In: Psychology
Describe how symbolic interactionism would view armed robbery. Must be 200 words.
Symbolic interactionism views languages and symbols of day to day life experiences providing meaning to the behavior of individuals. An individual interprets the gestures and languages of others during social interactions and assign meaning to them, they then behave according to the interpreted meaning of those interactions.
The labeling theory of Symbolic interactionism would view armed robbery as a resultant of the primary and secondary labeling and acquisition of master status. Everybody in their life time do some form of offence, but not everybody is labeled. When a child who took an attractive pencil without the permission, if is called a thief is primary labelling, and when the child grows up with this primary labelling, takes up the label of thief consciously, is secondary labelling. Thus, they begin stealing, and advances to robbery and further to armed robbery, the individual accepts the master status of armed robber.
Differential association theory of symbolic interactionism would view armed robbery as a behavior that has been imitated and modeled. The deviant behavior of armed robbery is because the individual has learned this behavior from the people around them and has modeled this behavior into their life.
The control theory of social interactionism would define the behavior of armed robbery in terms of detachment that individual has towards their society. This theory state that deviant behaviors as armed robbery is because the individuals fails to have a feeling of connection from the society. The people around would have neglected or would have been indifferent to the social and emotional needs of the individual. Thus, the individuals failed to establish a harmonious connection with the society that would have created a sense of belongingness in the individuals preventing them from indulging in behaviors as armed robbery.