subcultural theories

Question 1

intro

Answer 1

attempt to find the source of deviance within the forming of groups which exhibit deviant behaviour in our society

Question 2

point 1

Answer 2

cohen- WC subcultures emerge because they are denied status in society

• WC boys strove to emulate MC values but lacked means to achieve success. Leads to status frustration, sense of personal failure
• boys react to this by rejecting socially accepted values and band up with others experiencing the same thing
• could become more serious later on

evaluation= Willis argues that anti school subcultures are developed in order ‘to have a laff’ in a school system which accurately identified being irrelevant to their futures

Question 3

point 2

Answer 3

cloward and ohlin- develop cohen further, explaining why different subcultures emerge in different regions

• illegitimate opportunity structure affects what type of subcultures emerges in response to status frustration- the varied circumstances in which WC youth live gives rise to three types of delinquent subcultures

1. criminal, develop in more stable WC areas with an established pattern of crime, provides a career structure for aspiring young criminals
2. conflict, emerge in socially disorganised areas where there is a high rate of population turnover and constant lack of social cohesion, both legitimate and illegitimate means of achieving mainstream goals are blocked and young people express their anger through violence/street crime
3. Retreatism, emerge in those LC youths who are ‘double failures’, both criminal and approved, so turn to drugs

evaluation= post modernists point out that the nature of subcultures today has changed, in that subcultures are much more common today then they used to be, today they are a part of normal life.