Deviance Biography Theory Application
My aunt “Maria”, was involved in deviant behavior as a child, truancy, fighting and so on, which precluded a life and criminal behavior involving drugs and prostitution that is now starting to fade out of her life after thirty years. Her criminal life began with running away and eventual resulted in prostitution, drug dealing, larceny and identity theft from late teens to today. Her action have been recklessness concerning her own life and well being and that of others over the years, and the consequences, to her, appear remote. Many of the circumstance and crime she has committed to support herself and her drug habit fall under the Robert Merton’s micro-level Strain Theory 1938 (Cecil, 2016). A review of Merton’s Adaptations to Strain (Schram & Tibbetts, 2014, p.174) reveals that “Maria” falls under the …show more content…
This adaptation as defined by Merton is, an individual believing in convention success but not the means (p. 174), in other words “Maria” has found her American dream and is using criminal behavior to obtain it. The dream for her is being a grandmother, she failed her children but want to obtain stability to be a part of her grandchildren’s lives, to achieve the stability she’s aiming for she must generate income illegally. In her case drug dealing and looting homes for scrap metal which she has been decreasing in frequency in recent years, due to state support and medical conditions motivating her to desist. She’s held this trend for nearly five years but I predict a shift in her strain adaptation soon, as her grandchildren have been moved to the new England region and their mother is withdrawing them from her life. Her daughter has been admonished slightly for her actions but none deny that the bad of her actions and criminal behavior out weigh the
My aunt “Maria”, was involved in deviant behavior as a child, truancy, fighting and so on, which precluded a life and criminal behavior involving drugs and prostitution that is now starting to fade out of her life after thirty years. Her criminal life began with running away and eventual resulted in prostitution, drug dealing, larceny and identity theft from late teens to today. Her action have been recklessness concerning her own life and well being and that of others over the years, and the consequences, to her, appear remote. Many of the circumstance and crime she has committed to support herself and her drug habit fall under the Robert Merton’s micro-level Strain Theory 1938 (Cecil, 2016). A review of Merton’s Adaptations to Strain (Schram & Tibbetts, 2014, p.174) reveals that “Maria” falls under the …show more content…
This adaptation as defined by Merton is, an individual believing in convention success but not the means (p. 174), in other words “Maria” has found her American dream and is using criminal behavior to obtain it. The dream for her is being a grandmother, she failed her children but want to obtain stability to be a part of her grandchildren’s lives, to achieve the stability she’s aiming for she must generate income illegally. In her case drug dealing and looting homes for scrap metal which she has been decreasing in frequency in recent years, due to state support and medical conditions motivating her to desist. She’s held this trend for nearly five years but I predict a shift in her strain adaptation soon, as her grandchildren have been moved to the new England region and their mother is withdrawing them from her life. Her daughter has been admonished slightly for her actions but none deny that the bad of her actions and criminal behavior out weigh the