strain / subcultural theory Flashcards
strain theories overview
crime is the result of certain groups of people being placed in a position where they are unable to conform to the values and beliefs of society
although strain theories are used interchangeably with subcultural theories - Merton’s theory does not discuss subcultures
inability to achieve status
subcultural theories overview
share the common belief that people who commit crime usually share different values from the mass law-abiding population
they do not exist in complete opposition to mainstream values, rather they have ‘amended’ certain values so it justified their criminal behaviour
which subculture youre part of
strain theory - sociologist
robert merton - functionalist
strain theory - general
Robert Merton
- located in framework of functionalism as adopts Durkheim’s concept of anomie to explain deviance
structural factors - society’s unequal opportunity structure
cultural factors - strong emphasis on success goals and a weaker emphasis on achieving the goals through legitimate means
strain - between culture (encourages individuals to achieve) and institutional structure (allows them to achieve goals legitimately)
ideology of american dream - american society is meritocratic and opportunities for all
- reality different as many disadvantaged groups denied opportunities to achieve legitimately
results in a strain between between cultural goal of money success and lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve - frustration and pressure so illegitimate means
- goal = desire
- lack of opportunity = pressure to adopt illegitimate means
strain theory - adaptations
adaptations - an individual’s position in the social structure will affect how they adapt their behaviour or how they respond to the strain to anomie
conformity (mode of adaptation) - accept cultural goals and institutionalised means - some people strive towards accepted goals and to be successful - constitute the stable, law-abiding core of society
innovation - accept cultural goals but reject institutionalised means - such emotional investment in goal that prepared to take risks
ritualism - reject cultural goals and accept institutionalised means
retreatism - reject cultural goals - accept institutionalised means - abandoning or scaling down ambitions
rebellion - reject cultural goals (new goals substituted) reject institutionalised means (new means substituted)
strain theory - evaluations
positive: useful because shows how crime is rooted from society
merton evaluated own work
- needed further research, particularly into the children of failed parents
- had not fully explored what predisposes people to one adaptation rather than another
- had not put his theory to a full empirical test
hyman - questions whether people in the lower strata of society actually do share the goals of the mainstream - Merton actually argued that some were pressurised, not all
Marxist argue that his theory ignores the power of the ruling class in making the laws which criminalise the poor and not the rich
Status frustration
- Intoduces the idea of collective delinquency, rather than individual delinquency
- concept of non - utilitarian crime, such as vandalism, joy riding etc which are not money orientated
Cohen
- educational failure effects working class the most = more likely to turn to anomic behaviour
- w/c opportunities blocked by poor education and lack of employment = status frustration
- turn to delinquent subculture such as the ‘Alternative Status Hierarchy’ - to gain ‘success’ through a new criteria
- the more deviant = the better
- this is illegitimate status and distorted success- via drug selling etc
- thus, mainstream success goals are inverted
Status frustration eval
+
- provides a good explanation for non-monetary criminal activity which can be seen as an improvement on Merton’s theory which is only focussed on ‘money success’
- ASH helps explain why certain groups turn to criminal activity
neg
Steven Box - this theory is only relevant to a small number of delinquents - questions whether delinquents originally accepted mainstream goals and then deviated - many are socialised into subverted mainstream values
- Box further argues instead of blaming themselves they blame teachers and middle class youths who share values they don’t accept.
3 Subcultres
Ohlin and Cloward
- agrees with merton that - working class youths are denied legitimate opportunities to achieve money-success and there their deviance stems from this
- disagrees with merton that - not everyone in this situation adapts by turning to innovation such as theft, different subcultures react differently
- as not everyone has the skills needed for crime
- Criminal subculture - the accession of a criminal hierarchy leader with established crime, learn from criminal adult role models / an apprenticeship to utilitarian crime
- Conflict Subculture - areas of high population turnover leads to social disorganisation where an established criminal hierarchy cannot occur - thus the formation of gangs fighting for territory
- violence provides a release from status frustration - Retreatist Subculture - based on illegal drug use, failed at the legitimate opportunity and illegitimate opportunity
3 subcultures evaluation
positive - provide an explanation for different types of working class deviance in terms of subcultures (improvement on Cohen)
negative - South - a youth can exist in more than one subculture such as with the drug trade which is a combination of the conflict and criminal subcultures
overestimates the extent of working class crime and ignores wider structural power who makes and enforces the lew
Focal concerns
Walter Miller
the lower working class actually has its own set of independent values that exists to the mainstream
- Fate - accepting their position in society
- Autonomy - don’t want to be pushed around
- Trouble - “I don’t go looking for trouble, it follows me around”
- Smartness - looking and sounding good
- Excitement - search out excitement - thrill seeking (Katz)
- Toughness - being physically stronger than others
Focal concerns eval
- these ‘independent values’ can exist amongst males across other classes - not exclusive to w/c males
Marxist subcultural theory
the CCCS’s 2 theories for how capitalism maintains control
- Ideological Dominance
- Economic pressures
working class - on the margins and are ‘locked in’ to capitalism by ideology and finance
Brakes - Resistance through clothes, music etc
- nothing will change as exploitation is present in every generation (punks)
Cohen - 1970s skinheads used the style as a symbolic reaction to the decline fo working class communities - sign of hyper masculinity and opposition e.g Doc Martin boots
Hebridge - the process if ‘incorporation’ whereby capitalism commercialises this style and then incorporates it into mainstream fashion was used as a control technique
to diffuse ideological differences and reduce the opposition sub culutues as an ordinary consumer item
Marxist subcultural theory eval
Blackman - by just focusing on class subcultures misses out subcultures based on sexual identity, gender, age etc
Thornton - there is no social class basis for youth subcultures - this is created by the media
Drift theory (evaluating subcultural theories)
Matza - PM
rejects Cohen’s view that delinquents are different - which is in opposition to the mainstream
rejects idea that the social structure dominated an individual’s behaviour, Matza doesn’t like the view that there is no choice in the matter e.g if you are in a lower class you will become a delinquent
- individuals are guided by values that are actually present within society e.g excitement throughs sport
- delinquents are little different from other young people
- delinquents show shame and guilt for the acts they commit which shows a willingness to conform to mainstream gaol
5 techniques of delinquent behaviour justification
Denial of responsibility
Denial of Injury - e.g stealing a car
Denial of victim - they asked for it
Condemning the Condemners - e.g police are corrupt
Appeal to their duties - loyalties to family and friends
- martza argues that because delinquents try to justify action they actually conform to mainstream goals
- believes that delinquency acts are ‘casual and intermittent’
