Subcultural Theories and Criminal Behavior

Introduction

Culture is a set of unspoken rules and principles of behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions in a particular society. In this regard, the relevant cultural values ​​of a certain community can be associated with delinquency and crime if these values ​​are based on distorted notions of interaction between people.

Discussion

Laws also serve as vehicles for reflecting unique cultural attitudes; prohibitions and permits in a specific society are directly correlated with the extent to which this society allows the adoption of such regulations. In other words, the existing political system is a marker of the socio-cultural background (Russo et al., 2020). Therefore, one can talk about the close relationship between the spheres of life in society.

A subculture is an individual movement within a generally accepted culture, which is characterized by distinctive and sometimes polar views on the development of the individual in society. Understanding the subculture, in turn, can be the key to uncovering the characteristic stimuli to influence behavior. Such an environment, as a rule, is formed where there are prohibitions and restrictions, and the unwillingness to follow a common path is similar to rebellion (Xiao & Stanyer, 2017). As a result, the analysis of subcultural characteristics can help to identify both general and individual behavioral trends that are characteristic of communities within one society.

When talking about subcultures in the context of criminal laws of two different countries, the degree of manifestation of deviance can serve as a marker. For instance, in a state with stricter legislation regarding violations of public order and established norms of communication, the subculture is characterized by a lower level of influence on the masses.

Conclusion

In an environment with loyal criminal legislation, representatives of subcultures feel freer, thereby involving more people and demonstrating more open forms of interaction between representatives. According to Sandberg et al. (2019), criminal behavior is often considered in the context of subcultural theories that interpret deviant behavior as a form of protest against the existing order. Members of cultural minorities tend to adhere to separate codes of conduct, which often contradict the official ones, and this distinction associates subcultures with criminal behavior.

References

Russo, F., Mannarini, T., & Salvatore, S. (2020). From the manifestations of culture to the underlying sensemaking process. The contribution of semiotic cultural psychology theory to the interpretation of socio‐political scenario. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 50(3), 301-320. Web.

Sandberg, S., Copes, H., & Pedersen, W. (2019). When peaceful people fight: Beyond neutralization and subcultural theory. The British Journal of Criminology, 59(6), 1309-1327. Web.

Xiao, J., & Stanyer, J. (2017). Culture, boundary, and identity: A comparison of practices between two online punk communities in China. Chinese Journal of Communication, 10(3), 246-263.