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The Hippie Subculture

Decent Essays

The study of culture explains the interconnections between like- minded people, in regards to their values and beliefs. From the dominant culture or the mainstream, deviant groups, who form subcultures materialise, where attitudes and expected behaviours change (University of Colorado, 2010). McCracken (2012) suggested that some subcultures emerge in opposition to mainstream cultures; however, Pierre Bourdieu theorises that “…whilst some subcultures emerge in opposition to the mainstream, others emerge organically…” (O’Connor 2004). In alignment with McCracken’s theory (2012), it is evident that the emergence of Hippies was in opposition to the dominant, mainstream American culture. This can be explained through the application of Albert Cohen’s hypotheses. Contrastingly, in allegiance with Bourdieu’s hypothesis, the subculture of Hipsters arose organically from mainstream culture, which, is evidenced in the application of Clifford Greetz’s theory.
Albert Cohen, an American criminologist, developed the theories of status frustration and reaction formation, which, in applied to these circumstances, can serve to explain the emergence of the Hippie subculture in opposition to mainstream, American culture. The theory of status frustration explains the process of individuals realising that their social beliefs, realities and goals do no align with the rest of society’s. As a result of this disparity in realities and goals, individuals face disadvantages and inequalities, and

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