cultural explanations

Question 1

What are cultural explantions?

Answer 1

They are theories that explain social behaviour by exploring norms, values and attitudes of individuals and social groups.
They are often known as victim blaming theories. This means blaming the poor/the individual.

Question 2

What did Oscar Lewis (1950) discover about the cultural of poverty?

Answer 2

The poor have a ‘culture of poverty’ with its norms, values and way of life. This therefore separates the poor from the rest of society.

As a result of socialisation, this culture is transmitted from generation to generation.

Question 3

List four features of the poor according to Oscar Lewis.

Answer 3

1. They are resigned to their situation, seldom taking opportunities to escape poverty when they arise.
2. They are reluctant to work.
3. They make little effort to change their situation or take the initiative to try and break free of their poverty.
4. They are marginalised and don’t see themselves as part of or involved in mainstream society.

Question 4

What is the dependancy culture?

Answer 4

Poverty arises from the generosity of the welfare state. This is because the New Right sees many of the poor as undeserving. Therefore, those that depend on the welfare state become lazy and undermine the production of wealth.

Question 5

Who suggested that there is a class beneath the working class known as the underclass?

Answer 5

Charles Murray (1984).

Question 6

List five features of the underclass according to Murray?

Answer 6

1. Lone parenthood and family instability.
2. Crime.
3. Fiddling of the benefit system.
4. Drug abuse.
5. Exclusion from school and education failure.

Question 7

List the myths of the welfare state.

Answer 7

1. There are generations of workless, work-shy families.
2. Benefits are too generous.
3. The benefit bill is high because of cheats and fraudsters.
4. Most claimants are sitting at home on benefits for years.
5. Most welfare spending goes on the unemployed.
6. We are spending vast amounts on huge families with hordes of children.

Question 8

From a Marxists perspective does dependancy culture exist?

Answer 8

No

Question 9

From a Social Democrat perspective does dependancy culture exist?

Answer 9

Yes

Question 10

From a New Right perspective does dependancy culture exist?

Answer 10

Yes