Delinquent Subcultures Theory

1. Albert Cohen developed a theory of gang formation that bases its premise on the potential gang members reaction to the middle class value.
2. Cohen states the following:
   • that the delinquent gang members behavior is rooted in the parent's aspirations, the desire to achieve the middle class dream.
   • this dream cannot be realised because of economis conditions this results in frutration.
   • the child then must confront the middle class value structure in the poor urban school setting. The school evaluates by middle class standards, something the child does not aspire to.
   • The result is a total rejection of the middle class and everything middle class through a process known as a reaction formation. This reaction formation creates a situation where those who form the gang may achieve status by seeing who can reject middle class values the most.

3. Cohen believed that this senerio can result in three different types of gangs.
   • The first is what he called the corner boys a group of male adolescents who spent thier day simbly hanging out. They might participate in petty crimes.
   • The next group is what he called the delinquent boys. This is the group that will establish status by rejecting middle class values and ideals such as education, work, planning, family. They will instead focus on criminal behavior.
   • The last group identified was the college boys. These were the ones who still held on to the middle class ideals and keep striving even though the odds were against them.

4. What Cohen has done has taken aspects of Strain theory and Differential Association Theory and combined them around the idea of the reaction formation