General Strain Theory

Improved Essays
The main research question that the authors are investigating is social and powerful crimes. They are also looking into the general strain theory and the relationship between low social class and crime. Previous literature summarizes this research question that those who are wealthy may find themselves strained due to wanting to gain more money than they already have and that general strain should not be connected to money due to the social class. Although, anyone from any social background can commit a criminal behavior. The researchers’ hypothesis is that the dealers use the strategy of displacement, but the world has changed most of todays interaction to the internet. They are interested in using discussion groups that are conducted

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    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.…

    • 1279 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Catch Me If You Can follows the young con artist called Frank William Abagnale Jr., as he escapes the misery of his parents’ divorce. From being a pilot to a lawyer to a doctor, Frank did this all before he was even 19, employing the tactics that he learned from his father. Frank is continually pursued by an FBI agent called Carl Handratty. Frank is also picked on at his new school for dressing up, which leads him to his first impersonation: a substitute teacher. When his parents are informed, his father is seemingly proud.…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Robert Agnew Strain Theory

    • 1124 Words
    • 5 Pages

    I could relate several instances in mine or a loved one’s life to the handout Strain Theory by Robert Agnew. This reading brought several different events I have experienced or have watched a loved one go through. These things are not criminal in nature, well the first one would be, but they could be considered as deviant by some. I will relate my memories for each Strain that is mentioned in the reading.…

    • 1124 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Strain theory has been define in varies ways, Robert K. Merton describes it as social structures/societal goals that are presented to people as what they should strive towards in order to be successful in life, but at the same time society does not provide any effective legitimate means to reach that goals (Merton, 1938, Pg.675). Those who are in the lower brackets of society, and do to the pressure that society puts on the individual it leads to those individual finding other illegitimate means of reaching that goal, which Merton defines as being in the middle/ upper class (Merton, 1938, Pg.679). In the other hand Robert Agnew argues that strain theory is more complex than such societal structure, and pressure to achieve what society…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    General Strain Theory

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Introduction Stress is the main source of deviant behaviors and also people who experience stress experience negative emotion engage in deviant behavior. General strain theory relates to the negative relationships shared with others. Agnew (1992) states that there are three different sources of stress that can result in these negative relationships: situations that obstruct achievement of positive values, situations that remove positively valued, and situations that produce negative stimuli. These negative affective states can include emotions such as fear, anger, frustration, or depression that can lead to individuals coping through crime. Agnew claims there are two hypothesis when it comes to general strain theory: People experiencing negative…

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The last conclusion on the strain theory leading to violent criminal behaviour is more focusing on the physical aspect of the stimulus and goals and less of the emotional and mental side as the two previous paragraphs have done so. The last idea of the strain theory that will be discussed in this essay is the presentation side of the strain. _____ states that “ the presentation of a negatively valued stimulus may result in strain” ( 1274). Society puts a lot of stress and strain on individuals to be the best of the best, and to be the best of the best, is by presenting yourself as so. A great example of physically presenting yourself is by proving that you are finically stable.…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Criminal Sentencing

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The focus of crime will be what factors of socioeconomics can lead to certain crimes such has violent crimes, theft, murder and rape. The judicial system that will be the highlight of this paper is American criminal judicial system. There are several diverse sciences that intertwined when researching crime. Some the sciences closely relate social isolation and education, family dynamics and poverty to be the main contributors to how an individual’s predisposition to commit…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    A theory that supports the actions of white collar crime is rational choice theory. “In rational choice theories, individuals are seen as motivated by the wants or goals that express their ‘preferences’”(Browning et. al, 2000). People in the everyday world are consumed by decisions daily from small things like deciding on dinner to major long term decisions such as last will and testimony. Based on the situation of the individual in particular decisions will vary.…

    • 1304 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The theory predicts a relationship between crime and characteristics associated with social structures; however, those social structural characteristics are not necessary to explain crime at the individual level. It is also argued that the theory only explains some types of crime and delinquency but not all (Bernard, 1987). Benard (1987) argues that Merton does not make any assertion about the psychological state of the individual in situations of social structural strain. Merton attributes normal psychological states to the deviant individuals described in his theory; at no point does he assert that these individuals are more strained in a certain psychological sense.…

    • 1315 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Agnew builds the strain theory based on the theorist Robert Merton. Merton argues that crimes caused mainly by strain, such as the difference between a person’s economic aspirations and their actual means to attain these aspirations (Merton, 1949). Merton argued that when people were unlikely to meet their goals through legitimate methods they could turn to illegal methods to attain their life objectives. However, Merton theory only concentrated on the lower social classes that engaged in crimes (Agnew, 2014). Further, Merton could not explain the reason he reacted based on criminal characteristics when faced with strain.…

    • 1778 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sermonfils E Dor 1.Describe and distinguish among the three approaches to studying criminal justice systems by taking an international perspective. Comparative criminal justice is a subfield of the study of criminal justice that relates different justice system from around the world. There are three different ways of studying criminal justice systems. Each of these approaches encounter various beliefs of different societies. The criminal justice systems have changed and transformed over time.…

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since the industrial revolution, both Marxist and Anarchist criminologists have shared the same basis of thought when addressing crime, agreeing upon the notion that the criminal is somewhat the victim of an unjust society; however, there is an immediate challenge in understanding what both sets of critical thinkers do and do not mutually subscribe to. For Anarchists, social classes exist because of the state, whereas Marxists, in contrast, a state arises as a consequence of class conflict. Marxist criminologists theorise the notion of the structure of a capitalist society being able to explain crime, through ideological controls, law creation and enforcement, crime is simply a reaction to an inherently criminogenic. Marxists propose that…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Strain Theory is similarly effective as it concludes that the yearning for monetary success is to blame as the most significant factor contributing to the commitment of crime. Money as the motive applies to the criminal justice system in many investigations where they are searching for a motive that may lead them to capturing a criminal. Wholly, both theories are tremendously useful in terms of understanding crime in regards to criminal…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Criminal Behavior

    • 1502 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Continuing the discussion of social factors, the economic lens shows that another predeterminant of criminality is a person’s economic status. Economic status is determined by class level, wealth,…

    • 1502 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    More specifically, this theory holds “crime occurs when members of the lower class experience anger and frustration over their inability to achieve success” (Siegel, p. 143). Individuals feel this way because they fail to achieve what they deem as success through traditional societal means. Considering the individual does not feel successful, the “strain” pushes them to seek other means for success, such as criminal activities. Understanding the background of the strain theory is valuable in order to understand the main concept. Inspired by the Great Depression, Robert K. Merton developed the first major strain theory, which explains why the concept primarily focuses on an individual 's inability to achieve monetary success (Agnew, p. 30).…

    • 1771 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays