lesson 9 : deviant subcultures : delinquent, criminal and spectacular youth Flashcards
what is juvenile delinquency?
refers to criminal activity such as theft, vandalism and assault which is caused by young people. can include anti social behaviour.
what are the two types of delinquency?
- expressive
- instrumental
what is expressive delinquency?
excitement is the main motivating factor
what is instrumental delinquency?
financial gain is the main motivating factor
who were the skinheads researched by Clarke (1976)?
- young working males aged 15-17
- dressed in doc marten boots, braces and cropped hair
- aggressive and caused “aggro”
- formed neighbourhood groups and usually football supporters
- preoccupied with territory and felt threatened by immigrants
- seemed to be from groups where they had been rejected from school & low self esteem
- some had hatred towards immigrants, non masculine males and hippies
- listened to ska, reggae and bluebeat music
- media portrayed them as delinquent “folk devils”
give three evaluation points for skinhead research.
- pearce (1973) contradicts research of Clarke. states skinheads were not very delinquent and that they reflected the values that ordinary responsible people in the UK held. stated that racism was already present in politics and British policy, so being racist was not seen as deviant, but encouraged instead. therefore, pearce believes skinheads delinquent behaviour has been magnified. (-)
- research by Clarke has been criticised because not all skinheads were white working class males. some member of skinhead subculture were different races and nationalities who wanted to defend British values and territory. (-)
- even though some skinheads were racist toward south asians, they had different attitude towards afro-caribbean immigrants. seemed to embrace reggae and ska music which belonged to afro caribbean culture. research implies that skinheads seemed to live in the same working class run down council estates, meaning their territory was the same. sharing of space and neighbourhoods helped them form skinhead culture. (+)
who were the punk rockers (1970s)?
- new type of wave music that developed in the USA
- seen as outrageous and rebellious
- shaved most of their hair and dyed it bright colours
- clothing was quite sexual
- music lyrics often contained references to high rise flats, dole queues, politics, sex and white riots which appealed to working class
- subculture of punk rock led to highest unemployment rate in UK since war
- followers were often from lower middle class and were from art colleges
- appealed to youth who had no future, no job and bleak prospects ahead of them
give three evaluation points for punk rocker research.
- the term “punk” has very negative connotations and adds to negative labelling that punks faced. term “punk” is an insult which was seen as deviant, negative and problematic. linked with media and the negative way they portrayed punks. (-)
- subculture has its strengths in that it was all abut rebellion against authority, change and revolution. punks celebrated people being different from the mainstream and encouraged individualism. punk era created choices for people and freedom of expression which allowed them to vent about issues. (+)
- punks shared some similarities with skinheads. both deviant subcultures are connected to working class and both groups have racist views. therefore both subcultures have a few similarities that should be highlighted. (+)
what did albert cohen (1955) find about delinquency?
cohen studied delinquency and stated :
- argued that delinquency is a collective response. believed that delinquents join together collectively to express discontent and therefore commit crime
- wanted to focus on non utilitarian crime such as vandalism and joy riding, as these crimes do not provide monetary reward
what is status frustration according to albert cohen?
young working class boys have the same mainstream goals as the rest of society and mainstream culture. however, due to educational failure and dead end jobs, they can’t achieve these goals. failure is explained due to position in social structure. cultural deprivation accounts for the lack of educational success. stuck at bottom of stratification system, leading to status frustration. boys become frustrated and dissatisfied with low status in society, so reject success goals of mainstream culture. so, develop new norms and values and can achieve success and prestige through this by forming a delinquent subculture. a high value is placed on criminal activities. rewarded by gaining prestige, glory, satisfaction and recognition from peers.
give three evaluation points for albert cohens work.
- box (1981) : criticised cohens theory. box stated that the delinquent theory could only be applied to a small minority of criminals, and doesn’t explain every single working class young male that is a criminal. box stated that youth might feel resentment if labelled as failures by teachers, and therefore they will turn against those who look down on them, therefore turning to crime. (-)
- bordua (1962) : criticised cohens use of the term “lower class subculture”. bordua argued that the term can be used in the context of education and education failure because the culture of not taking education seriously can be passed down. crime and offending isnt necessarily passed down. crime instead generated by upsurge of delinquents who unite. (-)
- matza (1964) : criticised view that most delinquents are strongly opposed to mainstream values and therefore become committed to delinquent gangs. matza’s research found that young delinquents accepted mainstream values and only occasionally committed crime. very few youths were part of delinquent subculture, and only sometimes drifted into it. weren’t committed to the subculture. (-)
what were the three routes that cloward and ohlin (1961) suggested that can be formed from lack of opportunity?
- criminal subculture
- conflict subculture
- retreatist subculture
what is the criminal subculture according to cloward and ohlin (1961)?
emerges in areas where lots of crimes occur. a learning environment is provided for young people and are exposed to criminal skills and deviant values. those who are successful can rise in the professional criminal hierarchy. crimes involved are often utilitarian and involve monetary reward.
what is the conflict subculture according to cloward and ohlin (1961)?
emerges in areas where young people have little opportunity to access legitimate opportunity structures. little organised adult crime to provide an apprenticeship for the young people to aspire to. occurs in areas which has high population turnovers and lack unity. response can be gang violence which releases anger and frustration but also provides prestige in terms of deviant values.
what is the retreatist subculture according to cloward and ohlin (1961)?
some working class youth form a retreatist subculture. could be organised around illegal drug use. delinquent has failed to succeed in both the legitimate and illegitimate structures. they are failed criminals or gang members, so retreat into this subculture as they are double failures.
