Structural Strain Theory

Structural Strain Theory
Sociology can be looked at and studied in many different ways. Sociology is usually split into many
different places so that sociologists can look at one individual group instead of everyone together.
This is a society. A society is an organised group of people. Sociologists study these groups to get
more accurate information. One thing that sociologists look at when they look at these societies is
the deviance of the group. Deviance is anything that goes against social norms of a specific place.
Deviance varies depending on time and location of the specific group the sociologists are studying.
A "norm" is a set of expected behaviors for a given role and social status. Deviance is a magnificent
part of sociology. Deviance is any behavior, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Strain Theory asserts that people commit deviant acts when the strain of society becomes too
much for the person to handle. Often their deviance is due to their feelings of anomie, meaningless,
due to not understanding how the social norms affect them. This is usually because the norms are
are confusing or weak. There is a social consensus in society about socially approved achievements
and goals. This consensus tells what one should strive for in order to achieve according to society.
Society places these certain goals that all people of that society try to pursue. These people either
have to work in the structure that society has made or if the pressure is too much they will turn to
deviant acts in an attempt to achieve those goals. When there is a gap between the person's current
standing in society and the overall goal society has created based on The Strain Theory people will
act upon this gap in five different ways: Conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion.
Conformity is the acceptance of the cultural goals and means of attaining those goals. This is the
way a "normal" person would go about to achieve the goals set by society. Innovation is the
acceptance of the goals of a culture but the rejection of the traditional and legitimate means of
attaining those goals, e.g, a drug dealer accepts the goals he has to accomplish but society does not
necessarily agree with those goals. This is how one completes a goal set by society but does not
necessarily go the normal way to do it. Ritualism is the rejection of cultural goals but the routinized
acceptance of the way of achieving those goals. For example, A man who has a wife and family is a
hard worker and makes an average income. He believes that money is not everything and is more
happy with his family life. He knows that it is unlikely that he will ever become rich but he is happy
with that and continues
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Cultural Strain Theory Paper
Introduction The Cultural Strain Theory states that persons of different cultures have a harder time
developing relationships, than persons of the same culture. There are many different theories that
reveal the terms and aspects that are needed to develop a relationship. Reducing one's uncertainty
towards the other, having low levels of anxiety, and being able to relate to the relationship partner
are all vital to developing a relationship. There are three theories that address these three
relationship components. Uncertainty Reduction Theory, Anxiety Management Theory, and the
Relational Theory are the theories that I used to develop the Cultural Strain Theory.
Uncertainty Reduction Theory The Uncertainty Reduction Theory states that relationship
development is a process of reducing uncertainty about one another. When developing relationships,
people desire to reduce the uncertainty about the other person by attaining information about them
(Bradac, 1982). Reducing the amounts of uncertainty is an important component in a relationship.
There are three main reasons why people feel uncertain: anticipation of future interaction, incentive
value, and deviance. Anticipation of future interaction deals with the way one feels about someone
else when they know they will see them in the future. If someone is guaranteed to see a ... Show
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This theory describes five good things that fosters relationships and empowers the people involved
in them. It talks about the importance of having a sense of zest or well–being, which comes from
connecting with another person, and the ability and motivation to take action in the relationship as
well as in other situations. The five good things also include the increased sense of worth and
knowledge of oneself and the other person, and a desire for more connections beyond the particular
one (Institute,

Theories Of General Strain Theory
Strain and Deviance: An Empirical Research of General Strain Theory in a Philippine Public
University
LITERATURE REVIEW
Theoretical background
During the past decades, various Criminologists developed different theories in an attempt to
explain the causes of crime within the society. In return, they were successful, which are adopted
and accepted today. Indeed, all of the theories explain the root causes of crime. One of these theories
is anomie or strain theory, which attempts to explain why the majority of the people who commits
crime belong to the lower class. It argues that the frustration of the people who belong to the lower
class causes crime towards the higher class (Merton, 1938). In 1985, Robert Agnew got interested
on studying the theory and found a potential of the theory in ... Show more content on
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GST defines strains as negative life events and conditions, which are commonly disliked by the
people who experienced it or the negative experiences of a person in a given group (Agnew, 1992;
2001; 2006). Strain is often classified into two distinct types: the "objective strain" and the
"subjective strain". The objective strain refers to those negative life events and conditions
experienced by an individual that are rejected by most members of people in a given group (Agnew,
2001). Usually, these individuals could not achieve their goals or they lack the means of achieving
them. They usually suffer from poverty (e.g., lack of adequate food and shelter), unemployment
(e.g. unable to find a good work), and discrimination regardless of gender, race or ethnicity. On the
other hand, subjective strain refers to those negative life events experienced by individuals or
experiences rejected by them (Agnew, 2001; 2006). Some of these events are parental divorce,
failure at school, death of loved ones or family members, death of a close friend,

Anomie Strain Theory
In this essay I will be outlining and discussing the ways in which anomie and strain have contributed
to the understanding of crime and criminal behaviour. I will be using the anomie and strain theories
to discuss crime and the development of criminology. Within criminology there are many theories
which try to explain the changes in society caused by crime and criminal behaviour. Deviant
behaviour is described by theories as, any behaviour that goes against the norms of society. There
are many theories which try to explain how behaviour is classed and why people take part in it.
These are biological, psychological and sociological. There are biological and psychological
contributions to crime which try to explain the reasons for criminal and deviant behaviour in our
society. Biological explanations for crime and deviancy are that all criminals and deviants have a
certain look and they look different from non–criminal people in society. This explanation claims
that how someone looks can explain their chances of becoming a criminal. Inheritance of certain
genes in their makeup can make them more likely to be involved in crime and be a negative impact
on society. There are also psychological explanations for crime, these say that criminals have
different minds to regular people, different personalities can be more likely to be involved in the
deviant behaviour which causes problems in society. It also says that certain childhood experiences
and the influences they have had

The Theory And General Strain Theory
A theory is described, as an idea or set of ideas generally intended to explain, to prove facts or
events. Theory can be an idea that is suggested or presented as possibly true, that is not an ideas that
relates to a particular subject (Merriam–Webster, 2015). Theory is an explanation of something.
Theories in criminal behavior explains why an individual commits criminal and delinquent acts.
This paper will compare and contrast two theories of crime or criminal activities that was discuss in
this course.
The two theories identified are Strain theory and General strain theory. Strain theories are indicated
when certain strains or stressors are increased, there is a probability for a person to commit a crime.
According to Robert Merton, strain theory is a form of adaptive problem–solving behavior that is
committed in response to problems involving frustrating and undesirable social environments
(Schmalleger, 2011). Strain results from an individual failure to achieve one's goals, such as money,
status/respect, autonomy, loss of a positive (death of a friend or love one), and loss of value
possession. Strain can be thought of as pressure that individuals feel to reach socially determined
goals (Agnew, 2015). A person who experience these strains become upset, which they may turn to
crime in an effort to cope. By doing so, crime may be an escape or reduction for them to escape this
feeling.
Historically in 1960s and 1970s, the thoughts of several criminologist such as

