Subcultural Theories And Crime

Question 1

What does Cohen say about crime and deviance?

Answer 1

Status is a desired and valued goal but some groups are denied access as they lack the socially approved means to achieve it such as educational achievement. Status frustration develops so individuals aim to achieve status through an alternative status hierarchy such as delinquent subcultures creating deviant identities to gain peer group status by reversing accepted forms of behaviour to ‘get back’ at society

Question 2

What point can be used to evaluate Cohen’s theory

Answer 2

Miller argues that the working class have distinctive norms and values so deviance is just an exaggerated form of their culture so subcultures don’t arise as a reaction to dominating middle class values