differential opportunity structure

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differential opportunity structure A theory of delinquency developed by Richard A. Cloward and Lloyd B. Ohlin. In their book Delinquency and Opportunity (1960), they attempt to link the Mertonian theory of anomie to the Chicago School tradition of cultural transmission and differential association, in order to produce a general theory of delinquent subcultures linked to differential opportunities for crime. See also OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE.