) active I (independent of particular situations
2) receptive me ( situated and responsive. composed by messaged from others)
An individual can:
1) accept the situation
2) attempt to change the message by presenting a new image to the world
3) challenge the reflection by questioning in accuracy
What is symbolic interactionism?
Society is created by social interaction - constant communication with symbols - source of all meaning - symbols are complex - mean different things to different people * our different interactions produce different perspectives Deviacne is human creation Social construction emerges out of - inteaction = becomse real - affects subsequent events/behaviours Foucs on - Interaction -Communication
What are the different processes in symbolic interactionism?
Role taking - what are others experience Looking glass self - what do others think of me? Results in varied meanings and interpretations of self/others Significant others -what would my family/friends say? Generalize others - What would people say?
Contributes to our understanding of society’s rules
What is labelling theory?
The deviant is one to whom the label jas successfully been applied; deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label
Interested in:
1) process of being labelled
2) consequences of that label
-when people are labelled as deviant, they are treated differently
- changes their self-identity
- changes how they act
What is Tannenbaum labelling theory?
Tagginging ( identify a specific act as evil) –> Dramatization of evil (transition from “evil act” to “evil person”)
What is Lement labelling theory?
Primary deviance: occasional rule breaking
Secondary deviance: deviant lifestyle and idnentity
What is Kitsuse labelling theory?
Some deviant rebel against their labels
- attempt re-affirm their self-worth and lost social status
- Tertiary deviants
- actively protest their labels
- reject the rejections
What is Becker labelling theory?
Deviance is a master status
- how to identify you
A person with a deviant master status becomes an outsider
Affects how others treat you
- Pushes you further into the margins of society
Changes in identity and lifestyle
What is Goffman labelling theory?
Stigmatization
-Dramaturgical approach: life is a stage where we take different roles
- front stage selves vs backstage self
- if we have a deviant identity no matter what we do, others will perceive us as deviant (spoiled identity)
Sign vehicles: the mechanism we use to present ourselves to others (social setting, appearance, manner of interacting)
Responding to spoiled identity (impression management)
- Efforts to control or influence others peoples perceptions:
-Humour, education, defiance, passing, cowering
What are deviant careers?
Progression through deviance = progression through career
Stages of progression
Career contingencies: turning poitn
Wha are critical theories?
Theoretical:
- Look at the relationship between human struggles for power: (construction, deconstruction, reconstruction of normative social boundaries)
+
Practical:
- Work towards social justice for society’s powerless
(emancipatory)
What is conflict theory?
Chared assumptions:
- social rules emerge from conflict and serve the interests of the powerful
- the powerful are less likely to break rules
- the powerless are more likely to break the rules
= origins attributed to Karl Marx
What is basic Karl Marx?
Powerful People (bourgeoisie) Powerless (proletariat) Economic factors: relationship to the means of production Factory owner: bourgeoisie Factory means of production Factory workers: proletariat
What does Karl Marx beleive?
Class struggle - the most important relationship in industrial is between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat
The state represents the interest of those who own the means of production
Capitalism breeds egocentricity, greed and predatory behaviour but the worst crime of all is the exploitation of workers
What is instrumental marxism?
Institutionalized social rules are created by the powerful to serve the powerful Direct reflection of the interests of the ruling/capitalist class Law is equated with class rule - Ruling class controls the formation of law - The state and the legal system are instruments of the capitalist class
What is structural marxism?
State institutions function in the long-term interests of capitalism
Bourgeoisie can be labelled as deviant
- against fundamental principles of capitalism
Many laws do not represent the immediate interests of the capitalist class
- Law that benefits the less powerful reflect the need to develop a widespread consent for existing social order
What are other conflict theories?
Power can be based in non-economic factors too.
Pluralist conflict theory
Culture conflict theory
Group conflict theory
What is Pluralist conflict theory?
Multiple axis of inequality make up the structure of society
Based upon conflicts from economic, religious, ethic and political groups
What is cultural conflict theory?
When societies have diverse cultural groups, their different norms will conflict with each other
Dominant cultural groups can impose their cultural norms on other groups
What is group conflict theory?
Many groups are always trying to gain more power in society
Clash woth each other because of this
Groups that are able to get authorities on their side have their norms or social rules legitimized
* when conflict happens, crime/deviance occur
Conflict theories
Powerful construct society;s dominant moral code
In dominance, the powerful must convince the powerless that the rules are logical
