Final answer:
The mafia depicted in "The Godfather" rejects societal norms and creates its own system, classifying it as a counterculture, which actively opposes mainstream society unlike a subculture which coexists within it.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the film "The Godfather," the portrayal of the life of Vito Corleone, the head of a mafia family, highlights the existence of a criminal secret society that opposes society's common values. This phenomenon is correctly identified as a counterculture.
A counterculture is a group that actively rejects and opposes the norms and values of mainstream society, often establishing its own set of rules and norms, potentially even outside of the broader social order. This is in contrast to a subculture, which exists within the larger society but has specific beliefs or behaviors that distinguish it from the rest. A subculture can coexist with the larger society, while a counterculture seeks to actively defy and change it.
The mafia's rejection of societal laws and their creation of an underground system of criminal activities, as seen in the era of prohibition and figures like "Scarface" Al Capone, align it with the definition of a counterculture. Therefore, the mafia, as depicted in "The Godfather," is not a subculture, material culture, or an ideal culture, but rather a counterculture.