Social Interactionist Theories Of Delinquency

Chapter six covers the main topic of social interactionist theories of delinquency. Some of the areas covered are labeling theory, symbolic interactionist theory, conflict theory, as well as a few other theories. Prevention of delinquency is also a topic discussed. Labeling theory in the textbook is defined as the view that society creates the delinquent by labeling those who are apprehended as different from other youths when in reality they are different primarily because they have been tagged with a deviant label. The biggest powers within this theory are rule making and social power that can create deviance. The results from this is that the youth then peruse the deviant behavior they have been labeled because they think why change

It is defined as a perspective in social psychology that analyzes the process of interaction among human beings at the symbolic level. Shared meanings, behavioral expectations, and understanding how other people see others are all important to the process of this theory, as well as things such as role taking. The concept of interaction is between two or more individuals with each taking a role within the relationship. One of the four elements involved with role taking is how one individual perceives what others think about them and is then connected to the “looking-glass self,” which has its own three elements to it. They are how others actually see another, how we perceive the way others see another person, and how we see our self. An insight into this is if an individual thinks the perception of themselves from others is negative, they will act out more than those who think it is positive because it all has to do with their perceptions. An example of this would be from a class I had in high school where a friend of mine didn’t think a teacher liked them so they decided to not do their best. The negative perception they had influenced the work ethic they showed which resulted in them receiving a bad grade. Symbolic interactionist theory has a lot to do with the conceptions and how they influence the decision making each person does.

Conflict theory is another perspective to explain juvenile delinquency

This discusses that crime arises because people are a member of a subculture that has conduct norms. There are many different types of groups such as family, political, religious, and so on and each has their own norms they follow. In today’s society group and cultural conflicts is a very large issues that has risen due to high media coverage of it. Whether it be from the terrorist attacks to police ambushes to police shootings involving black citizens, they all contribute to the findings in this theory. Each of these situations breaks the conduct norms in the group or culture they are a part of and crime is considered what the misconduct is. Overall, conflict theory shows the norm breaks in society within each of the groups discussed, but also shows the flaws created from the disruptions to