topic 4 - theoretical explanations of deviant subcultures

Question 1

background info 2

Answer 1

1. functionalists such as merton created ‘strain theory’ to explain why individuals committed crime
2. a sub-cultural branch functionalists criticised merton for ignoring why ppl committed non-utilitarian crime or group deviance

Question 2

what are subcultural theories

Answer 2

consensus approaches

Question 3

what 2 principles are consensus approaches based on

Answer 3

1. all individuals are socialised to want to achieve the success valued within mainstream culture. however, some ppl cant achieve this due to their social position, so they form subcultures to gain status in other ways
2. deviance is the result of individuals conforming to the norms and values of a social group to which they belong, if you belong to a social group whose norms differ from those of main society then you will be deviant

Question 4

functionalism, cohen 5

Answer 4

1. lower-working-class boys want to achieve the success valued by mainstream culture
2. due to educational failure, they have little chance of achieving these goals. results in status frustration
3. boys are at the bottom of the social structure and have little chance of gaining higher status in society
4. reject norms and values of mainstream society and turn to norms and values of delinquent subculture
5. in this subculture the boys can achieve success, high value placed upon criminal acts like stealing and vandalism which are condemned by mainstream society

Question 5

functionalist, cloward and ohlin 3

Answer 5

1. criminal subcultures= emerge in areas where there is alot of organised adult crime, criminal role models for young ppl. in these subcultures the young ppl can climb up the professional criminal ladder by committing more crimes. utilitarian crimes
2. conflict subcultures= emerge in areas where there’s little organised adult crime, instead of learning how to commit serious monetary crimes the young ppl learn on gaining respect through gang violence
3. retreatist subcultures= for young ppl who have even failed in the criminal subcultures, these ppl are ‘double failures’. retreat to drugs and alcohol abuse to deal with the fact that they have been rejected by other subcultures

Question 6

functionalism, nightingale 3

Answer 6

1. studied young black males in the USA and applied functionalist views to their experiences in the 90s
2. found that they subscribed to the goals of monetary success and materialism, found their route to these goals blocked by racism and poverty
3. their collective experiences led them to form subcultures for a sense of pride and status, turned to crime as an alternative route to material success

Question 7

functionalism evaluation, matza 2

Answer 7

1. subcultural theories over predict delinquency. most working class young ppl experience status frustration but dont join anti-social or criminal gangs
2. the few that do get involved in gangs do so temporarily in that they ‘drift’ in and out of delinquency before they grow out of it by adulthood

Question 8

functionalism evaluation, mcrobbie 2

Answer 8

1. functionalist research analysis is very malestream
2. fail to explain how females participate

Question 9

functionalism evaluation, eisenstadt 2

Answer 9

1. deviance is functional for society
2. doesnt result in long term criminal subcultures forming, as children only deviate whilst acting out frustrations during youth

Question 10

new right, sewell 5

Answer 10

• sewell’s triple quandary theory identifies 3 risk factors responsible for the high levels of crime amongst African-carribean boys
  1. rejection from white society= black boys have a negative attitude towards the dominant white culture. feel rejected by it bc they perceive teachers, police officers etc to be racist and working against their interests
  2. conspicuous consumption= media encouraged black youths to believe status can be achieved through consumer culture that views material things such as designer labels, trainers and jewellery more important than education. street culture takes its lead from deviant role models who boast about their gun-centred lifestyles
  3. lack of male role model= absent father, boundaries arent set for disciplined behaviour. acknowledges that mothers cope well in difficult situations but argues that boys go thru a period of crisis as a result of their lack of social control
• sewell suggests that street and gang becomes a comfort zone for black youth bc the peer groups acceptance of their hyper-male identity compensates for rejection from their fathers, the education system and white society

Question 11

new right, Murray 3

Answer 11

1. culture of the underclass is the main cause youth subcultures are forming
2. due to parents being dependent on welfare benefits and failing to socialise their children, not taught the values of hard work and become fatalistic and expect immediate gratification.
3. join anti-skl subcultures and seek indulgent fun in the form of deviant activities

