Subcultural Theories spider diagram
summary of the main approaches
- Created by: LC73102
- Created on: 26-09-13 09:53
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- Subcultural Theories
- Strain Theory (Merton)
- Funtionalist
- For Merton crime and deviance were evidence for the poor fit/strain between the socially approved goals and the approved means of getting them.
- This Strain leads to deviancy.
- Merton argued that all society's set out certain goals for its members and approved means of achieving them. But Merton argued that not everyone has the same goals and in a stratified society goals are linked to a persons position in the social structure.
- Those lower down in the social structure have restricted goals.
- This system works well as long as the majority of people have a reasonable chance of achieving the goals.
- However if people are unable to achieve the goals they find alternative/deviant ways of behaving
- The 5 forms of behaviour are understood as strain between goals and means:
- Conformity
- Innovation
- Ritualism
- Retreatism
- Rebellion
- Valier (2001) criticised merton by argueing that there are not common goals, but a variety of goals that all people strive to attain.
- Illegitimate opportunity structure (Cloward and Ohlin)
- Cloward and Ohlin argued that Merton had failed to appreciate that there was a parallel opportunity structure called the illegitimate opportunity structure.
- By this they meant that for some, an illegal career was available with illegal means of obtaining society's goals.
- According to Cloward and Ohlin the Illegal opportunity structure had 3 possible subcultures.
- Criminal
- Conflict
- Retreatist
- This explanation is useful as Hobbs' work shows that there is a criminal opportunity structure.
- There is no discussion about female deviancy. And it is difficult to accept that the 3 categories are clear in real life.
- Cloward and Ohlin argued that Merton had failed to appreciate that there was a parallel opportunity structure called the illegitimate opportunity structure.
- Status Frustration (Cohen)
- According to Cohen 'lower-class' boys strove to copy the middle class values but lacked the means to reach success.
- This lead to Status Frustration - the sense of personal failure.
- Because the boys fail to achieve the status of the middle class they reject their ideas altogether.
- He argued that school was a key factor in this - lower class children are more likely to fail and feel humiliated, so in an attempt to gain status they turn to deviancy.
- There is no discussion of female delinquency, the young delinquants might not know the different between W/C and M/C values, Cohen fails to prove that school is a key place where success and failure are demonstrated.
- According to Cohen 'lower-class' boys strove to copy the middle class values but lacked the means to reach success.
- Focal Concerns (Miller)
- In the late 50's Miller suggested that deviancy was linked to the culture of lower class males.
- He suggested that working class males have '6 focal concerns' that ate likely to lead to delinquency.
- Smartness
- Trouble
- Excitement
- Toughness
- Autonomy
- Fate
- According to Miller working class males are likely to turn to crime because of the values of their subculture.
- Bpx pointed that the Focal concerns could be applied right across the class structure.
- Howard applied Millers focal concerns to a study of W/C 'lads'. However Downes found no evidence of distinct values.
- Subterranean Values (Matza)
- Matza argued that there were no subcultural values. instead he argued that there were a set of Subterranean Values that all groups in society shared.
- Key to his theory is that most people control their delinquent desires, but when they do emerge we use techniques of neutralization to provide justification for these deviant acts;
- Strain Theory (Merton)
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