Subcultural strain theories

Functionalist, strain and subcultural theories

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  • Created by: ncs1997
  • Created on: 25-03-15 12:22
How does A.K. Cohen describe status frustration?
Working-class boys suffer from cultural deprivation and lack the skills to achieve. They face a problem of adjustment to the low status they are given by mainsteam society.
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What is the alternative status hierarchy?
In a subculture with the values of mainstream society inverted, the boys can achieve status in their own illegitimate structure through delinquent actions.
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1 stength and 1 weakness of Cohen.
+ It offers an explanation of non-utilitarian crime. -- It assumes there is a value consensus.
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What do Cloward and Ohlin argue?
That unequal access to illegitimate opportunity structures also affects subcultural responses.
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What are their 3 subcultures?
Criminal subcultures - long standing and stable criminal culture. Conflict subcultures - areas of high population turnover and social disorganisation. Retreatist subcultures - failures in both legitimate & illegitimate subcultures, turn to drug use.
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What are 4 criticisms of Cloward and Ohlin?
They ignore crimes of the wealthy. It's too deterministic. They draw the boundries too sharply between the types. It's a reactive theory.
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What is the institutional anomie theory proposed by Messner and Rosenfeld?
In America, economic goals are valued above all others, which undermines other insitutions and in any society based on free-market capitalism, high rates of crime are inevitable.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

In a subculture with the values of mainstream society inverted, the boys can achieve status in their own illegitimate structure through delinquent actions.

Back

What is the alternative status hierarchy?

Card 3

Front

+ It offers an explanation of non-utilitarian crime. -- It assumes there is a value consensus.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

That unequal access to illegitimate opportunity structures also affects subcultural responses.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

Criminal subcultures - long standing and stable criminal culture. Conflict subcultures - areas of high population turnover and social disorganisation. Retreatist subcultures - failures in both legitimate & illegitimate subcultures, turn to drug use.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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