Cloward and Ohlin: three subcultures

Question 1

Cloward and Ohlin on Merton

Answer 1

they agree with Merton.
WC youths are denied legit opportunities to achieve money success and their deviance stems from their response to this.

Question 2

Cloward and Ohlin in addition to Merton

Answer 2

C+O note that not everyone adapts to lack of legit opportunities by ‘innovation’ (utilitarian material gain crime) like Merton says.

Question 3

Cloward and Ohlin’s key explanation of why different subcultures occur

Answer 3

unequal access to legit opportunities and unequal access to illegit opportunities
(eg. not everyone to fails at school can become a successful safecracker)

Question 4

why do three types of subcultures happen?

Answer 4

different subcultures respond in different ways to the lack of legit opportunities.

different neighbourhoods provide different illegit opportunities for young ppl to learn criminal skills and develop criminal careers

Question 5

three types of subculture:

Answer 5

1) criminal subcultures
2) conflict subcultures
3) retreatist subcultures

Question 6

criminal subculture

Answer 6

teach youths about utilitarian crime (arise in neighbourhoods with criminal culture and pro adult crime hierarchy).

criminal subcultures= adult criminals train youths and give opportunities to climb criminal career ladder.

Question 7

conflict subculture

Answer 7

arise in areas of high population that prevent a stable pro criminal network developing. the only illegit opportunities are within loosely organised gangs.

conflict subcultures= violence provides a release for frustration at blocked opportunities and an alternative source of status earned by winning ‘turf’ from rival gangs

Question 8

retreatist subcultures

Answer 8

retreatist subcultures= the ‘double failures’ who fail in both legit and illegit opportunity structures. they turn to retreatist/dropout subculture eg. illegal drug use.

Question 9

evaluation of Cloward and Ohlin: strength

Answer 9

strength:
they agree with Cohen that delinquent subcultures are the source of deviance. however, ALSO try to explain different types of WC deviance in terms of different subcultures.

Question 10

evaluation of Cloward and Ohlin: weaknesses

Answer 10

weaknesses:
like Merton and Cohen they agree most crime is WC and over-predict the amount of it but overlook MC crimes.

draw boundaries too sharply between the different types (you can’t belong to more than one subculture according to C+O). however, actual subcultures often show characteristics of more than one type.

like Cohen, C+O’s theory is a reactive theory. it explains that deviant subcultures form in reaction to failure to achieve mainstream success goals. however, this wrongly assumes that everyone starts off sharing the same goals.