3 - Conservative Theories (New Right & Functionalism)

Youth Culture

Fashion, music, clothing, and the identity of youth as a broad group

Youth Subculture

A group within a group, different from mainstream culture and sometimes criminal or deviant

Anomie

The breakdown of a sense of norms and values, creating a feeling of normlessness and uncertainty

Status Frustration

Working class youth feeling inadequate, leading to the formation of deviant and criminal subcultures that invert societal values and finding status in deviance

Criminal (subculture)

Where crimes are committed and the gang has a clear hierarchy

Conflict (subculture)

Gangs organised by young people which usually focus on protecting territory and low level crime

Retreatist (subculture)

Gangs that cannot succeed through legitimate methods and end up dropping out and using drugs

Push and pull factors

Reasons for joining criminal youth subcultures or gangs

• push = social, economic, and cultural disadvantages, deprivation, and/or a challenging home life

• Pull = gaining status, excitement, thrills, camaraderie, and money-making opportunities for working class youths

Defence Mechanism

Strategies used to manage anxiety, reduce inner conflict, or protect self-esteem from threatening thoughts, emotions, or realities

Underclass

A distinct lower-class subculture below the ‘traditional’ working class

• characterised by long-term unemployment and welfare/benefits dependency

‘The Bell Curve’

Book by Murray and Herrstein (1994)

• getting involved in a subculture is linked to biological factors like personality traits and intelligence

Welfare Dependancy

People who are either not working or have very low pay, and cannot live without help from the government, either through income support or housing benefit allowance

Zero-Tolerance (New Right)

The government should:

• Cut benefits to encourage self-reliance and responsibility

• Enact harsher punishments for deviant and criminal behaviour like shoplifting or vandalism