Labeling, Subcultures

1
Labeling, Subcultures Learning

• Subculture
• Subcultures provide a lens to interpret the
  world they provide context and meaning to social
  life
• Major source of values/beliefs
• Subcultures may support values that encourage or
  condone deviance
• Deviance may be seen as conformity to subculture
  norms

2
Labeling, Subcultures Learning

• The Social Learning Approach to Understanding
  Deviance
• Socialization is critical as a deviance-promoting
  force
• People learn (sub-cultural) values/beliefs that
  are consistent with deviant behavior

3
Labeling, Subcultures Learning

• Differential Association Theory
• (Sutherland 1947 Chapter 6)
• Sutherland argues that deviance is an outcome of
  socialization. (Contra Durkheim)
• Deviance is only possible through learning
• Learning crime involves 2 elements
• criminal techniques (the how-tos of crime)
• criminal motivations (the whys of crime)

4
Labeling, Subcultures Learning

• 9 Principles of Differential Association
• 1) Crime is learned
• 2) Crime is learned in a process of communication
  with others (symbolic interactionist idea)
• 3) Crime is learned in intimate personal settings
• 4) Learning includes the techniques (sometimes
  simple, sometimes complicated) the motives,
  rationalizations, drives to commit crime
• 5) The specific direction of motives is learned
  from perceptions of aspects of the legal code as
  being favorable or unfavorable
• 6) Persons become criminal when they perceive
  more favorable than unfavorable consequences to
  law violation

5
Labeling, Subcultures Learning

• Scope Conditions or caveats of Diff. Assoc.
• 7) DA may vary in frequency, duration, priority,
  and intensity
• 8) Learning criminal behavior is like any other
  learning
• 9) Criminal and non-criminal behavior are
  expressions of the same needs, values, and thus
  crime cannot be explained by needs and values

6
Labeling, Subcultures Learning

• How is this related to Labeling, Stigma and
  Identity?
• Among the key outcomes of the labeling process
  is?
• OSTRACISM
• Ostracism encourages the development of
  subcultures dedicated to coping with the stigma
  of a deviant label.
• Differential Association provides us with a
  better understanding of how people cope with
  labeling. For example, by becoming integrated
  into deviant subcultures that are consistent
  with, even supportive of, the deviant label.

7
Harris, Anthony R.  1976.  "Race, Commitment to
Deviance, and Spoiled identity."  Amer. Soc.
Review.  41432-443. 
statistically significant N.S.not
statistically significant Also note that surveys
have consistently shown that Af-Am have higher
self-esteem scores in the U.S. general population.
8
Do all groups experience stigma similarly?

• Harris analysis shows that the answer is No.
• Why?
• General exclusionary processes stigma redundancy