Subcultural Strain Theorists

Lesson Objectives

• Introduce sub cultural explanations of crime (why young WC people commit crime)

• Understand the concept of Status Frustration as suggested by Albert Cohen

• Evaluate these explanations

Last Lesson Recap

1. What is the strain theory?2. How does it link to Materialism and The

American Dream?3. What does Merton suggest the five

responses to the Strain Theory are?4. What are some of the evaluation points of

Merton’s theory?

According to the Ministry of Justice, in April 2009 there were 2,126 15-17 year olds and 9,497 18-20 year olds held in custody in England and Wales. These are down 12% and 1% respectively year-on-year.

According to the Prison Reform Trust, over two-thirds are expected to re-offend within two years of release, with over 40% returning to prison. With men, the reconviction rate rises to 82%.

Troubled home life: violence and/or bad communication

between parents and teenagers.

Poor attainment at school, truancy and

school exclusion.

Drug or alcohol

misuse and mental illness.

Deprivation such as poor housing

or homelessness.

Peer group

pressure.

Lack of discipline at home and in school.

Money problems.

Bullying and alienation.

Hyperactivity.

Learning problems.

No responsibilities so focused on self-gratification.

Potentially dodgier lifestyle.

Reasons why young people are more likely to be involved in criminal activity…

What do you think the goals of the crimes of the young people are?

• Subcultural Strain Theorists see deviance as a product of a delinquent subculture with different values from those of mainstream society.

• They see subculture as providing an alternative structure for those who are denied the chance to achieve by legitimate means- W/C

• They criticise Merton’s theory (delinquency caused

by strain between cultural goals and means of achieving them) and seek to build on it

A.K. Cohen: Status Frustration

• Cohen agrees that deviance results from the lower classes inability to achieve mainstream success goals by legitimate means such as education. However criticises Merton's explanation:

1. Merton sees Deviance as an individual response to strain, ignoring that a lot of deviance is committed by groups e.g. youth

2. Cohen argues Merton doesn’t discuss non-utilitarian crime such as joy riding and vandalism so he sets out to explain this type of crime.

Why do I like to just ruin things for no

money?

• Utilitarian crime: Crime that produces monetary reward e.g. Theft and fraud• Non- Utilitarian crime is therefore the opposite

According to Cohen, working class boys aspire to the cultural goals of mainstream society. However they have anomie because they are culturally deprived and lack skills to achieve.

Cohen suggests WC boys are denied status at school, as their parents have failed to equip them with the skills they need

Hated school, failed everything, no job, can’t live a normal life. For me, crime pays.

They experience low self esteem, resulting in status frustration because they are stuck at the bottom of the stratification system with most avenues to success blocked.

I sit around all day wi’ nowt to do, no money

and no dignity. I’ve nothing to loose.

They resolve their status frustration by rejecting the success goals of mainstream culture and turn instead to others in the same situation forming a subculture

We haven’t got a chance in hell of being invited to a cocktail party...

So we get wasted in the stairwell of our council flat block,

instead.

How does Alternative Status Hierarchy explain the pictures below and how does it

link to Status Frustration?

Summarise it…..in 150 words

SUMMARY: He argues that delinquency is a collective rather than an individual response to status frustration and their position in the class structure.

These guys give me the only chance of

excitement and status.

Albert Cohen SummaryThe Process

W.C taught M.C Norms and Values.

W.C children cant achieve M.C Norms

and Values.

W.C suffer Status Frustration

W.C then rejectM.C Norms and

Values.

Delinquent Subcultures Form

(alternative status hierarchy)(alternative status hierarchy)

This offers an alternative routeto gain status.

W.C taught M.C Norms and Values.

These subculture commit non-financial and malicious

crimes.

Evaluation

Offers a non-utilitarian explanation of deviance. It helps to explain delinquency such as vandalism, fighting and truancy.

Like Merton Cohen assumes that WC boys start off sharing MC success goals only to reject them when they fail. He ignores the possibility that they didn’t share the goals in the first place and so never saw themselves as failure's

Most W/C boys do conform despite educational failure

There are other explanations for W/C crime

Cohen ignores W/C female delinquency

He neglects the role of agencies of social control in the social construction of delinquency e.g. police stereotyping of W/C youths might mean they are more likely to be stopped and searched.

Recap

Summarise what you have just learnt using the key word below:

KEY CONCEPT: non-utilitarian crime; cultural deprivation; status frustration; delinquent subculture.

Discussion Points

• What are two key strengths of Cohen’s approach to Crime and Deviance?

• What are two key weaknesses?• Can this theory help us to understand

contemporary forms of crime and deviance such as “Happy Slapping”?

• On a scale of 1 – 10 how do you rate this theory?