Using Material from Item a and Elsewhere, Assess the Usefulness of Subcultural Theories in Explaining ‘Subcultural Crime and Deviance’ in Society Today

Using material from item A and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of subcultural theories in explaining ‘subcultural crime and deviance’ in society today. (21 marks)

A subculture is where a number of individuals choose to be a part of a separate group that follow distinct norms and values different to those in mainstream society as stated in item A. Subcultures may contain norms and values that would be considered deviant in society and involve criminal activity.

Cohen is a subcultural theorist, he explains that subcultural crime and deviance today results from the inability of lower classes to achieve mainstream success goals by legitimate means. Reaction formation is where youths rebound from conventional failure for example within education re-sitting exams. Status frustration is a key element to Cohen’s theory, when individuals are faced with failure they chose a delinquent subculture, as they no longer feel a part of society or that they can achieve so they don’t bounce back, for example school dropouts. Research has shown that status frustration is resolved through creating or joining a subculture because it offers and alternative status hierarchy. It is this illegitimate opportunity structure where status can be won via delinquency.

Cohen’s theory offers an explanation to non-utilitarian deviance among the working class such as vandalism, loitering and joyriding. However it can also be criticized as it assumes that the working classes start off sharing the same middle class success goals, only to reject these when they fail.

Cloward and Ohlin also explain working class crime in terms of goals and means however they believe delinquents share their own deviant subcultural values different to those of the middle class. They state 3 delinquent subcultures identified in response to blocked opportunities in order to follow an illegitimate career structure. The criminal subculture: where there is already the presence of adult crime in an area and they...