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Cohen 1955

Cohen criticizes Merton's strain theory of deviance by arguing that it ignores group-based deviant behaviors and focuses only on utilitarian crimes. Cohen developed status frustration theory to explain non-utilitarian delinquency among working-class boys. He argues that working-class boys face anomie in a middle-class dominated school system and suffer from a lack of skills and cultural deprivation. As a result of their inability to achieve status through legitimate means like education, the boys experience status frustration and form deviant subcultures that value behaviors rejected by mainstream society, providing alternative means to gain status among peers.

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66 views

Cohen 1955

Cohen criticizes Merton's strain theory of deviance by arguing that it ignores group-based deviant behaviors and focuses only on utilitarian crimes. Cohen developed status frustration theory to explain non-utilitarian delinquency among working-class boys. He argues that working-class boys face anomie in a middle-class dominated school system and suffer from a lack of skills and cultural deprivation. As a result of their inability to achieve status through legitimate means like education, the boys experience status frustration and form deviant subcultures that value behaviors rejected by mainstream society, providing alternative means to gain status among peers.

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Cohen 1955

Status Frustration

Subcultural Strain Theories


Cohen agrees with Merton that
deviance is largely lower class
phenomenon.
It results from the inability of lower
classes to achieve mainstream goals
such GCSEs.

Cohen criticises Mertons


explanation of deviance:
1. Merton sees deviance as an individual
response to strain(struggles in life) , ignoring
that most deviant behaviours, are committed
in or by groups such as gang crime.
2. Merton focuses on utilitarian crime. Which
means a crime that is committed for the
greater good. Merton ignores violent crime
and focuses on crime which is material
benefits. For example: Fraud and theft a
person gains money from this.

Cohen focuses on deviance among


working class boys. He argues that
they face anomie(being insufficiently
integrated in societies norms and
values) in a middle class dominated
school system.
They suffer from cultural deprivation
and lack of skills to achieve.

As a result
Boys suffer Status Frustration as they
cannot achieve status through
legitimate mean such as education.
They resolve their frustration by
rejecting mainstream middle class
values and they form a group with
other boys in the same subculture.

Alternative Status Hierarchy


Subcultures values are characterised by
spite, malice and hostility and contempt
for those outside it.
What society condemns, the subcultures
praises and what the subculture praise
society condemns.
For example- middle class uphold school
attendance and respect school property
whereas in the subculture boys gain status
from truanting and vandalising.

The function of the


Subculture
Subcultures offer boys an alternative
status of hierarchy in which they can
achieve.
As they have failed in legitimate
ways (education) the boys great their
own opportunities to win status from
peer due to their deviant behaviour.

Strengths of Cohens
theory
It offers an explanation of non-utilitarian deviance
among the working class.
Cohens idea of status frustration and alternative
status hierarchy helps to explain non economic
delinquency(minor crime usually committed by
youths) such as vandalism and truancy.
Cohen agrees with Merton as they assume that
working class boys start off sharing middle class
goals only to reject these when they fail.
He ignores possibility that from the beginning they
did not share these goals in the first place so never
saw themselves as failures.

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