Symbolic Interactionism Overview

A micro-level perspective that focuses on how individuals and small groups interact to create and maintain society, emphasizing the role of shared meanings and symbols in shaping social reality.

The idea that society is not an objective structure but rather a product of ongoing interactions and shared meanings among individuals.

A key influence on symbolic interactionism, suggesting that the 'self' develops through interactions with others and the internalization of social expectations.

A research approach favored by symbolic interactionists, focusing on understanding social phenomena through detailed observations, interviews, and textual analysis.

A sociological approach that examines how societal labels (e.g., 'deviant') can influence individuals' behavior and self-identity.

Any behavior that violates social norms and expectations, often studied within the context of labeling theory.

A theory that explains deviance as a result of a mismatch between culturally valued goals and the legitimate means to achieve them.

A theory that suggests that individuals learn deviant behavior through interaction with those who engage in such behavior.

A path of deviant behavior developed by an individual who has been labeled deviant, leading to further involvement in deviant activities and a reinforced deviant identity.

A process of marking individuals as 'deviant' or 'other' due to their actions or personal attributes, leading to social exclusion, discrimination, and negative social consequences.

A social identity that dominates all other aspects of an individual's identity, often overshadowing other characteristics.

A theoretical perspective that emphasizes how social phenomena, including deviance, are created through social interactions and cultural understandings rather than being inherent or objective.

A widespread, exaggerated, and often irrational fear and concern about a perceived threat to society's morals and social order.

Individuals or groups that are portrayed as a threat to society during a moral panic, often demonized and seen as responsible for social problems.

Models focusing on the socio-cultural processes and stages involved in the development of moral panics, emphasizing the interplay of media, public opinion, and official responses.

Models focusing on identifying the typical characteristics and structural factors that contribute to the emergence and spread of moral panics.

A situation where an initial expectation or prediction leads to actions that ultimately make the prediction come true.

Agreement among powerful groups about the existence and severity of a perceived threat, even if it's not widespread among the general population.

The intensity of public concern about a threat being out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the threat, often making a big deal out of a minor issue.

The characteristic of moral panics to rise suddenly and unexpectedly, often fading away just as quickly.

Moral panics originating from concerns and fears within the public, often amplified and spread by media and influential figures.

Moral panics orchestrated by powerful groups to achieve their own social, political, or economic goals, often exploiting public fears.

Moral panics driven by groups who use public outrage to promote their own agendas or interests.

Arguments against the usefulness or accuracy of the moral panic framework, suggesting it oversimplifies complex social issues or overlooks real societal problems.

How the moral panic framework highlights the influence of powerful groups in creating and benefiting from public fear, and its impact on social control and the exercise of authority.

Illegal activities committed by individuals or organizations in a professional or business setting, often involving financial gain or deception.

Edwin Sutherland argued that early criminological theories failed to adequately explain white-collar crime, relying heavily on biased data and failing to account for the criminality of the elite.

The reliance on official crime statistics, primarily drawing from court records and police reports, skewed crime data toward working-class offenses, overlooking white-collar crimes.

White-collar criminals, despite their seemingly respectable status, engage in illegal activities, violating trust and exploiting their positions of power.

Examples of white-collar crime include fraudulent financial statements, stock manipulation, bribery, false advertising, and embezzlement.

Even medical professionals, while seemingly ethical, can commit white-collar crimes like drug abuse, illegal prescriptions, fraudulent reports, and unnecessary treatments.

White-collar crimes often involve violations of implied and delegated trust, exploiting the confidence placed in professionals and institutions.

While white-collar activities violate criminal law, many perpetrators are not convicted in court, leaving a gap between legal violations and criminal prosecution.

Distinct groups within a larger society that share values, beliefs, behaviors, and styles that differ from the mainstream culture.

The adoption or use of elements of one culture by members of another culture, often without understanding or respect for the original culture.

A way for members of subcultures to express their identity, values, and resistance to the mainstream culture.

