Functionalism (subcultural Theories) Flashcards
What does subcultural theory criticise?
Mertons strain theory
They see deviance as the product of delinquent subcultures
The subcultures offer the lower class members a solution to the problem how to gain status they cannot achieve by legitimate means
Who created subcultural theories
Cohen
How does subcultural theory differ from
Strain theory?
Cohen argues that deviance results from lower class not being able to achieve mainstream goals by legal means such as education.
However, he criticises Merton’s explanation for ignoring group deviance of delinquent subcultures and ignoring non utilitarian crime
AO1 COHENS STRAIN THEORY
Cohen notes that working class boys face anomie in the middle class education system. This leaves them at the bottom of the hierarchy as a result they face status frustration and this is resolved by rejecting mainstream middle-class values and they form a subculture.
This subculture offers an illegitimate opportunity for boys who have failed to achieve legitimately. The group provides alternative status hierarchy where they can win status through delinquent acts.
AO3 COHENS STRAIN THEORY
Unlike Merton, Cohen offeres an explanation of non-utilitarian deviance
He assumes working class boys start off sharing middle-class goals only to reject them when they fail. This ignores the possibility that they never shared them in the first place, so they weren’t reacting to failure.
Miller disagrees with Mertons and Cohen‘s idea that the working class turn to crime because they cannot achieve mainstream cultural goals and status.
The working class never shared the same goals as the middle class
CLOWARD AND OHLINS STRAIN THEORY
AO1
Cloward and Ohlin agree with Merton that working class are denied legal opportunities and that their deviance stems as a response to this. However, not everyone turns towards innovation. They identified three different subcultures
CLOWARD AND OHLIN STRAIN THEORY AO3
They ignore the crimes of the wealthy and overpredict that amount of working class crime
Unlike Cohen, they try to explain the different types of working class deviance in terms of the difference subcultures
Matza claims that delinquents are not strongly committed to their subcultures and they mainly drift in and out of delinquency.
What are the three different subcultures?
Criminals subcultures (professionals)
Conflict subcultures (gangs)
Retreaters subcultures (dropouts)
What is criminal subcultures?
Stable crime culture
Provides opportunities on the criminal career ladder
Hierarchy of professional adult crime
What is conflict subcultures?
No stable criminal network
Offer a few illegitimate opportunities in loosely organised gangs
Violence provides a release for blocked opportunities
What is Retreatist subcultures?
Some youths who want to be a criminal but do not succeed
They become double failures
Unlikely to succeed in violent or professional crime so they turn to illegal drug use instead
Who argued that not subcultures respond to their failure in the same way, and suggest there were three different different forms of subculture
Cloward and Ohlin
What is a term used to describe someone who attempts to influence our reaction in order to change the law
Moral entrepreneur
