Explaining Deviance (subjectivist theories)

Question 1

Subjective Theories

Answer 1

-focus is on the nature of the expectations themselves

interpretive theories
- focus on how people develop understandings of the world around them, other people and themselves

critical theories
- focus on the power dynamics that underlie the creation of social rules and they have an emancipatory foundation

Question 2

Symbolic Interactionism

Answer 2

assumption:
- we develop understanding and attribute meaning to the world and to ourselves based on the interactions we have with others
-society is created by social interactions
-such interaction occurs via the use of symbols
-symbols may have different meanings in different contexts

• we attach meaning not only from the outside culture but also from our own personal views as unique individuals
  -perception is everything!!!!

Question 3

Key Concepts of Symbolic Interactionism

Answer 3

1. Role Taking
   - what are other people’s perspectives?
   -try to see things from their point of view
   -helps us to determine what our own perspectives, attitudes, behaviors will be
2. Looking-Glass Self
   -what do others think of me?
   - how other people see us will inevitably change on the way we look at ourselves
   -based on our perceptions and not necessarily reality
3. significant other
   - actual people that we know personally who’e thoughts about us matter
   -ex. parents, grandparents, peers,
4. Generalized Others
   - what would “people” say?
   -refers to general societal expectations

Question 4

Labeling Theories Assumption

Answer 4

assumption: if you call something long enough, they will eventually become that thing.
-when we label people, it leads to changes of how other people see them and respond to them, and also how people see themselves
-becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 5

Tannenbaum (1938)

Answer 5

• grandfather of labeling theory
  -when an individual is caught at deviance, TAGGING occurs; at first, this deviant label only applies to the act but is soon generalized to the person (i.e., the dramatization of evil); this results in changes in identity and subsequent behvaior
  -the motive behind the label does not matter, the result/effect is the same

Question 6

Lemert (1951)

Answer 6

• distinguished between primary deviance (occasional rule breaking) and secondary deviance (deviant lifestyle and identity)
  -getting caught and labeled by someone with power and authority is what results in the transition
  -changes how people see them, how they see themselves, and how they behave

raises the question: if they do not get caught, are they deviant?

Question 7

Becker (1963)

Answer 7

• once a person is labeled deviant, it becomes their MASTER STATUS
  -a person with a deviant MASTER STATUS becomes an “OUTSIDER” resulting in changes

master status: main status by which someone is known to others
- holds a lot of significance when linked with deviance

outsider: blocked from opportunities
- no one will hire them, they will lose friends
over time the conforming world will reject them
-deviant world is basically the only option, where they are accepted

Question 8

What are the three types of stigma

Answer 8

1. physical
   - talking about physical characteristics
2. moral
   -associated with values and beliefs
3. group
   -group membership
   ex. sexual identity, religous groups

Question 9

Discredited vs. Discreditable

Answer 9

discredited