An approach suggesting that youth subcultures use style to challenge, resist, and express their difference from mainstream culture.

When the mainstream culture adopts elements of a subculture's style, often commercializing and diluting its original meaning.

Highly organized, criminal groups that usually operate in urban areas, often with a strong sense of identity and loyalty.

These gangs arise due to socioeconomic factors, including poverty, racism, lack of opportunities, social isolation, and instability.

Reasons for joining a gang vary, but they often include seeking protection, money, excitement, belonging, and a sense of identity and purpose.

Gang members often share some common characteristics, such as being mostly young men, from marginalized racial/ethnic groups, and from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Gangs can be classified by their structure, goals, and activities, ranging from traditional gangs to business-oriented gangs to hate groups.

These gangs are often long-standing, territorial, and organized, with strong internal structures and sometimes international connections.

These gangs focus on making money through illegal activities, such as drug dealing, prostitution, or weapons trafficking.

These groups promote hatred, hostility, and violence against specific racial, religious, or sexual minority groups.

A process where media coverage and public attention increase negative reactions to deviance, leading to more intensified behavior and further moral panic.

A study that observed how media sensationalism and moral indignation created perceptions of marijuana users as deviant.

An analysis of how media coverage and societal reactions to youth subcultures fueled moral panic and created a sense of 'folk devils' (deviant youth).

A condition, person, or group perceived as a threat, leading to societal alarm, expert pronouncements, and attempts to resolve the 'threat'.

A study that challenged Cohen's theory by suggesting that moral panics are not just media-driven, but rooted in socio-political conflicts and state control mechanisms.

A framework that identifies key features of moral panics, including concern, hostility, and condemnation of alleged threats.

Increased anxiety and fears about the potential harm posed by a specific person, group, or behavior perceived as threatening society.

Negative attitudes and resentment directed towards the alleged threat, leading to the creation of 'folk devils' and social divisions (us vs. them).

The act of strongly criticizing and blaming the alleged threat for social problems, often utilizing moral outrage and sensationalized narratives.

A framework that explains how specific characteristics of a moral panic, such as the perceived threat, can be attributed to certain causes and blamed on specific individuals or groups.

The shift in societal attitudes, policies, and practices often resulting from moral panics, leading to new laws, regulations, and societal norms.

Deviance that emerges as a result of being labeled as deviant, leading to the internalization of this label and further deviant behavior.

The idea that moral panics reflect the values and beliefs of powerful groups who use them to maintain social control and divert attention from underlying social problems.

Prison gangs primarily serve as a form of protection and group affiliation for inmates. They provide a sense of belonging and security within the often harsh prison environment.

Prison gangs have a significant impact on street gangs and their activities. Their influence extends beyond the prison walls, often shaping gang operations and rivalry dynamics on the outside.

Female gang membership is on the rise, with law enforcement reporting it as one of the fastest-growing groups of offenders in the US.

Traditionally, female gang members often played subordinate and gender-specific roles, offering financial, sexual, and emotional support to male gang members.

In recent times, female gang members have increasingly taken on active roles, gaining responsibilities and independence within the gang hierarchy.

White collar crime involves financially motivated, nonviolent crimes committed by individuals in positions of power, such as business leaders, professionals, and government officials.

White collar crime significantly affects people's social and economic lives, leading to the loss of investments, savings, livelihoods, and even undermining trust in financial institutions and governments.

Examples of white collar crime include financial scandals, insider trading, public sector fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, and harmful activities of multinational corporations.

Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme, the largest financial fraud by a single individual in US history, cheated thousands of victims out of billions of dollars, including charities, banks, and celebrities.

The concept of white collar crime raises questions about how crimes are defined, categorized, and treated by the criminal justice system.

The social positions and power of individuals involved in white collar crime play a significant role in how their actions are investigated, prosecuted, and punished.

