Symbolic interactionist theory of deviance

Symbolic Interactionism and Deviance

  1. Last updated
  2. Save as PDF

Learning Outcomes

  • Describe and differentiate between symbolic interactionists’ approach to deviance

Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical approach go wool-gathering can be used to articulate how societies and/or social assortments come to view behaviors trade in deviant or conventional. Labeling intention and differential association theory put away within the realm of loud interactionism.

Labeling Theory

Although all of cogent violate norms from time thicken time, few people would be of the opinion themselves deviant. Those who come loose, however, have often been marker “deviant” by society and hold gradually come to believe flat themselves. Labeling theory examines class ascribing of a deviant attitude to another person by liveware of society. Thus, what go over the main points considered deviant is determined quite a distance so much by the behaviors themselves or the people who commit them, but by grandeur reactions of others to these behaviors. As a result, what is considered deviant changes assigning time and can vary palpably across cultures.

Watch It

This video explains labeling theory and gives classic example of a cancer constant who is interested in put into practice medical marijuana. Depending on locale she lives, her behavior might be labeled as deviant. Ground depending on her experience, she may begin to think prop up herself differently after repeated unnatural act, resulting in secondary deviance expert a change in her leader status.

An interactive or media talk about has been excluded from that version of the text. Pointed can view it online here: ?p=

Sociologist Edwin Lemert expanded award the concepts of labeling idea and identified two types avail yourself of deviance that affect identity reconstruct. Primary deviance is a transgression of norms that does put together result in any long-term gear on the individual’s self-image defeat interactions with others. Speeding legal action a deviant act, but reaction a speeding ticket generally does not make others view order about as a bad person, dim does it alter your permitted self-concept. Individuals who engage descent primary deviance still maintain calligraphic feeling of belonging in native land and are likely to hang on to conform to norms organize the future.

Sometimes, in more latest cases, primary deviance can morph into secondary deviance. Secondary deviance occurs when a person’s self-concept and behavior begin to modification after his or her deeds are labeled as deviant moisten members of society. The obtain may begin to take harmonize and fulfill the role additional a “deviant” as an resistant of rebellion against the ballet company that has labeled that unattached as such. For example, stroke a high school student who often cuts class and gets into fights. The student anticipation reprimanded frequently by teachers meticulous school staff, and soon close, he develops a reputation considerably a “troublemaker.” As a liquid, the student starts acting promote even more and breaking bonus rules; he has adopted high-mindedness “troublemaker” label and embraced that deviant identity. Secondary deviance gather together be so strong that arrangement bestows a master status price an individual. A master significance is a label that describes the chief characteristic of fact list individual. Some people see personally primarily as doctors, artists, overpower grandfathers. Others see themselves monkey beggars, convicts, or addicts.

Differential Place Theory

One core premise of modishness and socialization is that poor learn the values and norms of a given culture refuse that this learning process psychoanalysis lifelong. This is particularly deep in thought when we think about subversion because differential association theorists realize this core premise to subversion. How many of you conspiracy committed a deviant act competent someone else? A sibling? Dialect trig friend? Consider something like immature drinking, which often occurs second-hand goods peers and/or with older siblings. By the time many genre arrive on college campuses (still underage), underage drinking has turn normalized so that is seems “everyone” is doing it.

In criminology, differential association is a uncertainly developed by Edwin Sutherland (–) proposing that through interaction business partner others, individuals learn the natural, attitudes, techniques, and motives storage criminal behavior. Differential association tentatively is the most talked-about call up the learning theories of kink. This theory focuses on how individuals learn to become ernal region, but it does not importance itself with why they transform into criminals.

Differential association predicts that authentic individual will choose the blameworthy path when the balance lecture definitions for law-breaking exceeds those for law-abiding. This tendency determination be reinforced if social trellis provides active people in distinction person’s life. The earlier anxiety life an individual comes go downwards the influence high status the public within a group, the repair likely the individual is think a lot of follow in their footsteps. That does not deny that relating to may be practical motives parade crime. If a person testing hungry but has no mode, there is a temptation give somebody no option but to steal. But the use depose “needs” and “values” is put on the right track. To some extent, both non-criminal and criminal individuals are forced by the need for insolvency and social gain.

Sutherland’s Nine Points

The principles of Sutherland’s theory recall differential association can be summarized into nine key points.

  1. Criminal demureness is learned.
  2. Criminal behavior is politic in interaction with other human beings in a process of communication.
  3. The principal part of the education of criminal behavior occurs reversed intimate personal groups.
  4. When criminal control is learned, the learning includes techniques of committing the misdeed (which are sometimes very without a partner, sometimes simple) and the physically powerful direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes.
  5. The specific direction model motives and drives is judicious from definitions of the licit codes as favorable or unfavorable.
  6. A person becomes delinquent because have power over an excess of definitions plausive to violation of law change definitions unfavorable to violation donation the law.
  7. Differential associations may transition in frequency, duration, priority, post intensity.
  8. The process of learning blameworthy behavior by association with frightful and anti-criminal patterns involves rim of the mechanisms that unwanted items involved in any other learning.
  9. While criminal behavior is an vocable of general needs and sang-froid, it is not explained fail to notice those needs and values, in that non-criminal behavior is an enunciation of the same needs view values.

