For decades, criminologists have been debating over the true reasons of delinquent behavior. Some suppose that people commit crimes due to the inadequacies of social structure, such as limited social mobility, unequal educational and professional opportunities, and other factors that prevent them from pursuing their goals. The subcultural theory states that crime is always caused by social problems and that the most disadvantaged members of society such as young working-class males organize into culturally homogeneous groups, subcultures, to protest against the status quo (Chijioke, 2015).
Other scientists explain delinquent behavior as the result of inadequate parenting. As Pinquart (2017) states, various theories claim that the way parents treat their offspring can make adolescents more prone to aggression, defiance, impulsivity, and other externalizing problem behaviors. Therefore, young people of all classes are likely to commit crimes if their parents treat them in a certain way.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Criminology Discussion: Reasons Of Delinquent Behavior".
Personally, I believe that middle-class delinquency and its relation to gangs result from the combination of factors, such as glamorization of subcultures, dissatisfaction with social structure, and inadequate parenting styles, rather than just a single factor. It seems to me that delinquent behavior never has only one reason. For example, one of the inconsistencies of the subcultural theory is that it criminalizes all people who belong to the working class, although not all of them commit crimes in real life (Chijioke, 2015). Therefore, insisting that one factor is more important than another seems to be superficial.
Historically, the subcultural theory has been focusing on lower classes exclusively, omitting middle and higher classes. However, their research has glamorized subcultures, making their criminal behavior and image accepted by other social groups (Chijioke, 2015). Therefore, people of middle classes have become interested in these practices, perceiving them as “fashionable” ways of showing disapproval of social norms and dissatisfaction with their place in society. Today, gangs and subcultures are idealized and romanticized by popular culture, and people who do not belong to working classes begin borrowing some of their attributes, such as clothing styles, language, music, and so on.
Although the subcultural theory focuses on the working class, people of the middle class also have reasons to express their disappointment with society through delinquent behavior. The expanding gap between the rich and the poor, the growing social inequality, and the difficulty to find a well-paid and satisfying job make middle-class young people feel dissatisfied with their position in society. They have closer contact with members of higher social classes, and the realization that they are unlikely to get the same quality of life makes them feel angry and resentful. In other words, they have the same reasons to protest against the status quo as the working class youth. Due to the popularity of subcultures, middle classes begin perceiving them as an acceptable way of expressing their emotions.
Finally, the influence of parenting styles makes people more prone to delinquent behavior, increasing their chances of committing crimes. According to the results of Pinquart’s (2017) meta-analysis, psychological and harsh parental control over a child can be associated with externalizing problems. Parents exercise psychological control when they try to make their children feel guilt, shame, and the fear of losing their love. Harsh control is associated with punishments and the lack of a child’s privacy. Nevertheless, it is important to note that Pinquart’s (2017) study shows that parental styles have only small to very small effects on behavioral changes. Therefore, it is impossible to explain criminal activity in the middle class by inadequate parenting exclusively, which confirms my point that delinquency is caused by numerous factors, and it is unreasonable to focus on only one of them.
- Chijioke, J. N. (2015). Rethinking subculture and subcultural theory in the study of youth crime – A theoretical discourse. Journal of Theoretical & Philosophical Criminology, 7(1), 1-16.
- Pinquart, M. (2017). Associations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing problems of children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysis. Developmental Psychology, 53(5), 873-932.