White collar crime often involves corporate activities that expose workers, consumers, and the environment to harm. This raises questions about corporate responsibility for their actions.

The Ford Pinto case highlights a situation where a corporation prioritized profit over the safety of consumers, leading to a design flaw that resulted in deadly accidents.

The Thalidomide scandal illustrates the potential risks of prioritizing profit in the pharmaceutical industry, where a drug with harmful side effects was marketed despite known risks to pregnant women.

A subculture that actively opposes the dominant culture's values and norms, often through social activism or rebellion.

A subculture that is characterized by criminal or deviant behavior, which is often seen as a response to social strain and lack of opportunities.

A theory suggesting that crime and deviance result from weakened social controls and disorganization within a community, particularly in areas with high poverty and social instability.

A theory that suggests that deviant behavior is more likely in communities with limited opportunities for economic or social advancement through legitimate means, leading individuals to seek alternative, often illegal, paths.

These subcultures form in stable slums where criminal structures are well-established, offering youths the opportunity to learn and participate in criminal activity.

These subcultures emerge in areas lacking legitimate or illegitimate opportunities, where status and success are achieved through violence and physical strength.

These subcultures consist of youths who are unable to achieve success through either legitimate or illegitimate means, often opting for escapism through drug or alcohol abuse.

A theory suggesting that individuals are not locked into either conformity or deviance but rather fluctuate between both, engaging in deviant behavior episodically as a release from social constraints.

A concept focusing on subcultures that emerge as a form of resistance against the dominant culture's values and norms, particularly in cases of class, racial, or age conflict.

This approach emphasizes the role of class conflict in shaping youth subcultures, particularly the resistance of working-class youth against the dominant middle-class culture.

A study by Paul Willis exploring how working-class youths' subcultural behavior contributes to their acceptance of working-class jobs and lifestyles.

A subcultural group within school that actively opposes the values and norms of the mainstream school culture, often through rebellion or non-conformity.

This refers to the diverse range of subcultures characterized by various boundaries such as class, race, gender, and region, often leading to conflict and limited interaction between them.

Penalties imposed on individuals found guilty of white-collar offenses, ranging from warnings and fines to cease and desist orders, and in extreme cases, imprisonment.

A theory proposing that individuals learn criminal behaviors through interactions with others who hold pro-criminal beliefs and values.

A theory that explains crime as a result of weak social ties and a lack of community control in neighborhoods, leading to increased criminal activity.

The idea that mental illness is a form of deviance from social norms, often involving violations of expectations regarding behavior and social interaction.

The tendency to view mental illness as a medical condition, often leading to increased reliance on medical diagnoses and treatments.

The idea that mental illness is not an objective reality but rather a social construct, shaped by cultural beliefs, social norms, and power dynamics.

A theory that examines how labeling individuals as 'mentally ill' can influence their behavior and self-identity, leading to stigma and social exclusion.

Two main perspectives on madness in Ancient Greece: (i) Supernatural (cosmological) - caused by gods or spirits, and (ii) Natural (medical) - explained by imbalances in bodily humors (blood, phlegm, black & yellow bile).

Medieval conceptions of madness largely influenced by religious beliefs and supernatural explanations, attributing madness to sin, demonic possession, and various forms of evil.

The historical period (1600s onwards) marked by the rise of institutions for the incarceration of the poor, deviant, and mentally ill, driven by social control and labor needs.

A large institution in Paris (founded in 1656) that served as a pauper's prison and semi-judicial administrative entity, controlling the poor, deviant, and insane through confinement and forced labor.

The infamous mental asylum in London (originally the Priory of St Mary of Bethlehem, founded in 1247), known for its inhumane conditions and harsh treatment of the mentally ill.

The practice of confining individuals deemed undesirable or problematic in society, often used to control behaviors, maintain social order, and regulate labor.

The use of forced labor as a form of punishment or control for individuals deemed undeserving or disruptive, often associated with confinement and social exclusion.