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Mind Map by missylew69, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by missylew69
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Part 2 - CH 11: The Constructionist Stance
- Joel Best
- One of the
leading
practitioners
of the social
constructionist
approach
- Reality is socially constructed
- When we define some behavior as deviant, we are socially constructing deviance.
- Constructionist approach recognizes that people can only understand the world in
terms of words and categories that they create and share with one another
- Constructionist approach recognizes that people can only understand the world in
terms of words and categories that they create and share with one another
- When we define some behavior as deviant, we are socially constructing deviance.
- Reality is socially constructed
- One of the
leading
practitioners
of the social
constructionist
approach
- THE EMERGENCE OF CONTRUCTIONISM
- Contructionism has roots in 2 developments:
- FIRST:
- The publication by Peter L. Berger & Thomas Luckmann's
(1966), "The Social Construction of Reality"
- They wrote about the sociology of knowledge-how social
life shapes everthing that people know. Introduced the
term "social construction".
- Soon after, other sociologist were writing about the
construction of science, news and other knowledge
including deviance.
- Soon after, other sociologist were writing about the
construction of science, news and other knowledge
including deviance.
- They wrote about the sociology of knowledge-how social
life shapes everthing that people know. Introduced the
term "social construction".
- The publication by Peter L. Berger & Thomas Luckmann's
(1966), "The Social Construction of Reality"
- SECOND:
- labeling theory came under attack by the mid 1970s
- labeling theory had become the leading approach
to studying deviance duting the 1960s
- Conflict theorists charged that labeling theory
ignored how elites shaped definitions of deviance
and socail control policies
- Feminists complained that labeling
ignored the victimization of women at the
hands of both male offenders and
male-dominated social control agencies
- Gay and disability rights activists insisted that
homosexuals and the disabled should be viewed as
political minorities rather than deviants.
- Mainstream sociologists began
challenging labeling theory's claims
about the ways social control operated
and affected deviants' identities
- Mainstream sociologists began
challenging labeling theory's claims
about the ways social control operated
and affected deviants' identities
- Gay and disability rights activists insisted that
homosexuals and the disabled should be viewed as
political minorities rather than deviants.
- Feminists complained that labeling
ignored the victimization of women at the
hands of both male offenders and
male-dominated social control agencies
- Conflict theorists charged that labeling theory
ignored how elites shaped definitions of deviance
and socail control policies
- labeling theory had become the leading approach
to studying deviance duting the 1960s
- labeling theory came under attack by the mid 1970s
- FIRST:
- Contructionism has roots in 2 developments:
- THE CONSTRUCTIONIST RESPONSE
- In response, some sociologist moved away from studying
deviance and instead studied the sociology of social problems
- Led by John I. Kitsuse (sociologist who helped shape the labeling theory), &
Malcolm Spector, published "Constructing Social Problems" (1977) - a book that
inspired many sociologists to begin studying how and why particular social
problems emerged as topics of public concern
- Spector & Kitsuse argued that sociologist ought to redefine social problems as claims
that various conditions constituted social problems; therefore, the constructionist
approach involved studying claims and those who made them, the claimsmakers
- sociologist should study how problems like college drinking and date
rape are constructed. how were these problems constructed?
- sociologist should study how problems like college drinking and date
rape are constructed. how were these problems constructed?
- Spector & Kitsuse argued that sociologist ought to redefine social problems as claims
that various conditions constituted social problems; therefore, the constructionist
approach involved studying claims and those who made them, the claimsmakers
- Led by John I. Kitsuse (sociologist who helped shape the labeling theory), &
Malcolm Spector, published "Constructing Social Problems" (1977) - a book that
inspired many sociologists to begin studying how and why particular social
problems emerged as topics of public concern
- Constructionist approach was flexible which meant that
constructionists might criticize some claims as exaggerated, distorted
or unfounded but they might also celebrate the efforts of
claimsmakers to draw attention to neglected problems
- Analyst of social problems construction might concentration various actors: some examined
the power of political and economic elites in shaping definitions of social problems; others
focused on the role of activists i bringing attention to problems; and still others concentrated
on how nedia coverage shaped the public's and policymakers' understanding of problems
- Analyst of social problems construction might concentration various actors: some examined
the power of political and economic elites in shaping definitions of social problems; others
focused on the role of activists i bringing attention to problems; and still others concentrated
on how nedia coverage shaped the public's and policymakers' understanding of problems
- important to appreciate that "socially constructed" is not a
synonym for erroneous or mistaken.
- All knowledge is socially constructed; to say that a social problem
is socially constructed is not to imply that it does not exist but
rather that it is through social interaction that the problem is
assigned particular meanings
- All knowledge is socially constructed; to say that a social problem
is socially constructed is not to imply that it does not exist but
rather that it is through social interaction that the problem is
assigned particular meanings
- In response, some sociologist moved away from studying
deviance and instead studied the sociology of social problems
- THE RETURN OF DEVIANCE
- Although constructionists studied the emergence and evolution of many
different social problems, much of their work remained focused on deviance
- They studied the construction of rape, child abduction, illicit
drugs, family violence and other forms of deviance
- Medicalization - defining deviance as a form of illness requiring medical treatment.
Popular contemporary way of constructing deviance. Using medical language
like-disease, symptom, therapy used by medical authorities and amateurs
- Medicalization studies closely related to the rise of constructionism
- Medicalization studies closely related to the rise of constructionism
- Medicalization - defining deviance as a form of illness requiring medical treatment.
Popular contemporary way of constructing deviance. Using medical language
like-disease, symptom, therapy used by medical authorities and amateurs
- They studied the construction of rape, child abduction, illicit
drugs, family violence and other forms of deviance
- Although constructionists studied the emergence and evolution of many
different social problems, much of their work remained focused on deviance
- CONSTRUCTIONISM'S DOMAIN
- Social constructionism has become an influential stance for thinking about
deviance, particularly for understanding how concerns about partcular forms of
deviance emerge and evolve, and for studying how social control agents
construct particular acts as deviance and individuals as deviants
- Constructionism emphasizes the role of interpretation, of people assigning
meaning, or making sense of the behaviors they classify as deviant
- Can occur at a societal level (mass media drawing attention to new form of
deviance & legislature passes a law against it) or it can occur in face-to-face
interactions (individual expresses disapproval of another's rule breaking)
- Deviance, like all reality, is constantly being constructed
- Deviance, like all reality, is constantly being constructed
- Can occur at a societal level (mass media drawing attention to new form of
deviance & legislature passes a law against it) or it can occur in face-to-face
interactions (individual expresses disapproval of another's rule breaking)
- Constructionism emphasizes the role of interpretation, of people assigning
meaning, or making sense of the behaviors they classify as deviant
- Social constructionism has become an influential stance for thinking about
deviance, particularly for understanding how concerns about partcular forms of
deviance emerge and evolve, and for studying how social control agents
construct particular acts as deviance and individuals as deviants
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