Question 12

new right, dennis 3

Answer 12

1. lone-parent families is the reason
2. children brought up in these families lack male role models and are poorly socialised
3. leads to them joining anti-school subcultures bc their norms and values dont align with the skls ones

Question 13

new right evaluation, mac an ghail 2

Answer 13

1. black boys from disadvantaged backgrounds often worked hard at school
2. conformed to mainstream ideas of success

Question 14

new right evaluation, abrams 2

Answer 14

1. all young ppl go thru the same experiences and youth culture is homogenous
2. not diff for lower social groups or ethnic groups

Question 15

new right evaluation, cloward and ohlin 3

Answer 15

1. many individuals experiencing social inequality turn to the illegitimate opportunity structure as a career path
2. disadvantaged groups arent fatalistic as their trying to change their financial situation
3. have the same values as the rest of society just diff means of achieving them

Question 16

neo marxist view

Answer 16

youth subcultures function is to allow youths to feel that their resisting the power, control and inequalities in society

Question 17

marxist, hall and jefferson 3

Answer 17

1. ruling class imposes its values on society through hegemony via the media and economy
2. society feels controlled/ frustrated. young ppl cant articulate their anger against capitalism, form subcultures to resist system through their fashion and music
3. punks = listen to rebellious music, have tattoos and piercings

Question 18

marxist, gilroy 2

Answer 18

1. young black ppl motivated to commit crime as a political act, form of protest against injustice of institutional racism existing in society and the police
2. urban riots are political uprising by young ppl who feel oppressed by the unequal/ exploitative nature of capitalist society

Question 19

marxist evaluation, cohen 3

Answer 19

1. studies of subcultures influenced by researcher bias and lack validity
2. interpretations say more about the sociologist then the subculture
3. we dont know the individuals held the marxist political beliefs that the interpretations suggest

Question 20

marxist evaluation, muggleton 2

Answer 20

1. post-subculturalist, class gender and ethnicity no longer significant in defining our culture
2. no need to study how these diff groups react to societal pressures

Question 21

marxist evaluation, abrams 2

Answer 21

1. all youths have similar experiences, regardless of class
2. unlikely to form diff subcultures based on class

Question 22

marxist evaluation, mcrobbie 2

Answer 22

1. marxist analysis into subcultures is malestream, fail to explain how females participate
2. lots of sociological research into punks and skinheads, riot grrrl movement have been overlooked

Question 23

interactionism, becker 4

Answer 23

1. deviance can be amplified by labelling
2. agencies of social control have the power to label acts as deviant bc they are ‘moral entrepreneurs’
3. the labelled gain a master status, the label dominates how others see the individual. leads to self fulfilling prophecy
4. once the deviant label is accepted, may join/form subcultures where their acts are justified by others

Question 24

interactionism, clcourel 3

Answer 24

1. police use typifications of the ‘typical delinquent’
2. individuals fitting the typification more likely to be stopped, arrested/ charged
3. official stats make it appear that ethnic minorities and working class commit more crime, means their more likely to be labelled

Question 25

interactionism, young 4

Answer 25

1. 'the drugtakers' study, shows how the interactions between a group of hippies and police produced more crime 2. drugs not an important part of this subculture, they used them but it didnt define their identity and done in priv 3. when the police labelled the hippies as drug users, they saw themselves as outsiders. hippies began to retreat into closed groups and develop deviant subculture 4. wearing longer hair and crazier clothes, drug use was main part- self fulfilling prophecy

Question 26

interactionism evaluation, downes and rock 2

Answer 26

1. labelling theory tends to be deterministic 2. implies that labelling leads to deviance, but they can reject the label

Question 27

interactionism evaluation, murray 3

Answer 27

1. deviants are typically young black underclass males 2. they have deviant norms and should be targeted 3. new right believe members of the underclass have been poorly socialised, not due to labelling

Question 28

interactionism evaluation, durkheim 2

Answer 28

1. agencies of social control perform 'degradation ceremonies' which deter other criminals 2. police/ media cant be amplifying deviance, only reducing it