The character Bubbles in the wire, season 1, is a homeless drug addict who goes through a change throughout the season. The changes are due to getting some sort of revenge for his friends, getting his family back and improving his personal life. As seen at the beginning of season we see him take any means to obtain drugs, specifically heroin, however, after he becomes an important informant for the police due to his extensive knowledge of the streets of Baltimore. Bubbles’ actions and decisions will be analyzed in term of three sociological approaches such as, strain theory, rational choice and psychopathy. A sociological approach called strain theory, coined by Robert K. Merton (Bucerius lecture, Oct.7), looks at how individuals have different …show more content…
abilities or means to achieve same goals that the society has agreed upon, corresponding to the consensus perspective. In an ideal society Merton argued that means will be available for everyone that helps them achieve the culture goals defined by the society, referring to the American dream. However, Merton later argued that not everyone has same “culturally approved means” (Bucerius lecture, Oct 7) available to them due to certain roadblocks or obstacles depending on individuals life choices.
Thus these different opportunities and inequality in the system that leads to tension between different individuals. According to Merton, people respond to this inequality by four modes of adaptation: conformity, innovation, ritualism and retreatism. Conformity means that people follow the legitimate means available to them, which will result in reaching society’s cultural goals. This adaptation can be applied to the character of Bubbles. This is shown when he tries to cure his drug addiction and becomes a snitch for the police. According to him snitching “[is] a living, you’re professional” meaning it is a job that every normal citizen has as one of the goals. In a way he is trying to help the community and improving its collective efficacy by giving information on the Barksdale’s gang so the police can eventually stop their criminal behaviour and influence on the younger generation. Also have a good quality life by fitting in within the society by following society’s rules as a conformist. Innovation means accept the goals to achieve the American dream but do not follow society’s rule and laws. Thus they turn to alternatives such as criminal behaviour to achieve the goals.
Bubble shows characteristics of an innovator when he steals the copper rods with his friend and illegally sells it to construction worker in aim to get some money to fulfill his addiction of drug. Thus, this clearly shows that for “Bubbles money is money; any endeavour that makes enough money to provide the next high is equally legitimate” (Potter & Marshall, 2009, p.131). Ritualism means when individuals reject cultural goals but remain committed to the acceptable means and keep working. This adaptation is not seen in the character of Bubbles, I believe he has never done anything just because society approves of it. He has always wanted something whether it is helping his friend or having a better life in general and quit drug intake. The fourth Merton’s adaptation is retreatism, which is demonstrated when people reject both the goals advanced by a society and the accepted means to achieve these goals (Bucerius lecture, Oct 7). These people are more likely to turn to drug usage, which is seen at the beginning of the season that Bubbles only aspire to have heroin. Furthermore, to obtain his goal he does nothing financially to afford; he instead tries to use counterfeit money. Thus Bubbles starts of as being a retreatist but due to some factors either economical or emotional, he becomes a conformist.
Merton recognised that individuals receive messages from society, which set acceptable behaviours to follow. He noted that a majority of citizens abide the acceptable behaviours, though there are numerous pressures that associate with the American Dream and the importance of the economy, which leads individuals to participate in deviant behaviours. Merton associated criminality and deviance with the American Dream goals, and how people attempt to achieve them, particularly the wealth component (Murphy & Robertson, 2008). Merton argued in 1938 that within unbalanced societies, the discrepancy between success goals and the endorsement of the means to achieve the goals, combined with limited opportunities manufactured the state of anomie. Further, Merton suggested that the anomic conditions in society were likely to tempt strain upon individuals, forming criminal behaviour adaptations. Particularly, the strain theory emphasised that those with high monetary aspirations are likely to innovate, resorting to unlawful activities, with the desire to channel success (Antonaccio, Gostjev & Smith, 2014). The strain theory connects to social causes, linking criminality with selfishness and egoism as the desire to
...the Reverend. Others elect to cope through doing the best they can to fit in like Bessie. However, the most threatening members of society are the people like Bigger Thomas. These people do not accept the status quo and attempt to gain control through abnormal ways. A need for control drives actions like drug dealing which give money that allows one to have a higher social status in their environment. An elevated social status in a constrained environment gives the illusion that one has control over their lives. Others turn to gangs or other violent institutions because they can directly have control over another human through the violence and fear that they create. People similar to Bigger Thomas will continue to be created unless society destroys the class discrepancies that exist which would allow a person to pursue their own individual control over their lives.
Agnew’s theory pulls from sociological literature concerning mental health, focusing on associations between taxing experiences, negative emotions, and social behavior. According to Agnew (1992), there are three forms of strain that one may experience: “prevention from achieving positively valued goals, removal or the threat of removal of positively valued stimuli, and presentation or threat of presentation of noxious stimuli or negatively valued stimuli” (Agnew, 1992, p. 48). General strain theory (GST) also suggests that there are “strains, particularly conflicting social relationships, that engender negative affective states (e.g., anger, fear, frustration) that create internal pressure for corrective action” (Aseltine, 2010, p. 257). The corrective action can be seen as a way to escape the negative emotion or rid one’s self from the pressure or strain.
