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Critically examine the different ways in which sociologist have used the concept subculture to explain deviance.
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Critically examine the different ways in which sociologist have used the concept subculture to explain deviance (40marks) Subcultural theories of crime and deviance explain deviance in terms of the subculture of a social group. The theories argue that particular groups develop and maintain norms and values that differ from those held by the majority of modern day western society. This approach does not ignore the importance of social structure but sees it as a background to beliefs about the world. It heavily influences by the social action theory. There are a number of subcultral theories of deviance which attempt to explain forms of collective, non-utilitarian deviance in terms of the formation of subcultures. Robert Merton argues that deviance results not only from 'pathological personalities' but also from the culture and structure of society itself. Merton begins his argument from the standard functionalist position of value consensus, that all members of society share the...
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