Strain Theory Essay
Strain Theory Bigger Thomas, a young African American male, Twenty years old; vicious, vile and
mean; he hates himself and all human society, especially that part of society which he attributes to
making him a monster. Bigger Thomas is in rebellion on what he views as the white caste system;
his crime is targeted at white society and the people that he views as being his oppressors. Bigger
has the choice of taking on three roles, he can take on the role passivity designed for him by the
southern whites and resolve his personal conflicts through the emotional catharsis of religion; or he
can strive for and establish his own middle class society and thereby consciously or unconsciously
become the white man's accomplice in oppression; ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He also thought that in order for him to become noticeable in society he would have to become
someone with no limits, almost godlike. The only way for him to enact this image was to have
control over his life and the life of others, and that's what induced him into a life of crime and
murder. He was inevitably going to become a criminal, he was young, poor, and felt trapped in a
society that was not concerned with his best interests. A man with nothing to lose or so it seemed,
was ready to go out into the streets of Chicago and claim the lives of those who interfered with his
existence as a decent human being. Crimes of hate, crimes of passion, crimes of economic gain,
crimes of retribution, crimes of reciprocity, or just crimes of notoriety, were the positions that Bigger
Thomas were left to define. He sought to fulfill the dreamlike fantasy of being on top of the
economic ladder, and overcoming the status that his fate had entailed. The American dream, crazily
sought after, rarely achieved, is what some theorist may say. People of the lower class or should I
say of all socioeconomic classes have this preconceived notion that the American Dream is
attainable if you just work hard and believe in the system. However, the strain and anomie theories
prove otherwise. People of all different background share this eager desire to obtain the status of the
economically elite, but for some it is considered

Strain Theory
Positivist theories maintain that prostitution can be viewed as determined behavior that is a product
of a particular causation. This means that a causal explanatory theory can be applied to help explain
why people engage in prostitution. One such theory that explains prostitution is Robert Merton's
"Strain theory." The strain theory is a school of thought that states that society puts pressure on
people to accomplish certain socially accepted goals. Many people struggle to cope with the
pressure to achieve these goals because they lack the necessary means and this causes strain on these
individuals which in turn pushes them to get involved in socially unapproved practices in order to
achieve the socially approved goals. Because of the pressure, people ... Show more content on
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The negative experiences may irritate or upset people, and illegal actions may be the result. Studies
support this by showing that several adverse events and situations increase the likelihood of
prostitution. In particular, prostitution has been linked to cases of child neglect and abuse, strained
relationships with parents and other loved ones, criminal victimization, and several other distressing
events including divorces and unemployment. Strain mostly affects people who are not well–
equipped with resources and skills to cope with the pressure they face. This explains why some
people turn to prostitution to reduce their financial troubles and to escape the strain. For abused
women who have run away from hostile conditions back home, by being labeled delinquents, life in
the streets may prove tough forcing them to turn to prostitution to make ends meet. These problems
may be worse where women are forced to single–handedly cater for their children in families where
men have abandoned their

Strain Theory Of Terrorism
Other than that research, Todd Sandler (2013) saw the correlation between the Terrorism & Game
Theory, as he explains:" Game theory shows how terrorists exploit asymmetric warfare to their
strategic advantage. Terrorist networks allow terrorists to deploy their ''best–shot'' effort against
targeted countries whose lack of cooperation means that there are always soft targets or the weakest
links for terrorists to attack for maximum gain. In addition, terrorists choose an optimal risk–
minimizing network structure." Many other researchers, (ex. Rosendorff and Sandler 2004; Siqueira
2005). name game–theoretic approach as the explanation of the terroristic actions and probably their
prediction, in any case they see the terrorists to be an active ... Show more content on
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Post (1998) underline the importance of the family composition (single parent, uncomplite family)
and the relations inside of the family. Post (1998) " also cites studies that show how many terrorists
were reared in families that were fragmented, with fathers who were hostile."
Regarding the behavioral explaination, Post (1998) "stated that if terrorism was strategic and
rational, such groups should be more likely to disband after they achieve victories." (...) Instead,
they want to remain in the group for them the sense of belonging to a group is very important (...) it
helps them to fulfil their need to belong as well as their need to engage in risky endeavours." (Post
(1998) in Moss, 2016)
Moss, Simon, (2016). The rational choice theory of terrorism.

Robert Merton Strain Theory Essay
Identify the key aspects of Robert Merton's 'strain theory'. It was a powerful statement focussing on
the social causes of crime but what were its limitations?
This essay is going to demonstrate an understanding of Robert Merton's strain theory, the
advantages of the Strain theory and also the disadvantages of the theory.
Robert Merton (1910) best known for developing theories of deviance. Robert Merton is considered
to be one of the most influential social scientists. Merton's work is highly influenced by the work of
Emile Durkheim who was a French Sociologist whose work was mostly based on social order, and
how society remains moderately stable. Durkheim considered himself as a functionalist.
Functionalist took a rather unique ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Durkheim imagined society as an organism, where each component plays an essential part in the
solidity of society, but none of the components have the strength to function alone, and if one
experiences a break down or a crisis, eventually the other parts will fail. According to Durkheim,
society is built on people that have common values and a collective conscience. However, when
there are periods of great social change or stress, our collective conscience eventually becomes
weakened. People then begin to look after their own interests rather than obeying the values of
society, and eventually people may begin to lose a sense of self, and feel like they don't have a sense
of belonging in society. Durkheim calls this situation anomie. When our collective conscience has
collapsed, anomie occurs which increases the rates of crime. Durkheim's concepts of anomie was
later developed and adapted by the works of Robert Merton. Who said that Durkheim's theories on
anomie were far too vague.
Merton argued that anomie was a situation where the goals that are approved by society are not
available to a significant proportion of the population. Merton argues that people involve themselves
in deviant acts when they cannot achieve socially approved goals by genuine means. In result of
this, deviance is a result of the strain an individual feel when they cannot achieve the socially
approved goals legitimately. Merton related these ideas to the American dream. The

