4.1.3

Interactionist Explanations of Crime

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Interactionist Explanations of Crime

Interactionists believe in labelling.

Labelling

Labelling

  • Interactionists believe in labelling.
  • This is where people or acts are given a tag that defines them as deviant based on the time, place, culture etc.
  • They look at people’s relationships and try to establish what is perceived as crime and how people react to it.
Example

Example

  • Findings of the BCS (British Crime Survey):
    • Young black males are stopped and searched more often in comparison to any other group because police seem to think it is more likely for them to engage in criminal activities.
Criticisms of interactionist explanations

Criticisms of interactionist explanations

  • They put the blame on those who define an act as deviant rather than the deviant person.
  • They believe that an act isn’t deviant until others perceive it as such.
  • They don’t explain why one becomes deviant.

Labelling Theory (Becker, 1963)

Becker was an interactionist who believed in labelling.
Becker H S, Outsiders, New York, The Free Press, 1963.

Becker

Becker

  • Becker was an interactionist who believed in labelling.
  • He believed that once a label (such as 'delinquent' or 'criminal') is attached to someone, it is likely that they will live up to this label.
  • This is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy; even if they don't want to become this, they cannot shake the label and they become it.
  • Interactionists study the effect of individuals’ interactions on their behaviour.
Interactionism and deviance

Interactionism and deviance

  • Because he was an interactionist, Becker believed that an act only becomes deviant when others define it as such.
  • I.e. who commits the act, when and where it is committed, who observes it, and the negotiation between the actors involved in the interaction.
  • He thought that all these factors come together to determine whether the deviant/criminal label will be applied.
Example

Example

  • For example, the actions of young people that are convicted for breaking the law, lead to those young people to be labelled.
  • The agents of social control, e.g. the police and the courts, have the power to make the label stick.
  • This label then becomes a master status, i.e a label that overrides all the other labels that one has, and this eventually affects how others see them.
Self-fulfilling prophecy

Self-fulfilling prophecy

  • As a consequence the individuals will live up to this label, producing a self-fulfilling prophecy.
  • The individual who has been labelled as deviant is rejected from society because of negative assumptions about their future behaviour; which may then encourage further deviance, which leads to a deviant career.
Deviant subculture

Deviant subculture

  • This might lead him to join an organised deviant group by forming a deviant subculture, which develops beliefs and values which justify and support deviant behaviours.
Jump to other topics
1

The Sociological Approach

1.1

Introduction to Sociology

1.1.1What is Sociology?1.1.2Culture & Socialisation
1.2

Sociological Approaches

1.2.1Marxism1.2.2Marxism 21.2.3Functionalism1.2.4Feminism
1.3

The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate

1.3.1The Consensus vs. Conflict Debate1.3.2End of Topic Test - The Sociological Approach
2

Families

2.1

Functions of Families

2.1.1Functionalist Views on Family2.1.2Marxist Views on Family2.1.3Feminist Views on Family
2.2

Family Forms

2.2.1What is a Family?2.2.2Nuclear Family2.2.3Families in a Global Context2.2.4The Rapoports & Family Diversity2.2.5Causes of Family Diversity2.2.6End of Topic Test - Family Forms
2.3

Conjugal Role Relationships

2.3.1Conjugal Roles
2.4

Changing Relationships Within Families

2.4.1Timeline2.4.2Domestic Abuse2.4.3Symmetrical Family
2.5

Criticisms of Families

2.5.1Functionalist Views of Families2.5.2Marxist Views of Families2.5.3Feminist Views of Families2.5.4Declining Marriage Rate2.5.5End of Topic Test - Criticisms of Families
2.6

Divorce

2.6.1Reasons For Rise in Divorce Rate2.6.2Consequences of Divorce2.6.3Functionalist Views2.6.4Marxist Views2.6.5Feminist Views2.6.6End of Topic Test - Divorce
3

Education

3.1

Roles & Functions of Education

3.1.1The Functionalist Approach3.1.2Evaluating Different Perspectives3.1.3Types of School3.1.4Alternative Education3.1.5State & Private Schools
3.2

Processes Within Schools

3.2.1Internal Processes3.2.2External Processes
3.3

Educational Achievement

3.3.1Measuring Educational Success3.3.2Social Class & Education3.3.3Social Class & External Factors3.3.4Gender & Education3.3.5Ethnicity & Education3.3.6Parental Choice3.3.7History of UK Education Policy3.3.8Recent UK Education Policy3.3.9End of Topic Test - Education
4

Crime & Deviance

4.1

The Social Construction of Crime

4.1.1Defining Crime & Deviance4.1.2Sociological Explanations of Crime4.1.3Interactionist Explanations of Crime4.1.4Alternative Explanations of Crime
4.2

Social Control

4.2.1Informal Social Control4.2.2Formal Social Control4.2.3End of Topic Test - Social Construction of Crime
4.3

Criminal & Deviant Behaviour

4.3.1Explanations of Crime4.3.2Social Class & Crime4.3.3Gender & Crime4.3.4Ethnicity & Crime4.3.5Age & Crime4.3.6Criminal Responsibility4.3.7The Prison System4.3.8Media Reporting of Crime4.3.9Functionalist Explanations of Crime
4.4

Data on Crime

4.4.1Measuring Crime4.4.2End of Topic Test - Criminal & Deviant Behaviour
5

Social Stratification

5.1

Social Stratification

5.1.1What is Social Stratification?5.1.2Functionalism5.1.3Socio-Economic Class5.1.4Socio-Economic Class 25.1.5Life Chances5.1.6The Affluent Worker5.1.7End of Topic Test - Social Stratifictaion
5.2

Poverty as a Social Issue

5.2.1Defining Poverty5.2.2Factors Affecting Poverty5.2.3Explanations of Poverty5.2.4Impact of Globalisation5.2.5End of Topic Test - Poverty as a Social Issue
5.3

Power & Authority

5.3.1Weber5.3.2Sociological Perspectives5.3.3Power Relationships5.3.4End of Topic Test - Power & Authority
6

Sociological Research Methods

6.1

Research Methods

6.1.1Research Design6.1.2The Scientific Method6.1.3Other Considerations6.1.4Primary Sources6.1.5Secondary Sources6.1.6Surveys6.1.7Sampling6.1.8Questionnaires6.1.9Interviews6.1.10Observation6.1.11Statistics6.1.12Case Studies6.1.13Longitudinal Studies6.1.14Ethnography6.1.15Experiments6.1.16Small Scale Research6.1.17End of Topic Test - Research Methods

Practice questions on Interactionist Explanations of Crime

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  1. 1
    Criticisms of interactionist explanations:Fill in the list
  2. 2
    What does BCS stand for in relation to crime?Fill in the list
  3. 3
    Who was an interactionist who believed that labelling?Multiple choice
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