Youth subcultures as a form of social and cultural adaptation in a marginal situation

The study analyzes various circumstances contributing to the emergence of youth subcultures. Such circumstances include the phenomenon of risk society, the diverse social instability, exclusion, deprivation, and discrimination resulting in increased marginalization among young people. There is a tendency to merge marginalized youth into subcultural communities. Subcultures reflect the subjective response of young people to objective public demands and are the specific ways to adapt to social conditions. These conditions can be differently manifested in subcultures: they are either accepted or rejected by young people. The author identifies the escapist, activist, and adaptive subcultures, analyzes their adaptive capacities, and concludes that escapist subcultures are a form of adaptation to a marginal state through the escape from reality. Activist subcultures respond to exclusion by trying to change the social situation. Adaptive subcultures choose adaptation strategies that lead either to stress and over-exploitation or to giving up a career and the pursuit of comfort.