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23 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Sub cultural theory |
People who commit crimes usually share different values from the law abiding members of society to justify criminal behaviour |
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What is the term strain used for |
To refer to explanations of criminal behaviour that argue that crime is the result of groups where they are unable to conform to the values and beliefs of society |
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Appreciative sociology |
-20th century,Chicago uni, they wanted to appreciate wide variety of different cultures and lifestyles -use of participant observation to note variety of urban life -Thrasher The Gang, demonstrating deviant groups in society had values of their own which justified their behaviour |
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Subcultural formation & effects |
Back (Definition) |
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Strain theory |
-Merton (functionalist). -Crime and deviance evidence for strain between socially accepted goals of society and the socially approved means of obtaining them~~>> let to deviance -if majority of population unable to achieve socially set goals they sought out alternative ways (anomie) |
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Mertons 5 forms of behaviour: |
-conformity (continues to conforms to goals and means despite low chance of success) -innovation (uses different way to achieve goals of society, crime) -ritualism (means are used but goal is lost e.g police officer) -retreatism (rejects goals and means.drugs) -Rebellion (means and goals substituted for others e,g religious fundamentalist) |
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Criticism of Merton |
-Valier- stress on the existence of common goals in society. There are in fact a variety of goals. |
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Illegitimate opportunity structure |
-Cloward and Ohlin -Merton failed to see there was a parallel opportunity structure to the legal one (illegitimate opportunity structure) -meaning for some subcultures a regular illegal career was available- illegal means of obtaining society’s goals |
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Example of illegitimate opportunity structure |
-Dick Hobb’s interviewed successful criminals and demonstrated how it is possible to have a career in crime |
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According to Cloward and Ohlin, the illegal opportunity structure had three possible adaptations or subcultures: |
1) Criminal- can work way up criminal hierarchy 2) Conflict- turn to violence against other groups (gang warfare) 3)Retreatist- no opportunity to engage in other two subcultures so retreat to alcohol/drugs |
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Evaluation of Cloward and Ohlin |
+useful Hobb’s evidence shows there really is a criminal opportunity structure -it is difficult to accept that such distinction into three clear categories occurs in real life -no discussion on female deviancy |
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Status frustration |
-Cohen- drew on Mertons ideas of strain and ethnographic ideas of the Chicago school of sociology -not all economically motivated crime and deviance done for thrill -‘Lower class’ boys strive for middle class values and goals but lacked means to attain success-led to status frustration (sense of personal failure) -made them reject acceptable behaviour they couldn’t be successful within. Feel humiliated so ‘invert’ values by being deviant
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Criticisms of Cohen |
-no discussion of females -the young delinquents need to be brilliant sociologists to work out middle class values and invest them - fails to prove school is key place where success and failure are demonstrated |
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Focal concerns |
Miller- deviancy was linked to the culture of lower class males -working class males have six focal concerns that are likely to lead to delinquency -lower class males are pushed towards crime by the implicit values of their subculture |
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What are Millers 6 focal concerns for working class males that are likely to lead to delinquency |
1) smartness- look good and be witty 2)trouble- trouble comes to them they don’t look for it 3)excitement- important to search for thrills 4)toughness- be physically stronger that others 5)autonomy- not to be pushed around by others 6)fate- little chance to overcome fate |
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Evaluation of Miller |
-provides little evidence to show they’re lower class values & could apply to males across class structure |
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Subcultural Studies that apply to British culture |
-Parker- applied Millers focal concerns in his study to working class lads in Liverpool -Downes- working class males in London- no distinctive values just disassociated from mainstream values -in Uk distinctive subcultures difficult to obtain |
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Subterranean values |
-Matza- no distinctive subcultural values-all groups in society shared set of subterranean values -most control deviant desires & only rarely emerge. We use techniques of neutralisation to provide justification. -all of us share deviant subcultural values |
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Matza’s techniques of neutralisation |
Back (Definition) |
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Subculture:Paradox of inclusion |
-Nightingale- studies young black youths in philli- found they desire to be part of US mainstream society -consume US culture through media-emphasis on success of violence-identify with high status trade names/logos- obtained though violence/gangs -Borgois- lives of drug dealers wanting American dream of financial success-sell drugs to get the all American lifestyle -desire to be included leads to actions that mean they’re excluded from society |
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Contemporary alternatives to subculture |
-postmodernism- Katz- young men drawn to crime for thrill of it -masculinity- Collison- important to explain male offending behaviour, the nature of being male in our society and the links masculinity has to crime |
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Gangs and subcultures |
-only 6-9% claim to have been part of gangs, 2% to have carried a knife (you gov) -Marshall- thee categories of youth groupings which are under term ‘gang’ |
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Marshall’s youth groupings |
1) peer groups- organised hang out together 2) gangs- group who focuses on offending and violence 3) organised criminal groups- heavily involved in crime |