General Strain Theory
Domestic violence, also known as Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), is a topic widely debated by
many in the criminological field, with scholars arguing various theories, motivations and triggers.
This essay will be contrasting and comparing two theories: the positivist model general strain theory
(GST) and feminist theory and will attempt to address the issue of explaining IPV. This will be done
by critically comparing each theory, with an analysis of how each best defines IPV and explaining
each of their advantages and disadvantages. This essay will also explore the concept of GST,
explaining how mental illness and childhood abuse may later develop into violent tendencies within
a relationship. In contrast, the essay will investigate the impacts ... Show more content on
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Feminism is identified as both a social movement and world view that embraces expectations and
principles related to the beginnings and outcomes of gendered societal establishment, including
tactical objectives and movements for social change. Generally speaking, the central focus of
feminist criminology is concentrated on women, though as it has developed it has factored in a
gendered comprehension of various facets of society and relationships (Simpson, 1989).
Furthermore, IPV is thought to be a crime wherein women are targeted and is considered a
consequence of social persecution and financial dependency upon men or the welfare mechanism.
Lastly, feminist theory also focuses on male patriarchy and control and how these factors influences
incidences of

Criminology is a subdivision of sociology and it draws information from psychology, biology, and
statistics that dwells mostly on expanding knowledge on the real causes of criminal activities among
the people. Moreover, its findings are very crucial in that they influence legislatures in making the
law, judges in giving out justice, lawyers in defending their client, and prosecutors in prosecuting
people in a court of law. Those professionals are able to understand crime in a different angle hence
developing more efficient and humane sentences and treatment of criminal activities in the society.
In criminology, investigating why people engage in crime is very crucial so that it will help to come
up with ways of preventing crime (Conklin, 1981). ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The theory creates pressure that necessities coping behaviors and also specify that the policy
interventions in the society that are required to address the various types and sources of strain to be
able to formally discuss the matter of youth violence. The theory is able to put forward a full scope
of sources and kinds of strains that policy interference should concentrate mostly on those that have
the toughest connections to crime. (Peck, J.2011). There are various conditions that must be there
for strains to end in crime. Straining events can result in crime situations where they are seen as
unfair, high scale connected with little social control as finally generate pressure. Policy makers can
use this kind of strains to reduce them, and thus they will be in a position of reducing differing
adaptations .Moreover the policy makers can decide on focusing on the young generation ability to
cope with different kind of

Despite Differential Association being a better predictor for youth crime than the Labelling Theory,
the acquisition of new counteracting behaviours can override delinquent behaviours possibly arising
from rehabilitating means. Additionally, data that supports Differential Association is often based on
self–reports by adolescents and this can often skew results. This is because individuals, especially
young people, may not have an accurate judgement of what is classified as deviancy, thus either
over or under exaggerating the level of illegal behaviour among their peers (Crosnoe, Dornsbusch
and Erickson, 2000). Similarly, unlike The General Strain Theory, this model of youth crime lacks
the ability to be tested and to predict whether an individual ... Show more content on
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Unlike the many Asian and Western populations this theory has been tested upon, it was found to
not be a strong explanation for crime in Greece and Russia suggesting a low external validity and its
lack of generalisability (Antonaccio, Botchkovar and Tittle, 2009). However, this study does remedy
that perhaps it was due to the lack of 'focus study' being conducted and that different ideals within
the various social contexts may lead to contradicting perceptions of strain (Antonaccio, Botchkovar
and Tittle, 2009). It also makes it hard to understand why criminal activity declines as a person ages
despite being in the same socioeconomic situation all their life (Online Classroom Ltd, 2009). This
is a valid disadvantage however it does not apply to youth crime as deviancy is highest during
adolescence. This is depicted by Australian Bureau of Statistics, where offender rates of individuals
aged 15–24 years were more than twice the rate of individuals aged 25 years or above (Australian
Bureau of Statistics, 2011). Changes in the rate of crime is also not significant during this period.
The General Strain theory covers all aspects of an individual's life and how the collective strain of
all these areas can increase an individual's potentiality to commit crime. Thus, the disadvantages of
the General Strain theory are weak in nature and do not justify why it is not a valid

Despite criminology theories claiming that they are gender and race neutral we still see disparities in
incarceration rates on a racial divide. Why do we see rising rates incarceration rates in Hispanics and
African Americans representing over 50% of those rates? Is there a theory out there than can explain
this occurrence in the criminal justice system? The intent of this paper is to explain why this
disparity occurs using the General Strain Theory. I also intend to explain why Social
Disorganization fails in explaining the racial gap in offending. Both of these theories encounter the
issue of failing to fully explain why certain racial or ethnic groups are incarcerated more than other,
however, due to empirical evidence it's clear to see ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Those that side with Social Disorganization Theory state that this disparity exists because minorities
tend to live in communities that lack organization therefore are likelihood to turn to crime. Studies
like those conducted by Clear et al. state that Social Disorganization can be used to explain the
overrepresentation of African Americans and Hispanics in the criminal justice system because links
have been found between residential mobility and minorities (Clear et al., 2003, p.37) (Rose &
Clear, 1998, p.448). Social Disorganization also explains the effect of single parent homes on
delinquency stating that as incarceration rates increase chances of moving out of a troublesome
neighborhood decreases because more costs are thrown on the shoulders of the single parent out of
jail (Clear et al., 2003, 38). Clear et al. also hypothesized that high–incarceration can spread easily
which would in turn damage informal social control (1998, p.39) (Rose &Clear, 1998,

The Strain Theory
In the November attack on Paris, the terrorist group, ISIS, carried out a coordinated set of attacks.
There are many different theories as to why this happened, but the realization is that society will
probably never know the answer as to why it occurred. The Strain Theory can assist in the
explanation of the reasoning behind this attack. This will be brought into further detail in the
discussion of two topics. The first topic is that the extremist is just doing what they do best, or was
trained to do. Another reason may be that the military group is tired of being at the low end of the
global Jihad, or extremist military group. These are only suggestions; nevertheless using the Strain
Theory can assist society in understanding the true reason ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
The historical aspect when dealing with the theory, explains the foundation and how it was set in
place for the use by the criminal justice society was explained by Robert Merton. The concepts and
propositions of the theory also help when explaining how it pertains to certain individuals or groups
of people. The future of the theory seems to that it will always have a use in society because it can
always assist in the explanation of why someone or some group committed a crime. Through the use
of the Strain Theory, the Paris, France attacks were explained through great detail in why or what
the extremist group's motives were. The Strain Theory assists in the explanation of almost any crime
that can be committed or be thought of. This theory has been used over the last century and will
continue to serve its purpose to the general public and the criminal justice

