The Integration of a Lower-Class Culture: Some Social Implications of a Rigid Class Structure

Abstract

IN ONE OF the fairly recent studies of delinquency, Albert Cohen suggests that delinquent gangs may be a means of meeting the frustration caused by constant failure in the dominant society. While the juvenile delinquent cannot meet certain standards, he does not accept his failure passively; instead he inverts these standards so that he and other members of his peer group facing the same situation can succeed. Instead of respecting private property, he wantonly destroys it. Instead of respecting authority in school and community, he openly defies the teacher and challenges the police. One theme of the book appears to be that if a group of people cannot achieve a measure of success according to the accepted standards of the society, they are inclined to form their own subsociety and subculture which will redefine the criteria for status and prestige so that the members of the group can succeed.' From this point of view, a comparison of the social structure of American cities with that of Vienna, Austria, might be of interest. This comparison is based on the following assumptions: