Option 2 Youth subcultures: Why young people participate in deviant subcultures: Practice Questions

Which term describes the process where the media’s over-reporting of a specific youth behavior leads to an increase in that behavior and more intense social control?

Applying the concept of identity to youth deviance, some sociologists argue that ethnic minority youth may join subcultures as a way to:

In the context of youth subcultures, which concept explains why young people might participate in delinquent subcultures due to their inability to achieve mainstream success through legitimate means?

According to Cloward and Ohlin, why might a young person join a criminal subculture specifically, rather than a conflict or retreatist subculture?

According to Interactionist explanations of deviance, what is the primary reason why some young people are more likely to be identified as part of a deviant subculture?

Explain the concept of deviance amplification as it relates to the media and youth subcultures.

Outline how interactionism explains why certain young people are driven to participate in criminal subcultures through the process of labeling.

How does the concept of status frustration explain why young people might participate in delinquent subcultures?

(a) Explain how the media can contribute to deviance amplification and the creation of moral panics regarding specific youth groups.
(b) Using theoretical perspectives such as Interactionism and Functionalism, discuss the extent to which participation in deviant subcultures is a result of status frustration rather than labeling.

(a) Using examples, explain the difference between 'delinquent subcultures' and 'spectacular youth subcultures'.
(b) Assess the role of the media in creating 'folk devils' and 'moral panics' regarding youth deviance.