Strain Theory And Strain Theory
3.2 Strain Theory
Strain theory suggested that crime is kind of adaptation to strain (Cullen & Wilcox, 2010). Merton
(1938) highlighted that individuals who are unable to attain conventional goals through legitimate
means, like attaining higher status by having a good job, may give up on legitimate means (Fox &
Levin, 2014). They may turn to attain their "success" by engaging in criminal behaviors (Fox &
Levin, 2014). Agnew (1992) added that difficulties met in social relationships at home and school
can lead to frustration, anger and ultimately to criminal behaviors (Cullen & Wilcox, 2010). Hence,
criminal's motive is probably stemmed from their frustration and strain.
Applying Merton (1938) and Agnew (1992) idea of strain theory, Cheng Chieh's metro attack could
be ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Many research suggested that viewing of violence increases the probability of behaving
aggressively. They stated young people may be affected by repeated violent scenes in video and
computer games which induce aggression–related thoughts and feelings, and reduce pro–social
behaviour (Browne & Hamilton–Giachritsis, 2005). Also, news report of violent murderers or
suicides easily draw public attention while some teenagers may attempt to imitate such kind of
crime behaviors showed in the media and hence resulted in copycat crime (Coleman, 2004).
Therefore, prevention of frequently exposure to violent news, videos and computers is considered as
an effective way to reduce the effect of mass media. Parents should be more aware of their children
who may view imagery which promotes aggressive, violent and desensitization attitudes.
Monitoring of violent content appeared in Internet is necessary. Professionals, especially educators,
should instill correct thoughts by teaching children and teenagers to understand that violent action is
not justified and unable to solve the

Classical Theory Vs Strain Theory Essay
Key Characteristics
Both classical theory and strain theory are widely known and established theories that although have
similar goals are vastly difference in terms of their key characteristics. Classical theory was
developed in the 18th century during the enlightenment era and is the foundation of the classical
school of criminology (Clinard and Meier, 2008, p65–67). Classical theory is the theory that
individuals are self–seeking rational actors who under their own free will commit crimes after
weighing up to pros and cons of the situation (Loughran et al. 2016, para 4; White, Haines and
Asquith, 2012, p28–31). This theory takes an individualist approach to explaining CCB that sees
individuals as rights–holders who have the equal capacity to make rational choices and focuses on
the criminal act rather than the offender (White, Haines and ... Show more content on
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The theory believes the most appropriate response to crime is through swift and punitive punishment
based on the pleasure–pain principle and see punishment as the key mechanism to preventing crime,
arguing that if punishment is swift, just and certain both the individual (specific deterrence) and
society members (general deterrence) will be deterred from committing crime (Akers, 1990, p654–
659). Strain theory, on the other hand, is an adaption of Durkheim's anomie theory and branches off
sociological positivism (Brezina, 2011, p99–103). Strain theory is the theory that society pressures
individuals to achieve socially acceptable goals (SAG), and when individuals cannot reach these
goals due to lack of means (e.g. poverty), individuals experience a strain and turns to crime (White,
Haines and Asquith, 2012, p67–71; Walters, 2010, p316). This theory takes a sociological approach
to explaining CCB that sees social strains and inadequate structural opportunities to blame for crime
and highlights that individuals are not equal in their capacity to make rational choices (Clinard and

Merton's Strain Theory
Deviance and Sanctions Deviance might be necessary for a society to function, but in today's society
it's set up in a way that encourages deviance or rejects deviance. Merton's strain theory argues that
society acts upon deviance, specifically the extent and type of deviance people engage in. These
actions depend on whether society provides the means to achieve a cultural goal. For example, the
means can stand for opportunities in a person life or their schooling, but how will this person
achieve this goal ? Will the person achieve the goal through a deviance act, following the rules but
not achieving their goal, or maybe rejecting both culturally approved goals and means. When you
start reading the the four different Merton's strain theory ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Think about how ritualism applies to people that work for the DMV, factory workers, and I.R.S.
Think of a factory worker in china that disagrees with work conditions and pay wages. Even though
the worker disagrees with factory unfair conditions the work will continue working day and night
just to make ends meet. Thirdly, Retreatism involves rejecting both the culturally approved goal and
the culturally approved means of getting to those goals. This strain is like a "screw it" mentality and
someone has given up on everything due to repeated failure. Alcoholics, drug addicts or high school
dropouts are know to be retreatists. I had many friends in highschool that were retreatists it was a
shame watching my friends fail repeatedly without trying achieve a goal. My friends soon gave up
on school and responsibilities by just smoking weed and getting high

Strain Theory
Strain theory assumes that criminals share the same goals as non–deviant people (ex. Getting rich,
providing for your family), and that the main distinguishing factor is that criminals lack the
legitimate means to pursue those goals. Instead, they pursue illegitimate pathways to achieve those
goals: some typical examples would be someone living in poverty that steals bread in order to be
able to feed their families, or someone wanting to be rich but being unable to find employment, so
they take up drug dealing. The actions of the criminals make them deviant, but on a fundamental
level, their interests don't differ greatly from a law–abiding citizen. I recognize that strain theory is a
theory with a limited scope: for one matter, it doesn't ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Like strain theory, this is another theory which dismisses the otherness of crime and assumes that
anyone could be a criminal given the proper environment. On a rather surface level, we can see that
some criminal behaviour seems to be socially learned, such as when people from abusive homes
become abusers themselves, or when people get involved with deviant behaviour like drug use
because the people around them started using them. However, like strain theory, this theory should
not be seen as fully capable of explaining crime either, as it doesn't account for criminals who
commit deviant behaviour even though they came from a positive environment, or why some people
take up negative behaviour they learned from their environment while others do not. While the
theories are similar, one strength that I feel social learning theory has is that it doesn't assume that all
people share a set of values or goals, and it also doesn't assume that all crimes are committed with a
specific goal in mind – social learning theory is probably better equipped to explain "acts of
passion" like unplanned assaults than strain theory can. Under social learning theory, a domestic
abuser isn't using violence as an avenue towards a greater goal; they may just be

Agnew's Strain Theory
The strain theory can prove many ways on why individuals feel the need to commit a crime because
of stress. The strain theory was developed by Robert K. Merton with the help from other theorists
branching off from the theory. The one theorist that had a great impact was Robert Agnew. David
Polizzi proclaimed that " Robert Agnew with his general strain theory has sought to introduce a
variety of other factors relative to the experience of strain and the capacity they represent
concerning subsequent criminal activity" (_______, 1051). Each theorist, like Agnew, has their own
way of explaining the strain theory. The first conclusion of the strain theory is the removal of
positively, the addition of negatively valued stimulus within the individual

