Topic 1: What is Youth Culture?

Mainstream culture - the cultural norms and values of the majority of people in a society

Peer groups - a peer group refers to those people who are the same age and status as yourself

Adolescence - the transition period between childhood and adulthood

Subculture - a small group within a culture who have different norms, values and cultural beliefs from mainstream culture around them

Youth culture - the cultural tastes, behaviour, norms, values and interests of adolescent people

Counter-culture - a subculture that rejects the morality of the mainstream culture. e.g the hippies

The early study of young peole was linked to youth and crime. Albert Cohen said that young people who became criminal shared similar problems of poverty and responded by comitting crime.

Parsons (1940's and 1950's) claimed that youth cultures were a way of young people having a good time whilst they were transitioning from childhood to adulthood.

Sociologists within the CCCS (1960's and 19670's) such as Paul Cohen and Hebdige said that youth culture was a rejection of capitalism

Feminist writes such as Sharpe and Garber in the 1980s suggested that girls and women had been overlooked

Muggleton and Harvey recently stated that young people no longer want to commit to a specific youth culture, but they're more concerned with style and taste

In mainstream culture all groups within society contribute to mainstream culture, however, youth cultures are generally formed of people of a specific age.

Mainstream cultures are inclusive, we're all a part of it, however, youth cultures are exclusive. A variety f forms of dress and behaviour is tolerated within mainstream culture, in youth culture only certain forms of behaviour and dress are approprirate.

Mainstream cultures are antagonistic towards cultures cultures that appear to challenge cultural values and youth cultures are antagonistic towards mainstream cultures.

Mainstream culture changes over time, slowly, without people noticing. Youth culture tends to be extrmely short lived and is always subject to change and fashion.

People are part of mainstream culture for all of their lives, however, being part of a youth culture is often temporary.

Mainstream culture is resisting of change and also challenging, youth cultures are rebellious and challenging.