Status frustration
Definition
Cohen's term for the psychological tension experienced by working-class boys who are measured against middle-class standards in school and find themselves repeatedly judged as inferior. The frustration motivates a collective rejection of those standards and the formation of an alternative status system.
Related terms
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Explained in
- Subcultural Theories of CrimeCohen's term for the psychological tension experienced by working-class boys who are measured against middle-class standards in school and find themselves repe...