The last theory strain theory was introduced by Emile Durkheim. The fundamental assumptions made were that people are naturally moral, we need motivations to engage in delinquency, and variations in delinquency is a result of different reactions to different types and levels of strains that individuals/ groups experience. The basic proposition is that we would not engage in delinquency unless pressured by motivations and that social conditions can force delinquency on to people. Robert Merton eventually applied Durkheim’s approach to the condition of modern industrial societies. For a society to be functional, there must be a balance between the goals and the means to achieve these goals.…
Strain theory helps explain why individuals join gangs and how their affiliation to a gang can ultimately lead to these members committing a variety of crimes. Society plays a very important role in how people see themselves in relation to others (Winterdyk, 2016, 177). Individuals believe they are aware with the goals that must achieve and attain in order to be seen as successful by others. For some individuals these important goals could be identified as the house they live in, the car they drive, the clothes they wear, the shops they shop at, etc. (Winterdyk, 2016, 177).…
Whereas, strain theory is more fixated on the burden put on the individual, which is the reason they are lead to crime.…
Strain theory provides an explanation of why people decide to commit crime. Agnew believes that when people experience a form of stress or strain, they are more likely to commit a crime to cope with that negative stressors. For example, a person who is going through a financial hardship may be inclined to steal to compensate for the burden. This does not apply to the dealers mentioned in the book.…
Jeffery Reiman author of our reading “The Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Prison” assigned his students an interesting assignment. At the end of their semester, the students were asked to create a correctional system that could sustain a stable and visible class of criminals. Not one that would prevent crime. Basically, almost all of the student’s proposals portrayed the correctional system we have today.…
Criminology Theories Based on the Movie “Blow” Why do people commit crimes? The study of crime and why some people cannot get away from criminal activities while others never have any problems have been examined for decades. The study of criminology targets why individuals commit crimes and why criminals behave in certain situations. This leads to a breakdown based on a true story of the movie “Blow” which tells the story of George Jung, one of the largest cocaine traffickers in the United States in the 1970’s.…
In response to the multiple criticisms pinned against Merton’s Classical Strain Theory, Robert Agnew revitalized Strain theory to make it more broad and applicable. This theory shifted from the ideals that crime was caused by the unattainability of the American Dream to crime being precipitated by the inability to cope with negative affective states. Agnew noticed a miscorrelation between increasing crime between adolescent population and Merton’s Theory of Classic Strain. CST didn’t give reasoning to why crime rates among adolescents was increasing; this questioning is what initiated Agnew’s theory. Merton and Agnew had the same hypothesis, (strain causes delinquency), but different operational definitions of what strain is.…
In the FX series Sons of Anarchy, we are shown the day to day lives of a motorcycle club in the fictional town of Charming, California. This group of men spend their days participating in various means of illegal and illicit activities, as well as running an automotive repair shop out of the same property as their clubhouse. During the seven season run of the show I was able to draw upon some social-psychological principles believed to be relevant to this TV show and see how they manifest themselves, in this fictional motorcycle club world. One of the chief principles that is relevant to this motorcycle club (gang) is the Strain Theory, as written by Robert Merton. Merton’s Strain Theory, suggests that deviance arises when people striving…
Child abuse and neglect, excessive physical punishment, negative relations among friends and negative school events can be the stimulation needed for prompting deviant behaviors. The general strain theory encompasses the belief that experiences and strains among the individuals life are why certain individuals become criminals. With this theory, criminals are not born but made. With the strain triggers, the general strain theory has been expanded to when criminal behavior will likely result from. Strains that are more likely to result in crime can be seen unjust which provokes anger, in high magnitude which generate more anger since one’s ability to cope in a nonviolent way is unsettled, associated in low social control formed from the labor market, and creation of pressure or incentive to engage in criminal coping (Riedel, Welsh, 2016).…
In the study of organized crime there has been much debate over definitions and theories in the pursuit of explaining gang related crime. One issue that has yet to be fully resolved is what the definitive definition of what a gang is. Another current argument is over which of the various competing positivist and constructionist perspectives in the field of sociology explains deviance. One theory that has emerged from the rest is Merton’s anomie-strain theory. Fortunately, there is one thing that is agreed upon, organized crime has shown that it knows no borders when it comes to expansion and is an international issue.…
This supports item A as it states 'a set of rules laid down by the state in the interest of the ruling class'. This is reflected in crime statistics; the most common offenders are young, black males between the ages of 15-21. A counter argument to this is the idea of Strain Theory developed by Robert Merton. Traditional Marxism argues that it is increased aggression and individualistic nature of the capitalist society that inspires individuals to commit crime, however Merton comments that it is Strain between goals and the legitimate means to achieve these goals that cause an individual to commit crime.…
Similarly, strain theory states that “a disjuncture between socially and subculturally sanctioned means and goals [are] the cause of criminal behavior” (Schmalleger, 2012). It is clear just by their definitions that these two theories focus on a discrepancy between what is realistic and what is dreamed of being accomplished. It is this difference between feasible goals and expectations and what is expected or possible in a given ecological environment that breeds crime, according to these theories. Also similarly, both of these theories focus on adaptive behavior in response to environmental conditions which are less than ideal. In strain theory, this adaptation is attempting to meet goals which are mutual amongst peers but by different means, whereas in culture conflict theory, this adaptation is seen when one feels the need to meet societal expectations which may differ from that individual’s plan.…
They both deal with the causation aspect of criminology. Both theories note that there are several contributing factors that lead to individuals committing crime, yet each theorist believes his reasoning reigns king. Many theories are formed based upon the effects of criminal behavior and activities, yet these two attempt to spear the root cause of such occurrences. Another similarity exhibited by these two theories is that they were replaced by either derived theories or psychological theories. In regards to the strain theory, several derived theories such as the General Strain theory and the Institutional Anomie Theory trace their roots back to the strain theory.…
Crime and the 21st Century: Applying the Strain Theory Crime in the 21st century as a whole is on the decline. From 2003 until 2012, there was a 12.2 percent drop in violent crime and a -14 percent drop in property crime. In 2012, according to the UCR data on violent crime and property crime, there were 1,214,462 violent crimes reported and 8,975,438 property crimes reported. (FBI, 2013).…
What is strain theory? Throughout history criminology,has used strain theory to explain and understand crime. Strain theory states that society may be pressuring citizens to commit crimes. Based on the work of Émile Durkheim, Strain Theories have been remodeled and improved upon by people such as Robert King Merton , Richard Cloward , Albert K. Cohen, and Robert Agnew, Lloyd Ohlin , Neil Smelser and Rosenfeld Steven, Messner and Richard. Strain may consist of either structural or individual.…