Agnew's General Strain Theory
Guided by Agnew's general strain theory Jason A. Ford, Ryan D. Schroeder, and Hilary M. Dotson
explore the obesity and substance use in the September 1, 2014 article, Weight Strain and Binge
Drinking among adolescents. The researches believed that general strain theory contributed to
obesity and substance abuse. According to the articles authors, "Research has also shown that both
alcohol and high calorie foods are frequently used to control emotional reactions." Now when you
look at strain theory through the eyes of obesity you can see the correlation. If deviance is adaption
to stress or strain, then it seems logical that in an effort to minimize or control your reaction you can
eat to change focus. Now although I do believe in the concept ... Show more content on
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The main implication is that drug use is learned and gives support to the idea that it is crucial to
know the effects of your environment, TV programs, and peers. Throughout our class course we
have been told about these different theories. In class we see that juveniles tend to learn behavior
from peers. This now gives me a better understanding that it is not just juveniles. Although this was
interesting I feel that there was much more questions about the different variable that could have
been asked to gain further knowledge. I did appreciate that this group of citizens were studied.
When reading the article it did point out that most of marijuana surveys include the younger
generation. The younger the influences are thrown into our life the more social learning we go
through with weed, especially in our youth when we tend to cling to those we have the most in
common

Social Strain Theory
The complex nature of crime in contemporary Australian society is often attributed to various social
explanations of crime, wherein there is an interaction between the individual and the surrounding
environment. Strain Theory is a sociological and criminological idea advanced by Robert Merton,
articulating the social strain inflicted on people to conform to idealistic expectations. In this way,
crime can be empirically explained through the key tenets of Strain Theory. The objective of this
essay is to evaluate why the societal pressure placed on individuals leads to criminal behaviours
through ideas of lack of resources, unstable relationships and minority groups.
Offenders are purported to succumb to crime through a lack of means to achieve ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Empirical evidence suggests that there is a direct link between poverty, unemployment and lack of
education with minority group offending (Cunneen, 2005), which can explain the overrepresentation
of cultural minorities in the Criminal Justice System. The acculturation process, which outlines the
way in which ethnic groups conform to the dominant cultural surroundings, potentially explains this.
Specifically, it is postulated that these unattainable desires create "ethnic–specific stressors that
undermine psychological well–being", hence, creating a higher susceptibility of engaging in
deviances through ritualistic observations and frustrations with the unrealistic means of achieving
such materialistic goals (Pérez, Jennings & Gover, 2008). Moreover, it is particularly problematic
for minority groups to live in contemporary Australian society due to this widespread, though
predominantly indirect systemic racism, inhibiting prospects for securing a conventional job.
Marginalisation of these ethnic subcultures thus, result in a lack of means to achieve Australia's
culturally prescribed goals. These inequalities this can facilitate impoverishment of communities
due to hardships in receiving adequate education, hence inability to attain employment to maintain
financial stability. In this instance, frustration

Merton's Strain Theory Analysis
Criminologic theorists use one another's work to develop theories further and apply them to different
societies and times. The labelling theory has a small group of key theorists behind it, originating
from a sociological influence on deviance (Goode (A) 2016, 64). In 1963 Howard Becker published
Outsiders which articulated his theory of labelling (Becker 1963) (Hayes 2015, 244). Though the
1960s saw labelling theory rise and Becker is credited with the theory, there were three earlier works
that laid a pathway for much of what was to come. The earliest work identified with labelling is
George Herbert Mead's 1918 article titled The Psychology of Punitive Justice. Mead wrote about the
hostile attitude found in punitive justice, the attitude ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Strain and Labelling theory both have a several weaknesses within their theories. A critique of
Merton's strain theory is that it overemphasises the roles of social class in crime and deviance (Plum
2016). Strain theory does not examine deviant crime, illicit drug use or 9–5, and assumes we have
social consensus whilst denying pluralism and diversity. Merton's strain theory caters best to people
of a low economic status as they struggle with a lack of resources available to reconcile their goals
(Plum 2016). It accepts marginalised groups cannot adapt and doesn't challenge the basic power
structures within society. Merton's strain theory largely overlooks women and ceases to explain why
people in the same circumstantial predicaments do not adopt the same

Examples Of Strain Theory
Strain Theory could have a strong influence on a youth's lifestyle and be a theory explaining why
juveniles have turned towards delinquency as a building block in the direction of adulthood. The
following essay will be introducing a belief on why strain theory is one of the foremost concepts
leading to misbehavior in adolescents.
The Strain Theory could be explained as a person who has reached their boiling point and it has
become time for it to release some, if not all its internal pressure. "Crime may be used to reduce or
escape from the strain, seek revenge against the source of strain or related targets, or alleviate
negative emotions" (Agnew & Scheuerman, 2011). With this example of definition Strain Theory, it
has become the focal ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Contrast to Subculture Theory, which had an affected action towards a group of people with the
same set of common norms. I could also compare Strain Theory to Labeling Theory, which an
individual is labeled as an odd–ball and because they weren't playing by the rules of those in power.
In the book Outsiders The studies of in the sociology of deviance by Howard Becker, the author
writes about how society tends to place labels on individuals and that person can't remove the title.
"Majority of social groups in power will make rules and attempt to enforce them. These social rules
will be defined situations as right and any other rules not established by the power group will be
considered as forbidden or wrong" (Beckeif, 1963). Just like with Strain Theory, an individual who
has broken a rule, which in some case could be just looking or acting different, cannot be trusted to
live by the rules agreed by those in power and will be regarded as an

Social Disorganization Theory And The Strain Theory
The two theories I chose are The Social Disorganization Theory and The Strain Theory. Social
Disorganization theory was created by Clifford R. Shaw and Henry D. McKay. They wanted to
know why certain areas in certain communities were continuously high in crime year after year.
They found that the change or high turnover disrupted the community and caused the communities
to be unstable. Social Disorganization Theory has two main sections, the three causes of
neighborhood deterioration and the zones model. There is also a modern theory that adds to Social
Disorganization by Robert Sampson. He says that social ties play a major role in the theory. Formal
and informal ties to the community can help determine if they care or are invested in the ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
One similarity is how both Social Disorganization Theory and Strain Theory can be specific to the
situation. Social Disorganization Theory is specific to the inner most part of cities and Strain Theory
is specific to an individual situation. Another similarity would be how both theories explain why
crime occurs in the situations they occur in. One difference between the two theories is, while they
can be specific to the situation, the situations that they occur in are very different. The Social
Disorganization theory is specific to communities and Strain Theory is specific to an

Strain Theory
The thesis paper, Examining Juvenile Delinquency Contributors through Life–Course and Strain
Theory, written by Caitlin Burns (2013), discusses the connection between life–course theory and
general strain theory as an explanation to juvenile delinquency. Her paper goes on to discuss how
the presence of strain theory in a juvenile's school environment, family environment and peer
groups, leads to delinquency. Burns states that, "There are several known contributors to juvenile
delinquency, but the one that has shown the most significance is an adolescent's commitment to
school and the social environment that an individual develops while in this particular atmosphere"
(Burns, 2013). In Burns (2013) paper, she also indicates that a juvenile's peer group has been proven
to be a contributor to juvenile delinquency, but that a juvenile's school environment influences what
type of peers to choose. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Of the twenty–six student respondents, 50% drank alcohol and smoked marijuana, 61.5% had
stolen, and 42.3% smoked cigarettes (Doggett, n.d.). Doggett (n.d.) found that of the sixteen
students who admitted to stealing, nine lived in a two parent household. This research provides
evidence of the importance of a healthy relationship between a juvenile and their parents. The
home–life of a juvenile has a significant impact on their decisions involving school, behavior,
activities outside of school, and those who the juvenile socialize

Labeling Theory And Strain Theory
Michael Byrnes Cindy Moore Theories of Criminal Behavior 11/16/14 Labeling Theory and Strain
Theory: John Dillinger Introduction: Throughout history there have always been many different
theories of crime and why people commit crimes. In the late 1930s a new theory rose to the
forefront; this theory was called the anomie theory. Anomie means a lack of ethical standards. The
anomie theory was proposed by Roberton Merton. It stated that society, as a whole, generally shares
the same goals relating to having success in life; whether that is having a family, wealth, power, or
just happiness. Society generally agrees that these are things that are to be sought after. Furthermore,
Merton proposed that society, as a whole, also has a list of generally accepted ways to achieve such
goals (Merton, 1938). Criminal activity, such as robbery, murder, and corruption, are among the
things that are not accepted by society as appropriate means to achieve these goals. Merton's anomie
theory was built upon in 1992 by Robert Agnew who developed the general strain theory. General
strain theory argues that when members of society are unable to achieve the general goals that
society has set forth, they will, in order to avoid further rejection, further alienate themselves from
society. Agnew also argued that if these individuals feel as if their shortcomings were a result of
their environment failing them they will likely develop very negative feelings towards society,
causing them to

The Structural Strain Theory Has Occurred
When socially accepted goals cannot be reached through legitimate means, the structural strain
theory has occurred. A mismatch that occurs between legitimate means and socially–promoted goals
has a typology of responses in the strain theory. Merton's typology extends the functionalist
perspective. He believed that larger deviancy rates were because of social conditions and the varying
responses. One of the responses to social strain that accepts legitimate means of pursuing socially–
promoted goals is conformity. Another response to social strain is ritualism. People reject or give up
the socially–approved goal, but continue pursuing other goals through the same legitimate means
(MindEdge, 2015).
My cultural goal is earning my degree. I ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
I was proud to show off to all three of my daughters, that at any age, you can go back to school and
do something you love. My first certificate was in Dental Assisting. I hated the job after I finished. I
felt like I had wasted over a year of my life and money for something I did not like anymore.
College is time consuming. You must make time out for your class study and homework time. I was
always told if you work hard and get good grades in school that you will get into a good college. I
was also told that getting good grades in college, will get you the degree you are seeking and you
should be able to get a job anywhere you want. Even if you graduate summa cum laude, you might
not be guaranteed a job. If you stay focused on what you want out of your own education and take
advantage of any help offered, you may end up working in a field that you will stay in forever.
The number one way to reach your college degree goal is by going to college for classes when they
are scheduled. If you are not there, you cannot learn anything. I have mostly followed the
institutionalized approach of achieving my goal and I have more of a conformist response. I
followed my schedules down to the T. Making sure to do the best I could in each class. I tried to
never miss a class or most assignments. I did become a little bit of a Ritualist when I hated my first
certificate from college. I went down a different path than I had originally chosen. I

Robert Agnew General Strain Theory
Throughout history a lot of experts have tried to understand why some people feel the need to
commit crimes, even though there have been harsh laws enforced for those who commit crimes.
These people have come up with theories as to why people commit crimes to understand these
theories, we must understand what a crime is and understand the definition of theories.
Crime is a human conduct that violates the laws of a state or the federal government. There are
different ways people view criminal behaviors either through the view of the social problem
perspective which blames the society and the social responsibility which blames the person who
committed the crime. Through these two perspectives we get the idea of theories. A theory is a
comprehensive explanation about certain experiences which are based on facts that have been
gathered overtime. These theories explain the mental reason people are more pushed to commit
crimes. Theories like Robert Agnews' General Strain Theory has given us an explanation as to
phenomena criminal behavior. In 1992 strain theory was reformulated by Robert Agnew and called
the general strain theory. Agnew felt as though that strain theory was not fully explaining the main
reason people are pushed to commit crimes, so he came up with a theory he felt was a better
explanation and a reason as to why crimes were committed.
The concept of general strain theory comes from the idea that people commit crimes to use it as a
means of copping with the

Strain Theory Essay
Robert Agnew is known for his general strain theory. The theory explains that the basis of people
getting involved in criminal activity is because of strain. If someone becomes upset, frustrated,
depressed, or mistreated they will turn to crime in order to deal with the feelings. Yet, not all people
turn to crime in order to deal with strain or stressors. There are different ways to measure strain.
Subjective strains are those strains that are disliked by particular person or group. This approached
is aimed at how the person reacts to the way they are treated. The second approach is called the
objective view. During this approach the researches will as individuals how much they would dislike
a specific event. Strains come in three major ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In fact, according to Cullen (2006), "A strain is more likely to be seen as severe if it is high in
degree or size; it is frequent, recent, of long duration, and expected to continue in the future; it
threatens the core goals, needs, values, activities, and/or identities of the individual" (p. 204).
Moreover the presentation of negative stimuli can come from receiving negative treatment. For
example, the individual has been abused by a love one either physically or sexually. "These bad
feelings create pressure for corrective action; we want to do something so what we will not feel so
bad" (Simpson, 2000, p.109). In consequence, the juvenile is more than likely to turn revenge and
his actions will drive him to criminal activity. There are several ways to deal with the strain and
negative emotions, many which include crime (Simpson, 2000). There are those vicarious stains that
increase the likelihood of crime for many reasons (Cullen, 2006). The juvenile may try to get
revenge, perhaps they are trying to prevent further harm from the perpetrator, or they anticipate
future harm.
Cullen (2006) states, " Anticipated strains refer to the individual's expectation that his or her current
strains will continue into the future or that new strains will be experienced" (p. 203). Particularly
speaking about the physical assault, an individual may feel that he will be abuse in the future and
will engage in crime because of strain. Another example

Merging Agnew's General Strain Theory and Hirschi's Social...
The two theories I have decided to merge are Agnew's General Strain Theory and Hirschi's Social
Bond Theory. I picked General Strain Theory because it does a good job at discussing some of the
things that can trigger the release of a person's negative emotions which in turn may lead to deviant
behavior. I also decided to write about Social Bond Theory because it describes some of the factors
that keep people from committing crime. Both of the theories have strengths and weaknesses
individually, but when merged they help fill in each other's gaps. (Agnew, 2011; Hirschi, 2011) +1
(888) 295–7904 The proposal of Robert Agnew's General Strain Theory in explaining criminal
deviance is based on three concepts. The first concept is that people ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
(Agnew, 2011) There are a lot of people who have lost their cell phones due to their own
carelessness or it was stolen. Anyone who has lost their cell phone has experienced the first type of
strain. Agnew plainly describes the strain as a result when individual's "lose something good"
(Agnew, 2011. p. 190). The description Agnew gives comes off as being ambiguous and incomplete.
Arguably, the strain of losing something good can be interpreted a certain way by someone and a
completely different way by another person. A perfect example would be a drug dealer losing his
cocaine. According to this theory he is more apt to commit a deviant act to get his cocaine back.
Obviously the problem here is the fact that he was already committing a crime before the strain ever
took place. On the other, a victim of identity theft has their entire savings wiped out. Consequently,
due to their desperate need for money they become a prostitute. In this case the theory seems to hold
true. The scenarios above appear to be completely different in all but two ways. The two ways in
which they are similar are they both lost something important to them. The word good is not defined
by what society approves or disapproves of. What's considered to be good is based on the
individual's own definition. The second similarity is that their loss triggered negative emotions such
as anger, depression, and frustration. In these two similarities the core concept of General

Strain Theory
Strain Theory I have chosen to write about Robert Merton's Strain Theory. I find this theory
particularly interesting, especially as it relates to crime and even education. As noted in our book
Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials, the definition of strain theory is that people feel strain
when they are exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to obtain because they do not have
access to culturally approved means of achieving those goals (Kendall 164). For example, if your
goal is obtaining wealth and possessions, then the culturally approved method for achieving this
goal would include a job and education. For some, if they are denied a "legitimate" way of achieving
this particular goal, they will gain access through ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In 1997, James DeFronzo conducted a case study that analyzed homicide rates for 141 cities for
which data on homicide, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), cost out living
household status, and other social and economic variables were available. Cost–of–living–adjusted
AFDC payment per person was found to have had an independent, direct negative impact on
homicide rates and a separate indirect negative relationship to homicide rates through its association
with household status. The results provided support for strain theory inspired hypothesis that higher
levels of economic assistance to the poor were directly associated with lower homicide rates.
(DeFronzo). In 1998, Timothy F. Hartnagel conducted a study on Canadian youth from three cities.
The students were followed for four years subsequent to their high school graduation, and focused
on labor market experiences and attitudes leading to crime. The results provided support for strain
theory arguments. The results showed that those who experience a disparity between their labor–
market experiences of unemployment and their continued high sense of job entitlement based on
their educational achievements engaged in significantly more criminal behavior. Unemployment
appears to motivate an increase in criminal behavior during this period of transition when there is a
large gap between youths ' belief in their entitlement or "right" to a good job and their actual
experience of a greater

Bibliography Of Strain Theory Of Terrorism
Theory on Terrorism
Annotated Bibliography
Agnew, R. (2010). "A general strain theory of terrorism." Theoretical Criminology 14(2): 131–153.
This article critiques recent works on terrorism that use the strain theory. They use their own
research to create the general strain theory of terrorism. There are general strains and collective
strains. These collective strains are what leads to and increases the liklihood of terrorism.
Berrebi, C., & Ostwald, J. (2011). Earthquakes, hurricanes, and terrorism: Do natural disasters incite
terror? Public Choice, 149(3/4), 383–403. The information in this piece is about how natural
disasters impact terrorism. Lack of resources and others inability or unwillingness to send aid can be
a tipping point for some to commit terroristic acts. It also discusses how natural disasters often leave
us extremely vulnerable. This goes along with the strain theory because it causes large amounts of
strain on some. Communities that are impacted by the disaster are under strain as well as those
feeling obligated to aid. The environment in which we live is a huge part of the stability we have
and when something such as a natural disaster alters that environment, we react.
Botchkovar, E. and L. Broidy (2013). "Accumulated Strain, Negative Emotions,and Crime:A Test of
General Strain Theory in Russia." Crime & Delinquency 59(6): 837–860. During this research, they
took adults and recorded how they reacted to certain factors. Strain effects each

Strain Theory : The Theory Of Deviance
Strain theory asserts that society fix goals and put pressure on individual to realize them. Society
does not provide adequate means to achieve those goals, as a result, individual feels strained and
commits crime. Often people sell drugs or engage in prostitution to become rich. So, without
providing or showing the right way of achieving goals, society pressurize to accomplish those which
influence people to follow some alternative or deviant course of action ("Strain Theory
(Sociology)," 2017).
Merton claimed that deviance is the result of the discrepancy of cultural goals and the existing
manner of realizing those goals. According to him deviance is rooted in the distribution pattern of
means assigned by society. Cultural goals refer to the lawful aims. American Dream could be an
example of cultural goal in the USA. People believing in American Dream define success as having
a family, owning house and financial security, and claim to achieve this with hard work and
education. Education, government or military service are the traditional means to achieve the
cultural goal. Desire to have economic stability is common, however, not everyone has equal access
to the measures to reach the dream. Merton recognizes five modes of adaptation to the cultural goals
and institutionalized means which are conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion
(Rath, 2015).
Conformity occurs when a person accepts the cultural goals and the traditional ways to realize them.
Attending school, college, university, and after graduation joining a company or start own business
are excellent examples of conformity. Innovation happens when a person admits cultural goals but
refuses to follow the institutionalized ways of accomplishment. An innovator has tendency to
involve in illegal activities to fulfil the goals. In contrast, an innovator might also engage in legal,
yet somewhat atypical activities. Founders of Facebook and Microsoft both were dropped from
graduate schools but achieved American Dream (Rath, 2015). It is possible to apply Merton's theory
of anomie to explain White Collar Crime. White collar criminals are business and high ranked
officials who get involved in nonviolent activities such as bribery, fraud,

Strain Theory In Juveniles
Strain theory is when juveniles experience strain or stress and they become upset, that sometimes
result in delinquent acts. It is also a leading cause of delinquency. As Agnew stated, some may
engage in delinquency to reduce or escape from the strain they are experiencing. Such examples are
violence, steal, run away from home and commit crime against those who have wronged them.
Although strain is not the only reason they offend, it does play a key role in many delinquent crimes.
Status offenses are specific to juveniles and refer to acts that, committed by adults, would not be
considered or processed as crimes (Holden & Kapler, 1995). Common and familiar types of status
offenses include truancy, curfew violation, and running away from home. There is an affluence of
research that documents the overrepresentation of adolescents as status offenders. Freiburger and
Burke argued that the effect of gender on the decision to adjudicate may be conditioned by the race
and ethnicity of the juvenile offender.
Merton presented his theory, sources of deviant behavior were mainly recognized at the specific
level. Deviance was caused from biological and psychological deficiencies, therefore having little to
do with the social structure. Merton identified two primary elements of culture that influence
disruptive behavior; culturally distinctive goals and suitable means of accomplishing individual's
goals. Resources of achieving financial accomplishment, such as education and employment,

Strain Theory
Merton presented Strain Theory, or a model within sociology that illustrated the consequences of a
social practice or behavioral pattern that undermines the stability of a social structure. Critiquing
Parsons, Merton used the concept of goal attainment and integration to build his argument. Goal
attainment represents the cultural goals; in most cases this refer a capitalistic perspective. Integration
are the institutional means or norms of a society; within time anomie becomes evident. Using these
two terms, understanding how people adapt in a given society will give better insight to Merton's
perspective. He claims that there are five possible adaptation responses that are utilized by different
people in society. They are conformity, innovation, retreatism, ritualism, and rebellion. He also
explains the types of functions that occur in the general public. I will be referring to Merton's
Harvard University dissertation entitled, Social Structure and Anomie. The first mentioned form of
adaptation is conformity. Conformity occurs when individuals accept the culturally defined goals
and the socially legitimate means of achieving them. The second form is innovation. Here
innovation occurs when an individual ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He identified three different types of functions; manifest, latent, and dysfunction. Manifest functions
are the intended consequences of certain action. Latent functions are the unintended consequences.
Yet, they both still have a positive effect on society. Much emphasis was put on dysfunction, which
can be a manifest or latent function but they are unintended and have negatives effects on a society.
By recognizing the dysfunctional characteristics of societies, one can explain the growth and
perseverance of alternatives. Merton's concept of dysfunctions is also vital to his argument that
functionalism is not fundamentally

Social disorganization theory in part manages to evaluate why youth crime occurs; however, this
theory has its limitations, and requires additional insight from another theory; General Strain Theory
to provide a strong evaluation methodology. In evaluating these theories, several academic sources
such as articles and books will be consulted.
The theory of Social Disorganisation explains why some communities have higher rates of crime
than others. This theory posits that social disorganization, which is an inability of community
members to collectively achieve shared values or to solve shared problems, and that delinquency
arises from this. (Osgood 2000, 83) It also suggests that varying economic disadvantages lead to a
'disorganized' community, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Community crime rates relate strongly to economic deprivation (Agnew 2010, 107); this inability to
reach economic goals causes strain in of itself, but also leads to family problems such as divorce and
abuse, which further increases the chances of negative treatment in the community due to the
pervasiveness of these issues. Due to the low level of affluence in deprived communities, such
individuals often have poor coping skills; thus, being more likely to turn to crime. (Agnew 2010,
108) Social disorganization theory blends well with this aspect of General Strain Theory, especially
in regard to community crime, this theory states that individuals in low socio–economic areas are
less able (as well as willing) to come to one another's assistance because they are busy with their
own problems in life, as well as less willing to exercise social control within the community. This
makes individuals more likely to associate with other criminals and hold beliefs which may be
construed as being conducive to the incidence of crime. These two theories when used in
conjunction, provide a much more comprehensive explanation for youth crime in Victoria. However,
though there were 964 young people in youth detention on an average night in the June quarter
2017, over a 4–year period, the rate of young people in sentenced detention

Social Strain Theory And Rational Choice Theory In...
Criminology is an interdisciplinary science that gathers and analyzes data on crime and criminal
behavior. As I learned about criminology I learned that there are several theories that come along
with it. The two theories in criminology that stood out the most to me were social strain theory and
rational choice theory. These theories stood out to me because I felt like these were two that I can
truly see how the people who developed them came about. Social strain theory was created by
Robert Merton in the 1940s. Robert Merton is a very famous sociologist who accomplished a lot
throughout his career. He spent a lot of his time studying at Colombia University. He also was the
first sociologist that received a National Medal of Science Award. Merton came up with the strain
theory as an explanation as to why crime rate was so high. Rational choice theory was created by
Ronald Clarke and Derek Cornish. Ronald Clarke was a professor who severed as a dean at the
School of Criminal Justice. He was there was longer than a decade. Clarke also had a very
successful career. An important and most noted part of his career is him being given the highest
award in criminology. The highest awards was the Stockholm Prize in Criminology. Clarke has also
written several books and help developed several things in Britain's government. Cornish worked in
the department of social science at London School of Economics. Rational choice theory was
created to explain why and how every human who commits a crime is faced with a choice.
Theory A
Social Strain Theory is one of the many theories in criminology. According to our textbook, the
definition of social strain theory better known as strain theory is that crime is generated from the
acceptance of middle–class values that emphasize financial success while certain segments of the
population are restricted from attaining monetary success by legitimate means. Essentially this
means that everybody does not have the same opportunities. It means that sometimes people do
want to achieve more but it hard for them. As you grow, one of the main things you are taught as a
child is the American Dream. The dream that tells you one day you will be successful with a family
and good job to support.

Strain Theory Of Punishment
The positive correlation between punishment and crimes can still stands according to strain theories.
Strain theory argues that strains are caused by the disjunction between goals that set by the society
and means an individual have. It is not hard to imagine that after serving his/her time in the prison,
with the label and criminal record(s) on his/her profile, the legit means one former offender can
reach can be severely reduced. The employee will turn him down because of his label and criminal
record. The social welfare may reduce accordingly because of his shameful past. The living skills
may also degrade because of the long–time incapacitation. Therefore, an even larger disjunction
between the expected success and restricted sources/means

Structural Strain Theory

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