Subcultural Theories

• Subculture


  Cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests that vary with the wider culture
• Functionalist : Cohen


  Working class men lack the opportunity to succeed, leading to status frustration where they reject goals and form a delinquent subculture
• Functionalist : Miller

  Working class men have focal concerns that increase their chances of committing crimes:

  • Smartness
  • Autonomy
  • Trouble
  • Excitement
  • Masculinity
• Functionalist : Cloward and Ohlin


  Individuals who cannot succeed form criminal, conflict and retreatist subcultures
• Matza


  Most people that commit crime do it temporarily, and deviants rationalise their actions with techniques of neutralisation because they all share mainstream values
• Interactionist : Cohen


  Subcultures are viewed as deviant by those outside the subculture. The Mods and Rockers research found that the initial scuffle was over-reported in the media, creating deviancy amplification. This is where the deviant acts is made worse than it is, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. The media exaggerated the story because young people were an easy folk devil.

  Cohen called this whole phenomenon a 'moral panic'.
• Marxist : Cohen


  Argues subcultures form in areas where economic circumstances change due to capitalism

  • Brake - feel like community exists when capitalism destroyed it
  • Hall and Jefferson - resistance through style
• Marxist : Hebdidge


  Argues that smaller rebellions against capitalism are short-lived because capitalism takes the ideas and sells them back to us, called incorporation.
• Marxist : Clarke


  As a result of wealth and global positioning of football clubs, supporters feel they have 'lost territory', leading to violence with other football fans over clubs