Which concept explains that deviant behavior emerges when subcultures hold values that conflict with those of the dominant culture?

Which concept explains that deviant behavior emerges when subcultures hold values that conflict with those of the dominant culture?

• A. Criminology
• B. Corpus Delicti
• C. Cultural Deviance Theory
• D. Control Theory

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that crime can arise when a subculture develops its own set of values that clash with the norms of the larger society. Cultural Deviance Theory says that members of a subculture share beliefs and practices that are incompatible with mainstream rules, so behaviors that fit the subculture’s code are considered normal there but are labeled deviant by the dominant culture. This perspective explains deviance as a result of cultural conflict, rather than simply a problem of individual choice or weak social bonds. For example, if a subculture prizes aggression or illicit activities as honorable or necessary for status, those behaviors may be reinforced within the group even though they violate mainstream laws and expectations. In contrast, other terms refer to broader fields (criminology), to the physical element of a crime (corpus delicti), or to a theory that focuses on social bonds and controls rather than cultural conflict, so they don’t capture the mechanism described by Cultural Deviance Theory.

The main idea here is that crime can arise when a subculture develops its own set of values that clash with the norms of the larger society. Cultural Deviance Theory says that members of a subculture share beliefs and practices that are incompatible with mainstream rules, so behaviors that fit the subculture’s code are considered normal there but are labeled deviant by the dominant culture. This perspective explains deviance as a result of cultural conflict, rather than simply a problem of individual choice or weak social bonds.

For example, if a subculture prizes aggression or illicit activities as honorable or necessary for status, those behaviors may be reinforced within the group even though they violate mainstream laws and expectations. In contrast, other terms refer to broader fields (criminology), to the physical element of a crime (corpus delicti), or to a theory that focuses on social bonds and controls rather than cultural conflict, so they don’t capture the mechanism described by Cultural Deviance Theory.