Alex Johnson is a young male who comes from a working-class family. Both of his parents work all day and night just to make ends meet, and they don’t have much time after work to pay attention to Alex or his academics. Alex also has a part-time job as a fry cook at a fast food chain in order to help his family out financially, and he must also care for his three younger siblings while his parents are at work. Due to these family responsibilities, Alex misses class more often than most of his peers. Although he tries to attend class whenever possibly and tries his best to keep up with his studies, he is unable to achieve good academic grades. His family cannot afford the simple necessities for Alex to have in school, like textbooks and other
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(Nannini) It states that children either come to school equipped with the tools needed for success or they do not, and that is because of their social class. (Nannini) Student’s failure in school can then lead to frustration, which can in turn lead them to reject the “middle-class norm” and begin engaging delinquent behavior. In Alex’s case, his pattern of behavior follows this theory to a T. He cannot afford class materials like textbooks, or a tutor, which can be considered “tools needed for success”, because his family is of a low social class. He then begins to fall behind while his other middle-class classmates continue to excel; which causes him to become frustrated at the fact that he is failing due to his socioeconomic status. According to Cohen’s theory, the probability of delinquency is starting to present itself in Alex’s situation. He then becomes so frustrated that he drops out of school and starts to commit crimes, just as the Status Frustration theory predicts. Soon after dropping out of school, Alex descends into a life of crime, slowly feeding his hatred and rejection of the social norms that surround him, thus creating a delinquent. It is at this point that Alex has fully implemented Cohen’s theory, as he has transformed into a criminal due to the overwhelming pressures that come with his family’s socioeconomic status and failure in
(Nannini) It states that children either come to school equipped with the tools needed for success or they do not, and that is because of their social class. (Nannini) Student’s failure in school can then lead to frustration, which can in turn lead them to reject the “middle-class norm” and begin engaging delinquent behavior. In Alex’s case, his pattern of behavior follows this theory to a T. He cannot afford class materials like textbooks, or a tutor, which can be considered “tools needed for success”, because his family is of a low social class. He then begins to fall behind while his other middle-class classmates continue to excel; which causes him to become frustrated at the fact that he is failing due to his socioeconomic status. According to Cohen’s theory, the probability of delinquency is starting to present itself in Alex’s situation. He then becomes so frustrated that he drops out of school and starts to commit crimes, just as the Status Frustration theory predicts. Soon after dropping out of school, Alex descends into a life of crime, slowly feeding his hatred and rejection of the social norms that surround him, thus creating a delinquent. It is at this point that Alex has fully implemented Cohen’s theory, as he has transformed into a criminal due to the overwhelming pressures that come with his family’s socioeconomic status and failure in