ABSTRACT

One of the central themes in the field of criminology and the sociology of deviance has always been the formation and the constitutive elements of deviant subcultures among adolescent groups, as well as their corresponding influence on juvenile social behaviour.1 The interaction between deviant culture and social control2 is well established in the relevant literature. However, youth subcultures, even though they constitute ‘a common way of solving problems’, must not be theorised as if they were a homogeneous entity.3 Consequently, dealing with these subcultures means that we are dealing with attitudes that may share a great deal in common, yet at the same time be very different. These differences have to do not only with the social context but also with personal attitudes.4