Cloward And Ohlin Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Cloward And Ohlin?

Cloward and Ohlin’s theory of delinquent behavior is a classic sociological explanation of why young people end up engaging in criminal activities. The theory was developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin, two prominent American criminologists. Cloward and Ohlin’s theory argues that there are three distinct pathways to delinquency: opportunity-structured, conflict-structured, and reaction formation. The first pathway to delinquency is known as the opportunity-structured pathway. This path focuses on how readily available resources such as money or access to illicit activities can lead to criminal behavior. According to Cloward and Ohlin, young people may choose this path if they lack other opportunities for success or if they come from a disadvantaged socioeconomic background with limited access to legal employment or educational opportunities. The second pathway is the conflict-structured pathway. This describes how individuals who feel wronged by society may become delinquent in order to gain acceptance from their peers or push back against authority figures that have wronged them. This type of delinquent behavior could include gang activity or stealing as a means of gaining power within one’s group. Finally, the third pathway proposed by Cloward and Ohlin is known as reaction formation pathways which suggests that some young people may turn towards delinquency because it provides them with an outlet for their aggression or frustration over not having control over their own lives or circumstances. By engaging in crime, these individuals can express their anger at society without facing consequences for their actions directly as they would if they acted out more openly against authority figures in their lives such as teachers, police officers, etc. In conclusion, Cloward & Ohlin’s theory offers a comprehensive explanation for why some adolescents turn towards delinquent behaviors when faced with limited resources or oppression from authority figures in their lives; however it does not provide any solutions for preventing such behaviors from occurring or ways of addressing them when they do occur.