Adnan Syed If He Were Guilty Of Murdering Hae Min Lee

A criminological theory that I believe would explain Adnan Syed if he were guilty of murdering Hae Min Lee would be a strain theory. Strain theory explains that a person will commit a crime if or when they are exposed to any stress or strain situation. In addition to that idea, it can also be related to if a person feels as if they cannot meet their goals physically, socially, or culturally in a legitimate way. Agnew’s general strain theory assumes that people of all social classes and different positions can deal with frustrations in routine daily life. Everyone can relate to different stressors, but, there are different categories of stress that can affect people from different groups or cultures. The categories that are in this theory are failure to achieve positively valued goals, presentation of noxious stimuli, …show more content…
A way that strain theory also explains criminal activity is that strain can create a certain type of pressure which can persuade one to engage in criminal activity which can aide in coping with this pressure. There are a few different ideas that describe different aspects of strain theory, and another in addition to Agnew’s theory is Merton’s strain theory. Merton’s theory was influenced by the concept of anomie, which is the state of normlessness or norm confusion within a society. While Agnew discusses social experiences and cultural aspects, Merton explains that an additional factor that impacts frustration or strain is the emphasis placed on material goals rather than the importance of conventional ideals. Robert K. Merton also developed a deviant typology which describes five different adaptations. The five include conformity, ritualism, innovation, retreatism, and rebellion. These adaptations can be used to explain why or how a person may act when exposed to different types of strain within society depending on the circumstance, activity, or