Subcultural Strain Theory

SUBCULTURAL STRAIN THEORY

• subcultures provide alternative opportunity
• structure for those who are denied chance to achieve legit means - solution functional for their members

Cohen: crime a lower class phenomenon
Beloved responses to strain are a groups
Focused on crimes not for monetary gain

COHENS STATUS FRUSTRATION

• w/c boys face anomie in m/c dominated school system
• cannot success so at bottom of status hierarchy
• suffer status frustration so then to other boys in same situalituon to form a subculture
• the subculture being based upon hostility for those outside the group (invert mainstream values)
• subcultures offer alternative status hierarchy in which they can achieve
• creating illegit opportunity structure where win the status from peers through deviant behaviour
  EVAL
• able to explain utilitarian crime
• ignores possibility that they doesn’t share the same goals in the first place so didn’t see themselves as failures

CLOWARD AND OHINS 3 SUBCULTURES

• note not everyone who is denied legit opportunities become an innovator (engage in utilitarian crime)
• different subcultures respond in different way
• explains why different subcultural responses occur - to do with unequal access to illegit opportunity structure
  THE…