Deviant Subcultures

Question 1

Merton (1983)

Answer 1

individuals may experience a strain between the goals or values of society and what they’re able to achieve which may lead to deviant responses such as retreatism

Question 2

Cohen (1955)

Answer 2

teenage boys desire status, and working class boys are aware of mainstream values like success at school but if they did achieve this they would see themselves as inferior to middle class boys creating ‘status frustration’

Question 3

Cloward and Ohlin (1961)

Answer 3

saw deviance as a response to not being able to achieve valued goals in society like money and success and experience ‘blocked opportunities’ so resort to illegitimate means.

Question 4

Lea and Young (1993)

2

Answer 4

there’s 3 main reasons for youth deviance.

1) relative deprivation: feeling deprived in comparison to others
2) marginalisation: feeling excluded and powerless in society
3) subculture: relative deprivation and marginalisation may lead to the formation of subcultures

Question 5

White (2002)

Answer 5

gangs can be linked to ‘underclass’ conditions such as social exclusion thus gangs creating a sense of social inclusion providing support in oppressive environments

Question 6

Decker and Van Winkle (1996)

Answer 6

reasons for joining youth gangs consists of both ‘pull’ and ‘push’ factors:
pulls: the attractiveness of the gang, status etc
pushs: