Subcultural Theories of Crime and Deviance Flashcards
What is a ‘Subculture?’
When a group adopts different norms and values that are alternative to mainstream culture, encouraging deviant behaviour and challenging the status quo. However, they do not completely reject mainstream values; instead modifying some values to justify their criminal actions which is why they are part of a ‘subculture’.
What does Cohen theorise?
Working-class youth experience status frustration because they face blocked avenues of success, unable to achieve status.
- Form an alternative status hierarchy to cope with frustration.
- Creates a delinquent subculture as they reject mainstream values.
Evaluation of Cohen:
Strengths = explains why gang cultures emerge, especially during adolescence and does explain non-utilitarian crime which has no economic motive.
Weaknesses = Assumes that the WC boys share middle-class goals, instead of them just not sharing these goals in the first place so never seeing themselves as failures.
What do Cloward and Ohlin theorise?
They believe that deviant behaviour is due to unequal access to both legal and illegal opportunities.
Criminal Subcultures (Innovators) = Develop in stable WC areas where only utilitarian crime is acceptable. E.g: theft. Have a ‘career’ ladder where there is social control over young members to stop non-utilitarian crimes.
Conflict Subcultures = Engage in socially disorganised areas where there is no social cohesion. E.g: violence, mugging, gang warfare.
Retreatist Subcultures = A more individual response; occurs when the individual cannot engage in other subcultures, common in WC youth.
‘Double Failures’ in both mainstream society and in subcultures. E.g: drug addiction, alcoholism, petty theft, etc.
Evaluation of Cloward and Ohlin:
Strengths = More advanced than Merton/Cohen as it explains different types of deviance.
Weaknesses = Assumes that everyone starts with the same mainstream goals rather than people consciously rejecting financial success. Also agrees that crime is working-class, ignores white-collar crimes. Exaggerates differences between subcultures, as there is often overlap.
