1. Subcultural Strain Theorists

2. 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

3. 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?

4. 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%.

5. Poor attainment at Peer
school, truancy and Drug or
alcohol group
school exclusion. pressure.
misuse and
mental
No responsibilities
illness.
Bullying and so focused on self-
gratification.
alienation.
Lack of discipline at Hyperactivity.
home and in school.
Reasons why young
Troubled home people are more
life: violence and/or likely to be involved
bad communication in criminal activity… Learning problems.
between parents and
teenagers. Money
Deprivation such problems.
Potentially
as poor housing
dodgier lifestyle.
or homelessness.

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

7. • 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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
So we get wasted in
the stairwell of our
council flat block,
We haven’t got a instead.
chance in hell of
being invited to a
cocktail party...

13. Summarise it…..in 150 words
How does Alternative Status Hierarchy
explain the pictures below and how does it
link to Status Frustration?

14. 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.

15. Albert Cohen Summary
The Process
W.C children cant
W.C taught M.C W.C suffer
achieve M.C Norms
Norms and Values. Status Frustration
and Values.
This offers an Delinquent W.C then reject
alternative route Subcultures Form M.C Norms and
to gain status. (alternative status hierarchy) Values.
These subculture commit non-
financial and malicious crimes.

16. 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

17.  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.

18. Recap
Summarise what you have just learnt using
the key word below:
KEY CONCEPT: non-utilitarian
crime; cultural deprivation; status
frustration; delinquent subculture.

19. 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?