Assess the usefulness of subcultural theories in explaining ‘subcultural’ crime and deviance in society today 21m

Subcultural theories believe society is formed by a set of values that overlap and clash. Subcultures form when a group of people follow a set of values outside mainstream society. These subcultures would be seen as deviant, because they are following a set of values different from the rest of society, how there is nothing socially ‘wrong’ with them. Whereas subcultural behaviour becomes criminal, when the laws reflect will of the majority and accepted by the subculturalist, but their behaviour is not in line with these laws. They believe ultimately crime is caused by clashes of values between different subcultures, where one group’s crime is another’s ‘normal’ values.

A. Cohen built his theory upon questioning Merton’s assumption that we have a shared goal of wealth. He provides evidence for this through the fact not all crimes are financially motivated, such as vandalism, graffiti or rape. Therefore, society must be emphasising a shared goal that is not wealth, he argues that the goal is status. He is similar to Merton in the sense Cohen is promotes a strain theory. He believes crime occurs when there is anomie, due to blocked opportunities to achieve status. Those that cannot achieve status in a socially approved way, such as academic success, turn to a criminal subculture in order to achieve their goal. This can be seen in education, where the less able are put into bottom set and labelled. These people experience status frustration from their negative label, leading to reaction formation. Therefore, they do opposite to all the rules and values in school, in order to gain a reaction. They gain status from their less able peers also, by chatting back to the teacher or refusing to do work. However, the deviant behaviour only continues if they gain a