Subcultural Theorists Flashcards
What is a suculture?
A smaller group found in mainstream society with its own distinctive norms and values.
What term did Cohen introduce?
Status frustration
What is status frustration?
When working class people are culturally deprived they begin to feel frustrated.
They then create their own subcultures which allows them to gain symbolic capital and alternative status hierarchy.
How can the London Riots link to status frustration?
It was due to deprivation and discrimination. There was no investment in their opportunities or life structures.
What are two positive contributions to Cohen’s work?
It provides an understanding into reasons for group deviance.
It provides an explanation into non-utilitarian crime.
What are two negative contributions to Cohen’s work?
It ignores crimes of the wealthy.
It doesn’t explain why some groups focus on violence while others focus on drug-taking.
What did Cloward and Ohlin introduce?
They identified three subcultures because people had unequal access to the illegitimate opportunity structures.
What are the three types of subcultures?
Criminal
Conflict
Retreatist
What is the criminal subculture and an example
Young people are able to work their way up in the criminal hierarchy. They will have role models and opportunities to start their criminal career. E.g: Rolex Rippers
What is the conflict subculture and an example
They are territorial groups which recruit young people in the neighbourhood and they engage in violence to achieve status. E.g: Mods and Rockers
What is the retreatist subculture and an example
When individuals have no opportunity to engage in either of the two subcultures so they are known as double failures retreating to alcohol or drugs. E.g: homeless people.
What are two positive contributions to Cloward and Ohlin’s work
Provides an explanation to why some groups focus on utilitarian crimes
Ohli n was appointed to help crime policy in the USA.
What are two negative contributions to Cloward and Ohlin’s work
Ignores crimes of the wealthy
Individuals drift in and out of delinquency so they aren’t committed to their subculture.
What did Miller introduce?
The lower class has its own subculture with its own focal concerns E.g: excitement, trouble and fate.
What did Matza introduce?
People have subterranean values where they are not able to control their id and ego, giving into their desires.
