[FUNCTIONALIST] Sociological - Cohen (Sub-cultures) Flashcards
(14 cards)
[COHEN - SUBCULTURAL STRAIN THEORIES]
Explain the two ways Cohen criticises Merton
- Merton only explains utilitarian crimes
- Merton sees deviance as an individual response to strain. Cohen sees deviance as a collective
What groups of people does Cohen focus on?
Working class boys
What is status frustration?
Feeling worthless
Why does Cohen focus on working class boys?
Because they may feel a sense of anomie in the middle class dominated school systems
Explain how Cohen believes they resolve their status frustration
Rejecting the middle class values and replacing them with alternative ones
How are subcultures formed?
Through working class boys who are in similar situations and therefore form delinquent subcultures
What does ‘invert societies values’ mean?
Turning them upside down
Explain why subcultures are formed
So working class boys can create their own illegitimate opportunity structure in order to gain status from their peers
Explain what Cohen believes delinquency is
A Collective
Explain what type of crimes Cohen explains
Non-utilitarian (No financial or material reward - because the working class boys are just looking for an illegitimate opportunity structure in order to gain status from their peers)
Explain why working class boys experience Status frustration
Because most avenues to succeeding goals in society are blocked
Explain why working class boys experience cultural deprivation
They have an inability to succeed in a middle class dominated school system
Explain 3 strengths
+ Explains non-utilitarian crime
+ explains gang culture in society
+ highlights the importance of status in society
Explain 3 weaknesses
- Doesn’t take into account the help offered by schools (bursaries, free school meals, etc)
- doesn’t focus on ethnic minorities and other subcultures
- not explaining middle class white collar crime
