Theories Of Delinquent Subcultures

391 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Subculture of violence

Albert Cohen: Believed that delinquent subcultures emerge in the slum areas of large American cities. They are rooted in class differentials in parental aspirations, child-rearing practices and classroom standards. Differential opportunity theory: delinquent subcultures flourish in lower-class areas and take the particular forms they do because opportunities for illegitimate success are no more equitably distributed than those for conventional success. Subculture of violence: Subcultures that believe in and follow the practices to conduct norms conducive to violence. Social control: An explanation of criminal behavior that focuses on control mechanisms, techniques and strategies for regulating human behavior, leading to conformity or obedience to society's rules and which posits that device results when social controls are weakened or break down so that individuals are not motivated to conform to them. …show more content…

Containment theory: A theory positing that every person possesses a containing external structure and a protective internal structure, both of which provide defence, protection, or insulation against

Show More
Related

  • Criminality Of The Other Wes Moore Summary

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    He is a decorated veteran, scholar and successful business leader upon graduating. In comparison to the other Wes Moore who never seemed to escape his childhood and ended up in prison. The theory that best explains the authors’ noninvolvement in a life of crime vs. the criminality of the other Wes Moore is the social disorganization theory. Shaw and McKay, the founders of this theory, believed that “juvenile delinquency could be understood only by considering the social context in which youths lived. A context that itself was a product of major societal transformations wrought by rapid urbanization, unbridled industrialization, and massive population shifts” (Lilly, Cullen & Ball, 2015). The theory is centered around transitional zones and competition determined how people were distributed spatially among these zones (Lilly et al., 2015). This model founded by Ernest Burgess showed that high priced residential areas were in the outer zones and the inner zones consisted of poverty (Lilly et al.,

    Read More

  • External Restraint Theory

    1449 Words  | 3 Pages

    The subculture of violence theory revolves around individuals using violent acts in need of survival. In this theory, people kill because one was living their lifestyle through violent acts as normal behavior. According to Thio, Taylor, and Schwartz they mention, “violent behavior is more effective than nonpoor families’ (Thio et al, 2013, p. 79). Most poor neighborhoods have higher chances of committing crimes, especially, knowing that the behavior of the actions is reflected towards survival. These behaviors can be reflected on the family, peers, and community aspects. Living in poor neighborhoods, can be scary when not knowing what type of violent act or individuals that live around one. For example; some individuals might be influenced with gangs or fall into the wrong crowd. Individuals, who choose violence, are influenced by the experience from these gang groups, peers, parents, or normal neighborhood behaviors. These individuals live through the violence acts to kill because this is the type of lifestyle they are living in. I believe that people are violent because they believe killing is an escape to get away from issues and own problems. Also, people might turn to killing because it’s the main solution for survival. For example; if one is being harassed, one might feel that violence could to a key factor to protect themselves in this type of

    Read More

  • Laub and Sampson’s Age-Graded Theory of Informal Social Control

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    Laub, John H., and Robert J. Sampson 2003. Shared Beginnings, Divergent Lives: Delinquent Boys to Age 70. Cambridge, Harvard University Press.

    Read More

  • Social Device: Deviant Behavior In Contemporary American Society

    1253 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deviant Behavior Deviance, romanticized in the story of Bonnie and Clyde, or maligned by individuals creating chaos and anarchy is present in all societies. Deviant behavior in contemporary American society has a vast range: from harmless, such as getting a conspicuous facial piercing, or as harmful as assaulting an individual. Deviancy is a violation of social norms. A deviant act is not inherently good or bad; what is deviant in one society may not be the same in another. Social norms are guidelines for acceptable behavior and are rules put into place to establish order in society.

    Read More

  • Hallway Hangers and The Brothers

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his research Jay Macleod, compares two groups of teenage boys, the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers. Both groups of teenagers live in a low income neighborhood in Clarendon Heights, but they are complete opposites of each other. The Hallway Hangers, composed of eight teenagers spend most of their time in the late afternoon or early evening hanging out in doorway number 13 until very late at night. The Brothers are a group of seven teenagers that have no aspirations to just hang out and cause problems, the Brothers enjoy active pastimes such as playing basketball. The Hallway Hangers all smoke, drink, and use drugs. Stereotyped as “hoodlums,” “punks,” or “burnouts” by outsiders, the Hallway Hangers are actually a varied group, and much can be learned from considering each member (Macleod p. 162). The Brothers attend high school on a regular basis and none of them participate in high-risk behaviors, such as smoke, drink, or do drugs.

    Read More

  • Power Control Theory Essay

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    Power-control theory of crime combines Marxist conflict theory, social control theory and feminism and was theorized by Canadian criminologist, John Hagan. A prominent theme throughout the power-control theory is that social power in society is predominantly patriarchal, or male dominated.

    Read More

  • Subculture Theory Essay

    1271 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Subculture Theory many theorists were interested in explaining delinquent gangs, which were believed to be the most common form of delinquency. The Subculture Theory was made up of several different theories that were all related to each other. Subculture theories provided explanations of how groups of individuals develop similar values and rationales for behavior (Williams & McKay, 2014). One theory within Subculture Theory was called the delinquent subculture theory by Albert Cohen. Another theory in the Subculture Theory was the differential opportunity formed by Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin. The third theory by Walter Miller used direct observation of social groups in their natural setting. All four theories were interest in of the Subculture Theory could develop (Williams & Mckay, 2014). The last major theory was very different theories and was created by Wolfgang and Ferracuti. All these theories in the Subculture Theory were very different but were all related in some way.

