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Compare and contrast the various ways in which sociologists have used the concept "subculture" to explain deviance.
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Compare and contrast the various ways in which sociologists have used the concept "subculture" to explain deviance. A subculture is a group of people who collectively hold 'a distinctive set of values which provides an alternative to those of the mainstream culture'. Some sociologists use the idea of 'subcultures' in order to explain the reasons for deviance, by which is meant behaviour which is condemned by society disapproved of which can result in official punishment or simply disapproval. One theory based on this was developed by the American sociologist Albert Cohen. Cohen built his theory on Robert Merton's explanation for deviance among the lower class of America. Merton believed that the 'American Dream' combined with the actual existence of economic inequality caused America to be in a state of anomie. The American Dream encouraged the ideology that all American citizens had equal opportunities to achieve material success when, in fact it...
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