Cohen - Status Frustration

Cohen

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Status

Frustration

What is a sub-culture?

• A sub-culture is a culture within a culture.
• Its norms and values are different from those of mainstream society.
• Cohen put forward a theory linking crime to sub-cultures.

Crime and Deviance

• Sub-cultural theories of crime and deviance are Functionalist based.
• These theories are influenced by:
  • The Chicago school of thought - a theory developed in the early 20th century in response to dramatic social change in US cities. Sociologists wanted to observe and note down the sheer diversity of urban life, and deviant groups were integral to this. They noted that deviant groups in society had clear norms and values of their own that justified their behaviour.
  • Merton's strain theory - Sub-cultural theories are heavily influenced by Merton's writing on linking deviancy and crime to individuals who cannot achieve status goals through legitimate channels.

Sub-cultural Theories

• They believe that crime is largely committed in groups.
• Delinquency is the result of conforming to the norms and values of a delinquent sub-culture.
• Subcultures are the product of the social structure - they emerge as a result of peoples' low position in the social structure (working class) and the fact that avenues for social advancement are blocked.

W/C juvenile crime is committed because...

• W/C kids (boys) start off life accepting the middle class norms (honesty) and values e.g. material success that they have been socialised into.
• W/C boys desire M/C status - money and respect
• But W/C kids have less opportunities to achieve M/C values through legitimate routes e.g. they do less well educationally because they have not been taught the skills and attitudes necessary to perform well in school, failure is an issue.
• As a consequence, they cannot live up to the expectations of their middle class teachers or compete effectively against their middle class students.
• W/C kids begin to suffer from status frustration because they cant achieve M/C status, They have a desire for being viewed and treated with respect (like M/C) by others but they have difficulty in achieving this legitimately.
• For some - if they are in contact woith other W/C kids then they completely reject M/C values and norms and react against them, they set up an alternative system in which they can successfully compete.

• A delinquent subculture is consequently formed – a different culture in opposition to mainstream culture which places high value on non finacial, malicious and negativistic crimes e.g. fighting. 
• This subculture is contemptuous of authority, may have innovative ways of dressing and activing, specialised vocabulary, hedonism (pleasure seeking, peer status, self satisfaction)

• This subculture with its alternative values and activities provide another way of gaining status in society. Praise and status is awarded from members within that delinquent group

• It’s all about gaining status - people who commit crime share different values from the law abiding members of society.  Crime is committed to gain status within that group not necessarily for monetary gains! E.g. Joyriding

Evaluation

Strengths:

• Recognises that juvenile crime involves group processes – more so than Merton
• Recognises that deviance is generated by structural and sub cultural forces can cause crime and therefore an improvement on non sociological theories

Criticisms:

• Not all delinquent behaviour is hedonistic (pleasure seeking), non-utilitarian.
• It doesn’t explain why we have lots of different sub-cultures? How do people decide which one to be apart of?
• Assume membership to a sub-culture is permanent?
• Do all w/c students all start of accepting m/c values and norms
• What about female crime?? Gender blind?