Subculture Theories

Subculture Theories

Extensions of strain/anomie theories that explain how groups develop alternative value systems when mainstream success is blocked

Anomie/strain

Social pressure to achieve goals without equal access to legitimate means leads to deviance

Status Frustration

Lower-class youth feel frustration because they cannot meet middle-class standards of success

Middle-Class Measuring Rods

Standards( achievement, behavior, success) are used to evaluate worth in society

Reaction Formation

Responding to frustration by adopting opposite behaviors( rejecting rules, embracing delinquency)

Expressive Crime

Crime committed for emotional satisfaction( vandalism), not material gain

Cohen

Delinquent subcultures form because youth seek status they cannot achieve legitimately

Delinquent Subculture

A group that develops values opposing mainstream norms

Group-based behavior

Crime is often committed in groups, not individually

Focal Concerns Theory

Lower-class culture has its own value system-not just a reaction to failure

Six focal concerns

Trouble

Toughness

Smartness

Excitement

Fate

Autonomy

Trouble

Getting into conflict with the law

Toughness

Showing strength and masculinity

Smartness

Ability to outwit others

Excitement

Seeking thrills and risk

Fate

Belief that life outcomes are out of one’s control

Autonomy

Resistance to authority

Differential Opportunity

Not everyone has the same access to criminal opportunities.

Criminal Subculture

→ Organized crime, role models, financial gain
→ “Climbing the ranks” in crime

Conflict Subculture

Violence and gang fighting (less organized crime)

Retreatist Subculture

Drug use, withdrawal from society (double failure)

Cloward & Ohlin – Differential Opportunity Theory

→Access to illegitimate opportunities varies by neighborhood.

→Both legitimate and illegitimate opportunities matter.

Subculture of Violence

→ Violence is a learned and accepted response in certain environments.

Class Difference Example

→ Lower-class: fight
→ Middle-class: walk away

Wolfgang & Ferracuti

• Violence at home + community = normalized violence

• Conflict is often resolved physically

Code of the Street

→ Informal rules governing behavior in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Respect

→ Central value; must be earned and defended.

Street vs. Decent People

• Street: embrace violence and respect the code

• Decent: follow mainstream values but may adopt street behavior when necessary

Criminogenic Environment

→ Conditions that promote crime:

• Poverty

• Lack of jobs

• Drugs and guns

• Weak faith in criminal justice system

Cohen vs. Miller

→ Cohen: Crime = reaction to frustration
→ Miller: Crime = part of lower-class culture

Cloward & Ohlin vs. Cohen

→ Cohen: Focus on status
→ Cloward & Ohlin: Focus on opportunity (legal + illegal)

Anderson vs. Wolfgang & Ferracuti

→ Both focus on violence
→ Anderson adds social structure + environment