Deck 13: Interactionist Explanations

Question 1

Sutherland proposed a theory of:

A)Anomie
B)White-collar crime
C)Social disorganisation
D)Social strain

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Using Sutherland's theory of differential association, explain why an individual might engage in and continue with criminal behaviour.

Answer 2

Responses should include:
-Criminal behaviour is learned.
-Criminal behaviour is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication.
-The principal part of the learning of criminal behaviour occurs within intimate personal groups.
-When criminal behaviour is earned, the learning includes (a) techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated, sometimes very simple; (b) the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalisations, and attitudes.

Question 3

Explain Matza's theory of juvenile 'drift'.

Answer 3

Student's might include the following in their response:
-Matza identified that most juveniles engage in acts of deviancy; but they adhere to a delinquent subculture
-Juveniles drift along a continuum; sometimes they engaged in behaviours that fit within social norms; at other times they engaged in delinquent behaviour
-Most young people move toward and remain within the conventional expectations of their community
-For a drift to occur, one must learn how to neutralise society's normative hold; one must interact with delinquents for this learning to take place

Question 4

Draw on elements from strain, control and social learning theories to explain juvenile delinquency.

Question 5

Which of the following interactionist perspective is not linked to juvenile justice practice of criminal justice diversion?

A)Neutralisation theory
B)Labelling theory
C)Differential association
D)Rational choice theory

Question 6

Provide an outline of the underlying premises to symbolic interactionism and briefly discuss how they influence our understanding and response to the world around us.

Question 7

List and discuss the two forms of behaviour from a labelling theorist perspective.

Question 8

What is meant by 'techniques of neutralisation' as proposed by Sykes and Matza (1957).How has it influenced practice?

Question 9

Discuss the impact of labelling on juvenile offending and offer strategies that can be used to minimise this.