Defined, a subculture is a culture that exists within the main dominant culture of a society. Therefore, members of a subculture will have different norms and values to those in the rest of society, which in turn could lead to them being seen as deviant because of this. Youth subcultures provide members with an identity that sits outside of that assigned by social foundations such as family, school, home and work. Participants of a subculture often make people aware of their membership by making characteristic and symbolic choices in the way they dress, style their hair, what footwear they wear, and intangible choice in interests, dialect, music genre and meeting places.
In criminology, the sub cultural theory emerged from the work of the Chicago School and its interest on gangs, and developed through symbolic interactions in to a set of ideas which argue that certain groups or subcultures in society have values and attitudes that are similar to those related to crime and violence. One of the most famous explanations to come from the Chicago school is that of Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay. Shaw and McKay studied adolescent crime rates in Chicago. They divided the city in to a series of condensed rings; they then calculated the misdemeanour rates in the rings, finding that the areas with the highest rates of crime and violence were those situated right in the centre of the city, with the rates dropping outward from the centre. They found that delinquency was a lot lower in
Describing and Evaluating the Major Theories of Cause of Criminal Behaviour and the Impact of Crime on Victims and Society
A subculture is a part of society that has different ways of doing things that stray from the dominant or mainstream culture. It can sometimes be described as a stereotype. Its members have little commitment to the category. A subculture is different from the dominant culture, but is not necessarily seen as bad, and is generally seen as "okay" with the rest of the dominant culture. It's members still function as a part of
Violent crimes happen every day in America, yet the full scope of why and how they happen are not understood by many outside of law enforcement. But within the ranks of law enforcement and the criminal justice system itself, violent crimes are examined and analyzed at length to determine both how and why the incident occurred, as well as what can be done in the future to prevent a similar event from reoccurring. Investigators use multiple methods and seek various explanations as to why a violent crime occurs. This literature will look at some of those things that investigators try to sort out in the aftermath of a violent crime, such as the killer’s modus operandi and signatures, his psychology, relation to his victims, and how the effect of gender, race, or culture might impact his violent behavior.
This essay will outline how crime theories are able to assist in recognizing the causes of criminal activity, as well as demonstrating two criminological theories to two particular crimes. Overviews of trends, dimensions and victim/offenders characteristics of both crime groups will be specified. The two particular crimes that will be demonstrated throughout this essay are; Violent Crime (focusing on Assault) being linked with social learning theory and White Collar crime (focusing on terrorism) being linked to General Strain theory. In criminology, determining the motive of why people commit crimes is crucial. Over the years, many theories have been developed and they continue to be studied as criminologists pursue the best answers in eventually diminishing certain types of crime including assaults and terrorism, which will be focused on.
Sociological theories of crime contain a great deal of useful information in the understanding of criminal behavior. Sociological theories are very useful in the study of criminal behavior because unlike psychological and biological theories they are mostly macro level theories which attempt to explain rates of crime for a group or an area rather than explaining why an individual committed a crime. (Kubrin, 2012). There is however some micro level sociological theories of crime that attempts to explain the individual’s motivation for criminal behavior (Kubrin, 2012). Of the contemporary
Subculture is a branch off of culture that explains a person view. According to Chapter Three, Culture, and the Culture-Learning Process, authors Cushner, McClelland, and Safford (2009), states “Subculture refers to a social group with shared characteristics that distinguished it in some way for the larger group in which it is embedded” (p. 62). A subculture talks about a group of people that have a different view on culture than the one they grew up with. In “My Life in a Bag” activity during class, I had a rosary bead in there to represent my religion. I grew up in a strong Catholic family that always went to church every Sunday. As I grew up, I realized that religion is important to me, but I didn’t think it was necessary for me to go to church every Sunday when I could talk and pray to God in my own home. I also had a bad experience with the church itself and not my religion. My grandpa was very ill and his one last wish was to go back to his church before his time was up. However, he was divorced and his church did not believe in divorce and considered it to be a sin. They would not let my grandpa back in the church and he was devastated. That changed the way I looked at my religion and realized that I could
The aim of this essay is to compare, contrast and evaluate two sociological theories of crime causation and two psychological theories of crime causation.
There is something about the ideology of a subculture that sparks an interest in me. Maybe it is intriguing due to its members’ originality, courage to stand up for beliefs, or freely expressing their own self- identity. A subculture forms by individuals taking a risk, separating themselves from the mainstream, and forming their own distinctive norms, not caring what the “normal” members of the mainstream society think of them. Or do they care? Maybe that is the exact statement a subculture is making. Maybe these individuals are forming these groups so that people will care. Maybe their rebellious attitude is a final, somewhat desperate approach to getting that response. The images being portrayed in most subcultures are
A culture is the way of life of a particular group of people that is learned and shared. On the other hand subculture is described as the non-dominant group within a society, usually smaller groups as it is not the primary culture. A subculture is created based on an idea such as music, age, location, religion or even lifestyle. The subculture theory of delinquency explains the subculture that exists in society, which contains different value systems than the rest of society. The key element in the subculture theory of delinquency is to achieve an understanding of those who are seen as an outcast or delinquent.
The sociological analysis of gang membership explores the different types of effects that arise due to criminal involvement. Because of the social conflicts that are associated with gang membership, this paper will explore the different theories of social learning and both personal and control issues that relate to the recent surge in crime across Chicago. As we open the doors of a crime ridden society, the truth begins to unfold. It isn’t just the thought of helping, it is the action that remains the barrier between living a life of crime or a life that carries hope.
A subculture is a group of people within a culture that share the same values, rituals, behavior, language, and stories. As human beings, we are a part of many different subcultures, although we don’t realize it until we start to think about them. When I started to think about the subcultures I was a part of I realized that there were many. However, I feel that the main subculture that I am a part of is the soccer community, but more specifically the soccer team. I have played soccer for thirteen years, and although the competition got better, there are still things about the sport and being a part of this subculture that never changes.
Subculture refers to a minority of individuals who adhere to different rules, dress codes and lifestyle choices from mainstream culture. Throughout this essay the traditional definitions of subcultures, that mainly concentrate on class and style as their main features, will be looked at and explained. It will then be demonstrated how these ways of thinking are no longer relevant to the 21st century therefore the term 'subculture ' needs to be rethought for it to be an applicable category in the 21st century.
Looking at the big picture, subcultures and countercultures are both cultures that have their own values and norms. They are both capable of being a culture within a culture. A subculture is a smaller culture that exists within a larger culture but fit within the dominant culture, where as a counterculture is an opposition to the norms of society and contradict the dominant culture and norms. Both cultures dress and behave in different ways than average citizens of a society and are usually identifiable by their different appearances. A subculture can have its own beliefs, norms and values, but they are usually able to exist
This theory posits that criminal behavior is a result of disorganization and strain. This theory also seeks to explain, “how people living in deteriorated neighborhoods react to social isolation and economic deprivation. ” This theory advocates the view, that, as a result of these conditions, the lower socioeconomic class individuals form a separate and distinct sub culture whose values, norms and rules are the polar opposite of the society’s. Cohen’s Delinquent Subcultural Theory and Cloward and Ohlin’s Theory of Differential Opportunity will be used under the umbrella Cultural Deviance Theory of Crime to explain juvenile involvement in gangs with relation to Trinidad and
The term “subculture” refers to a group of people who have similarities between them, and these similarities distinguish them significantly from other social groups. The similarities do not mean religious or political affiliation. These groups have different beliefs than the main culture and are youth oriented. These subcultures have their own styles of music, ideology,