Other subculture theories Flashcards
Cloward and Ohlin (1960)
Cloward and Ohlin sought to combine the theories of Merton and Cohen to explain the different kinds of criminal subcultures identified in contemporary America.
They agree that WC youths are denied legitimate opportunities to achieve financial success, and their deviance stems from how they respond to this situation.
They note that not everyone in this situation turns to innovation and commits utilitarian crimes, like Merton suggests.
Instead, they argue that different subcultures respond in different ways.
They argue that different subcultural responses occur due to not only unequal access to legitimate opportunity structures, BUT ALSO their unequal access to illegitimate opportunity structures. – Merton and Cohen ignore this part!
Illegitimate opportunity
They argue that different subcultural responses occur due to not only unequal access to legitimate opportunity structures, BUT ALSO their unequal access to illegitimate opportunity structures.
Criminal subcultures
organised crime i.e. the mafia where criminals can socialise youths into their own criminal careers that may result in material success
Conflict subcultures
gangs organised by young people themselves, often based in claiming territory from other gangs in turf wars
Retreatist subcultures
those who are unable to access either legitimate means / illegitmate means may drop out altogether (Mertons may do as a group, they may do drugs)
Research conducted at the Chicago school:
Cultural transmission theory - neighborhoods develop a criminal tradition that is handed from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Differential association theory - deviance was learned through social interactions with others who are deviant,
social disorganization theory - they argued that deviance is the product of social disorganisation, rapid population turnover, migration ect create instability disrupting family structure, these become unable to exercise social control over individuals resulting in deviance.
strengths of Cloward and Ohlin
Explain WC delinquency as a group response
Explains non-utilitarian crime as a reaction to society.
Develops on from Cohen’s theory to explain how there are different types of WC deviant subcultures.
Weaknesses of Cloward and Ohlin
Assumes accept mainstream values as superior.
Miller (1962) argues that the WC have always had their own independent subcultures with different values. WC males have focal concerns which emphasise toughness, masculinity, autonomy, quick-witted, and seeking thrills.
South (2014) - most criminal gangs would have elements of two or more of these subcultures. Drug use, for example, often plays a part in criminal gangs, while the sorts of “turf wars” carried out by “conflict subcultures” is often linked to organised crime, for instance drug dealing.
Matza (1964) found that most young delinquents drifted in and out of delinquency and were not strongly committed to their subcultures like this theory suggests.
As well as this, like other functionalist subcultural theories, Cloward and Ohlin write about working-class male crime, yet they do not tackle broader issues relating to social class or gender. They do not question why, in the meritocratic society described by most functionalists, working-class youths are generally denied access to legitimate opportunity structures. Nor do they explain why girls, who are also denied access to these structures, do not react in the same ways that boys do.
Miller - focal concerns
Miller suggested that the working-class are socialised into a number of distinct values that together meant they were more likely than others to engage in delinquent or deviant behaviour.
Miller described these values as “focal concerns”.
These include excitement, toughness, street smarts or wit, independence and fatalism.
These values on their own mean that crime is inevitable, but they do make crime more likely.
Seeking excitement might lead to non-utilitarian crime; toughness, smartness and trouble might result in fighting. Autonomy might lead people to take matters into their own hands rather than asking for help; fatalism might mean that they do not consider the consequences of their actions as the future is already written.
evaluation of all subcultural theories:
Taylor et al (1973) argues that not all individuals and groups strive for financial success. For example, some religious sects such as job satisfaction over a good career
These theories tend to only explain working class crime and do not explain white collar crime and corporate crimes committed by the working class
They use official statistics which are unrepresentative
Matza argues that WC delinquents are actually committed to societal values and do not reject them like subcultural strain theories assume. Matza argues that they use techniques of neutralisation. He also argues that the majority of WC crime is given up during adulthood which suggest they have little commitment to delinquent values as a way of life