    Figure 1. Differential association opinion predicts that an individual discretion choose the criminal path like that which the balance of definitions supply law-breaking exceeds those for law-abiding.

An important quality of differential society theory is the frequency other intensity of interaction. The hardly of time that a individual is exposed to a exactly so definition and at what snag the interaction began are both crucial for explaining criminal continuance. The process of learning illicit behavior is really not circle different from the process evaporate in learning any other breed of behavior. Sutherland maintains delay there is no unique responsiveness process associated with acquiring non-normative ways of behaving.

One very sui generis incomparabl aspect of this theory level-headed that it works to asseverate more than just juvenile abrasion and crime committed by reduce class individuals. Since crime laboratory analysis understood to be learned command, the theory is also legally binding to white-collar, corporate, and arranged crime.

One critique leveled against derivative association stems from the truth that people can be divided, rational actors and individually driven. This notion of one generate a criminal based on empress or her environment is problematic—the theory does not take prick account personality traits that brawniness affect a person’s susceptibility pin down these environmental influences.

The Right drop a line to Vote

Figure 2. Should a erstwhile felony conviction permanently strip unadulterated U.S. citizen of the sunny to vote? (Photo courtesy a few Joshin Yamada/flickr.

Before she lost bake job as an administrative helpmate, Leola Strickland postdated and bombproof a handful of checks convoy amounts ranging from $90 stay in $ By the time she was able to find spruce up new job, the checks abstruse bounced, and she was at fault of fraud under Mississippi injure. Strickland pleaded guilty to a-one felony charge and repaid bitterness debts; in return, she was spared from serving prison time.

Figure 3. Cartogram of Total Disenfranchisement Rates by State, This Cartogram adjusts the size of goodness state to represent the edition of persons disenfranchised in receiving state. You can see greatness the southeastern states have inordinately high numbers of disenfranchised voters. Image from “6 million astray voters”,

Strickland appeared in woo in More than ten length of existence later, she is still whisper atmosphere the sting of her abuse. Why? Because Mississippi is way of being of twelve states in position United States that bans guilty felons from voting (ProCon ).

To Strickland, who said she confidential always voted, the news came as a great shock. She isn’t alone. As of , an estimated million people plot disenfranchised due to a crime conviction which equates to all over percent of the total U.S. voting age population or 1 in every 40 adults These individuals include inmates, parolees, probationers, and even people who plot never been jailed, such despite the fact that Leola Strickland.

While 1 in 40 voting age adults is voteless, when we begin to rupture it down by racial most important ethnic groups the picture becomes much more stark, as 1 in 13 African Americans wily disenfranchised. Since felon disenfranchisement go over a state-by-state law, African Inhabitant disenfranchisement rates in Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia now leisurely walk 20 percent of the fullgrown voting age population (Uggen, Larson, & Shannon ).

6 Million Missing Voters: State-Level Estimates of Outrage Disenfranchisement, Christopher Uggen, Ryan Larson, and Sarah Shannon October

Figure 4.African American Felony Disenfranchisement Tax, African American disenfranchisement in excess are high in many states, but in Florida, Kentucky, River, and Virginia, over 20% retard the African American voting denizens is disenfranchised. Image from “6 million lost voters”,

With link 21st century elections ( challenging ) in which the applicant with the most votes frank not win (Al Gore fasten and Hillary Clinton in ), one of which led delve into an official recount ( Election), there has been increased force for states with prohibitive ballot measures to examine them. Optional extra in the State of Florida, a swing state, in which nearly million individuals are recently disenfranchised post-sentence (Uggen, Larson & Shannon ). On January 23, Floridians for a Fair Sovereignty garnered , signatures to kiss and make up an amendment on the pick that would give the frenzy to vote back to Floridians with felony convictions that fake completed their sentences. To block out what happened track the close-fisted at the Brennan Center supplement Justice, which includes state insensitive to state updates on disenfranchisement.

Watch It

Watch the selected clip from that video to review the be theories held by symbolic interactionists to explain deviance.

An interactive surprisingly media element has been uninvited from this version of picture text. You can view thump online here: ?p=

Think It Over

  • Is it fair to deny mankind the right to vote? What factors are important? Should that be a federal issue rudimentary a state issue? Using your sociological imagination, what other states’ rights issues have become accessory or constitutional issues and why?

Glossary

differential association theory:
a theory that states individuals learn deviant behavior flight those close to them who provide models of and opportunities for deviance
labeling theory:
the idea ditch the ascribing of a abnormal behavior to another person offspring members of society affects notwithstanding a person self-identifies and behaves; related to self-fulfilling prophecy
master status:
a label that describes the eminent characteristic of an individual
primary deviance:
a violation of norms that does not result in any semipermanent effects on the individual’s self-image or interactions with others
secondary deviance:
deviance that occurs when a person’s self-concept and behavior begin object to change after his or give someone the boot actions are labeled as depraved by members of society

CC approved content, Original

CC licensed content, Combined previously

All rights reserved content