SOC 2106 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Symbolic Interactionism, Labeling Theory, Social Reality

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2106
• Professor: Sam Alvaro

Document Summary

Who labels whom: the labelers (police, judges, prison guards etc. , generally the rich, white and powerful are more able to label others as deviant. The poor, black and powerless are more likely to be considered. Tannenbaum: where parents etc. label child as deviant/delinquent, or when both child and parents label child as delinquent: lemert: primary deviation and secondary deviation. Primary deviance as a matter of value conflict, as a behaviour that the society defines as deviant but that the performer of that behaviour does not so define. This behaviour becomes secondary deviance only when the person comes to agree with the society"s definition of the behaviour as deviant, seeing himself/herself as a deviant. Considers the deviant"s subjective experience the heart of the deviant reality. Subjectivism as the key to deviant reality: fundamentally problematic: people disagree over the meanings of deviance. Social conflict: incompatible interests, needs and desires of such diverse groups as business companies verses labor unions etc.