What is a sub-culture?

a group with norms and values different from the mainstream. It is a culture within a culture.

Which method might a protest group use?

a boycott. Refusing to buy something puts pressure on those in power.

What is non-conformist behaviour?

refusing to follow accepted norms. It need not be a crime.

Which is a reason for joining a sub-culture?

to gain a sense of belonging. Members find acceptance and identity.

Why might a sociologist see protest groups as useful to society?

they can bring about social change by challenging unfair norms and laws. Many rights began as protests.

Resisting social control · Cambridge IGCSE Sociology

In plain words

Not everyone goes along. Some people break the rules to change them, and others build a little world of their own with different rules. Societies have always had both, and some of yesterday's troublemakers are today's heroes.

8 things to know

A sub-culture is a group within a society whose norms, values and style differ from those of the mainstream.
Deviant behaviour is behaviour that breaks the norms of a society. Non-conformist behaviour is a refusal to follow accepted norms. It may be perfectly legal.
A protest group campaigns to change a law, a policy or public opinion, for example on the environment or on civil rights. Its methods include marches, petitions, strikes, boycotts and online campaigns.
Online sub-cultures are communities formed on the internet around a shared interest, with their own language and norms, such as gaming communities and fan groups.
Youth sub-cultures are groups of young people marked out by their own music, dress and attitudes. Punks and goths are two examples.
Religious sub-cultures are groups whose beliefs and way of life set them apart from the wider society.
Reasons for joining: a sense of belonging and identity, status and respect inside the group, anger at an injustice, the wish to change society, rebellion against authority, peer pressure, and excitement.
Sociologists disagree about these groups. Functionalists see them as a result of failed socialisation. Others see them as a reasonable answer to inequality, and as a source of social change.

Worked example

Students walk out of school to demand action on climate change. Is this deviant, non-conformist, or criminal?

It breaks the norm that pupils attend lessons, so it is deviant in the eyes of the school.
It is non-conformist, because the students are deliberately refusing to follow an accepted rule in order to make a point.
Whether it is criminal depends on the law of the country.
Sociologically, it is resistance to social control by a protest group.

Tips and tricks

Deviance is not always bad. Protest that broke the norms of its day won the vote for women and ended legal segregation.
For "why do people join" questions, give a pull, such as belonging or status, and a push, such as feeling rejected by mainstream society.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Resisting social control: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

What is a sub-culture?
- the culture of the majority
- a group with norms and values different from the mainstream (the answer)
- an agency of formal control
- a type of sanction
It is a culture within a culture.
Which method might a protest group use?
- sentencing
- imprisonment
- a boycott (the answer)
- law-making
Refusing to buy something puts pressure on those in power.
What is non-conformist behaviour?
- refusing to follow accepted norms (the answer)
- obeying every rule
- behaviour that is always illegal
- the behaviour of the police
It need not be a crime.
Which is a reason for joining a sub-culture?
- to avoid having an identity
- to obey one's parents
- to gain formal qualifications
- to gain a sense of belonging (the answer)
Members find acceptance and identity.
Why might a sociologist see protest groups as useful to society?Stretch
- they always break the law
- they stop all change
- they can bring about social change by challenging unfair norms and laws (the answer)
- they make social control stronger
Many rights began as protests.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Resisting social control

Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 · 10 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

What is meant by the term "sub-culture"?[2]
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A group within a society whose norms and values differ from those of the mainstream culture.
I got this one
Describe two examples of groups that resist social control.[4]
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Any two, each described: protest groups, which campaign to change laws or policies; youth sub-cultures, which have their own style and values; online sub-cultures, which form around shared interests on the internet; religious sub-cultures, whose beliefs and lifestyle differ from the mainstream.
I got this one
Explain two reasons why young people may join a youth sub-culture.[4]
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Any two, each explained: it gives a sense of belonging and identity; it gives status and respect that they may not get at school or at home; it is a way to rebel against adult authority; peer pressure from friends who are already members.
I got this one

Answers: Resisting social control

1. A group within a society whose norms and values differ from those of the mainstream culture.
2. Any two, each described: protest groups, which campaign to change laws or policies; youth sub-cultures, which have their own style and values; online sub-cultures, which form around shared interests on the internet; religious sub-cultures, whose beliefs and lifestyle differ from the mainstream.
3. Any two, each explained: it gives a sense of belonging and identity; it gives status and respect that they may not get at school or at home; it is a way to rebel against adult authority; peer pressure from friends who are already members.