What is Strain theory?
Strain theory is a criminological theory to explain why people commit crime. Strain theory explains that people commit because of the pressures that derive from social structures within society. These stressors from the social structures within society provide the individual with their motive to take part in deviant behavior and criminal acts. Strain theory can be broken down into two categories: structural strain theory and individual strain theory. Structural strain theory focuses on the strain and pressures that come from the gap between cultural goals and the means in which people have readily available to achieve these goals. The individual’s culture provides goals for the person to achieve and the social structure …show more content…
Of the many theorists for strain theory, one is Robert Merton. Merton looked at strain theory with a functionalist’s eye, which just means that he looked at the emphasis on culture and the impact it has on an individual. Merton began with his theory by saying that while biology cannot account for every aspect for deviance and why someone does or does not commit crime, there are social factors that play a big role in deviance and crime. Merton looked to compare rates of deviance in different societies and compare them to other societies. Merton also focused on the effects of anomie. Merton applied anomie in a way in which there is a lack of cultural goals and also a lack of ways to achieve these goals in a legal manner. Another theorists for strain theory is Robert Dubin. Robert Dubin (1959) viewed deviance as a normal functional part of society. Arguing the disputing view that the deviant adaptations to situations of anomie are harmful to society. Dubin argued that Merton 's focus on the relationship between society’s emphasized goals, and institutionalized prescribed means was …show more content…
Agnew wanted to look at people as individuals and see why they personally behaved in the ways they did based on emotional and personal reasons. Robert Agnew looked at the individual social environment that they are exposed to and how that influences the individual’s goals imposed upon them by their society. Agnew (2001) also looked at the relationship between failure and removal of positively valued goals, saying that both the removal of a positive stimuli as well as the introduction to a negative stimuli will increase the amount of strain experienced by the individual, thus increasing the likelihood of the individual engaging in deviant and criminal behavior in order to replace or achieve the feeling or goal desired as a result of the negative or positive stimuli (Agnew,
Strain theory is a criminological theory to explain why people commit crime. Strain theory explains that people commit because of the pressures that derive from social structures within society. These stressors from the social structures within society provide the individual with their motive to take part in deviant behavior and criminal acts. Strain theory can be broken down into two categories: structural strain theory and individual strain theory. Structural strain theory focuses on the strain and pressures that come from the gap between cultural goals and the means in which people have readily available to achieve these goals. The individual’s culture provides goals for the person to achieve and the social structure …show more content…
Of the many theorists for strain theory, one is Robert Merton. Merton looked at strain theory with a functionalist’s eye, which just means that he looked at the emphasis on culture and the impact it has on an individual. Merton began with his theory by saying that while biology cannot account for every aspect for deviance and why someone does or does not commit crime, there are social factors that play a big role in deviance and crime. Merton looked to compare rates of deviance in different societies and compare them to other societies. Merton also focused on the effects of anomie. Merton applied anomie in a way in which there is a lack of cultural goals and also a lack of ways to achieve these goals in a legal manner. Another theorists for strain theory is Robert Dubin. Robert Dubin (1959) viewed deviance as a normal functional part of society. Arguing the disputing view that the deviant adaptations to situations of anomie are harmful to society. Dubin argued that Merton 's focus on the relationship between society’s emphasized goals, and institutionalized prescribed means was …show more content…
Agnew wanted to look at people as individuals and see why they personally behaved in the ways they did based on emotional and personal reasons. Robert Agnew looked at the individual social environment that they are exposed to and how that influences the individual’s goals imposed upon them by their society. Agnew (2001) also looked at the relationship between failure and removal of positively valued goals, saying that both the removal of a positive stimuli as well as the introduction to a negative stimuli will increase the amount of strain experienced by the individual, thus increasing the likelihood of the individual engaging in deviant and criminal behavior in order to replace or achieve the feeling or goal desired as a result of the negative or positive stimuli (Agnew,