General Strain Theory
Wilson Sele
California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) May 29, 2018
General Strain Theory
The school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the recent school shootings of 2018 in the United States. The shooting claimed at least 17 people, 14 were students and three members of staff. The shooting was termed as the most deadly school massacres in the last decade. The suspect was identified by the witnesses and arrested by the police. The 19-year old, Nikolas Cruz stated that he was the perpetrator after being taken to the Broward County Sherriff's Office (Ryan, 2018). He was charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 premeditated murders. The prosecutors and police have not offered any …show more content…
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. In Agnew’s new strain theory, Merton shortcomings was address. According to Agnew, different form of strain causes people to attain negative feelings such as depression, anger, and fear. According to Agnew, people resort to crime when they are unable to cope with their negative emotions. In the strain theory, which explain that a person’s coping strategies is the primary factor of whether they are likely to participate in crime or
Wilson Sele
California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) May 29, 2018
General Strain Theory
The school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the recent school shootings of 2018 in the United States. The shooting claimed at least 17 people, 14 were students and three members of staff. The shooting was termed as the most deadly school massacres in the last decade. The suspect was identified by the witnesses and arrested by the police. The 19-year old, Nikolas Cruz stated that he was the perpetrator after being taken to the Broward County Sherriff's Office (Ryan, 2018). He was charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 premeditated murders. The prosecutors and police have not offered any …show more content…
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. In Agnew’s new strain theory, Merton shortcomings was address. According to Agnew, different form of strain causes people to attain negative feelings such as depression, anger, and fear. According to Agnew, people resort to crime when they are unable to cope with their negative emotions. In the strain theory, which explain that a person’s coping strategies is the primary factor of whether they are likely to participate in crime or