    Read More

  • Cloward And Ohlin Differential Opportunity Theory Essay

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cloward and Ohlin’s Differential Opportunity Theory is appropriate for understanding Rosa and her family’s experiences with crime. It recognizes three delinquent subcultures: criminal, conflict, and retreatist. Criminal occurs in slum neighborhoods in which a hierarchy of available criminal opportunities exist as the means for achieving success. Conflict arise from disorganized slums that denied both legitimate and illegitimate sources of access to status and this resort to violence as means of gaining prestige. Retreatist subculture, which Rosa and her family appear to be a part of, are made of double failure, where individuals are unable to succeed in either the legitimate or illegitimate opportunity structures, and seek status though the

    Read More

  • Criminological Theories Explaining Behaviors of The Cocaine Kids

    1362 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...haviors he so wishes to comprehend are those whom he labels as The Cocaine Kids. Now that examples of these drug sellers’ behaviors have been provided, the criminological theories that can explain such behaviors have been made visible to the unseen eye. Criminological theories including the theory of Differential Association, the Subculture of Violence Theory, and the Social Learning Theory can be viewed as methods for developing a knowledgeable understanding of how and why such behaviors introduced individuals to the drug-selling world, kept them submerge deep within it, and allowed for them to leave it.

    Read More

  • Robert Agnew's General Strain Theory

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 1950’s, Cohen (1955) acquired Merton’s theory of crime further by concentrating on gang delinquency within the working class demographic. Cohen used the dominant knowledge of the anomie theory but narrowed its emphasis on this precise subculture and particularized it in order to clarify the features of gang delinquency. Comparable to Merton and Cohen, Cloward and Ohlin (1960) tried to clarify why certain individuals or groups are more likely to involve in criminal activities. They contended that people are strained when they fail to attain financial achievement through legitimate means. Cloward and Ohlin remained in...

    Read More

  • What Are Some Weaknesses Of The Book?

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the best lines that supports this claim is made at the end of chapter 6 made by Decker saying that “culture trumps everything...neither education nor detection, nor investigation, nor discipline, is as effective.” (pg. 128) Although not directly mentioned. The fact that these are more or less, primarily the education and disciple aspects, the things that a normal citizen would have, and that they are clearly not effective means that some form of a subculture exists here. The last theory has to deal with lifestyle theory. This is mentioned in the textbook as Life Course Theory, and is located in chapter 7 of the textbook. The theory roughly states that there are factors throughout your life such as family, school, and work that will affect how you act. This is made obvious in David’s story who “has done his time, learned his lesson, and was ready to begin anew...because of his time locked up.. the goals he had so successfully internalized were out of his reach” (pg. 183) this lack of ability to find a job could force kids into terrible situations that could get them to commit crimes again and get them locked up. This is exactly what the theory

    Read More

  • Albert Cohen's Theory

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Siegel (2013) Albert Cohen developed the theory of delinquent subcultures in his classic 1995 book, Delinquent Boys. Cohen believes that the delinquent behavior of lower class youth actually goes against the norms and values of middle-class U. S. culture. These youths experience what he calls status frustration due to social conditions that enable them to achieve success legitimately. As a result of this social conflict the youths join gangs and become involved in behavior that is “nonutilitarian, malicious, and negativistic. This gang subculture possesses a value system directly opposed to that of the larger society. Their norms of society are completely opposite. Their conduct is right by the standards of their subculture because it is wrong by the norms of the larger culture. According to Cohen, the development of the delinquent subculture is a consequence of socialization practices found in the ghetto or inner-city environment. Cohen suggests that lower-class parents are not able to teach their children the necessary skills for entering the dominant middle-class culture. As a result these youths lack basic skills needed to achieve social and economic success in the demanding U. S. society. Apart from proper rearing they also lack education needed to build a solid knowledge or socialization foundation. Some of the consequences of these deprivations include developmental handicaps, poor speech and communication skills, and inability to delay gratification (Siegel, 2013).

    Read More

  • Why Young People Join Gangs

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social Control Theory presumes that people will naturally commit crime if there were left to their own devices (i.e. no laws in society) and people do not commit crimes because of certain controlling forces, such as social bonds that hold individuals back partaking on their anti social behavior (Bell, 2011). Examples of controlling forces are family, school, peers, and the law. Young people who are t... ... middle of paper ... ... nd delinquent are more likely to partake in committing criminal behavior (Shaefer and Haaland, 2011, p.155-156).

    Read More

  • Essay On Juvenile Delinquency

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...play a role in the creation of a juvenile delinquent. One side is not complete without the other; both social and individual elements take part in the forming of delinquents. Every juvenile delinquent has a unique circumstance with its own mitigating factors. There is no theory that will cover the full array of why the children commit crimes, although the use of several theories may make it clearer.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Social Control In Society

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    Social control is “the process of ensuring individuals engage in “right conduct” (Lippman, 2015, p.22). In smaller and less complex societies, social control is caused by pressures from friends and acquaintances. If certain persons of the society do something that is not considered “normal” they could easily be excluded. In more complex societies, social pressures are key because there are more institutions like work, school, home etc. Each institution has their own criteria for social control. (Lippman, 2015, p.23).

    Read More

More about Theories Of Delinquent Subcultures

Open Document