Strain theory is no different. During the 1930s, Americans were facing some of the worst, if not the worst, economical times in American history. The collapse of the stock market in 1929 lead to an era we now call “the Great Depression”. During this time extreme poverty and unemployment increased drastically, along with suicide and crime rates, particularly murder rates (Siegel 2010, p. 44). Robert Merton’s influence for the development of strain theory came from his observation of how influential the economic institutions were in regards to all other social factors. He drew heavily from Emile Durkheim’s earlier concept of anomie, or normlessness, to develop his own theoretical structure (Merton 1938; Merton
...haviors he so wishes to comprehend are those whom he labels as The Cocaine Kids. Now that examples of these drug sellers’ behaviors have been provided, the criminological theories that can explain such behaviors have been made visible to the unseen eye. Criminological theories including the theory of Differential Association, the Subculture of Violence Theory, and the Social Learning Theory can be viewed as methods for developing a knowledgeable understanding of how and why such behaviors introduced individuals to the drug-selling world, kept them submerge deep within it, and allowed for them to leave it.
Both theories by Merton and Agnew are similar because their focus is that social situations and conflicts an individual’s comes in contact within his/her life, may produce crime by emphasizing the a goal of success, much more than the means to achieve it. With Merton’s theory he adopted Durkheim’s concept of anomie to explain deviance. Merton’s theory combined both structural and cultural factors. Merton insists that society promotes goals for their citizens and norms for other’s behavior in attempting to reach these goals. In Merton’s theory people do crime when they are unable to reach or accomplish goals. Merton’s theory also explains how an individual’s social structure prevents an individual from becoming economically fortunate. His theory of modern anomie and strain express that individuals respond to strain in 5 individual ways. Those five ways are conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. On the other hand Agnew general strain theory, feels strain comes from sources other than economic failure. Agnew general strain theory focuses on a few other types of strain and stress. Like the presentation of a negative stimuli, and the loss of a positive stimuli. Agnew feels that this sort of strain leads to a negative state of mind. The emotions like angry, frustration and fear, lead to crime and criminal behavior. One
General Strain Theory views most humans as being lawful and moral citizens in their society. The average citizen only turns to deviance when they become inflicted with negative emotions brought on by one or more of the three main types of strain. The three types ...
...riminal activity. This is because individuals become enthralled with their status in the community and want to achieve it anyway possible. This type of social structure "produces a strain toward anomie and deviant behavior. The pressure of such a social order is upon outdoing one's competitors (Thio, 2006)." Anomie strain theory is a good but difficult theory to implement. It offers "a way of constraining crime by improving the legitimate life chances of those who may otherwise make the choice to innovate defiantly (McLaughlin, 2001)."
The Structural Strain Theory is a theory of deviance that explains deviance as the natural outgrowth of the values, norms, and structures of society. Amer...
According to Robert Agnew, “Strain Theory is based on the idea that delinquency results when individuals are unable to achieve their goals through legitimate channels, achievement or strike out at the source of their frustration in anger”. (Agnew, R. (1985). A Revised Strain Theory of Delinquency. Oxford journals. 64(1).151-166). The norms are violated to alleviate the strain that accompanies failure. When a good look is taken at the theories the strains might not only come from peoples frustrations with acquiring “ The American Dream”, but it becomes a mixture of strains such as economic deprivation, abuse, neglect, or the loss of a loved one. However, most people that experience strains do not commit crimes.
General Strain Theory was reinvented by Robert Agnew in 1992 and contributed a new perception to the present strain theory that was popularized a couple eras ago (Agnew, 1992). Classic strain theory is connected; first with Merton’s (1938), Cohen’s (1955) and Cloward and Ohlin’s (1960). Founded on Durkheim’s theory of anomie (1893), Merton industrialized his theory of deviancy inside a societal fundamental context. Merton’s interpretation on the topic is that goal-expectation inconsistencies, composed with social stratification generates strain between underprivileged societies in turn leading them to use any means necessary, such as criminal, in order to accomplish socially defined goals (Merton, 1938). Merton specified that deviance was a
...asis on these types of strains and stressors and how they cause deviant behavior. The connection between the strains and deviant behavior are the negative emotions that are produced by the strains such as anger and anxiety. The causes of deviant behavior can be linked to those emotions and the personal resources available to handle the emotions. This helps to define why some individuals with similar strains commit crimes and why others chose legal manners in which they deal with their strains and emotions. General Strain Theory can help to explain any act that is considered deviant by society, and carries with it some sort of punishment, either formally or informally (Agnew, 2006).
In classic strain theory it is said that, Classic strain theory focuses on that type of strain involving the inability to achieve success or gain a middle class status. General Strain theory focuses on a broad range of strains, including the inability to achieve a variety of goals, the loss of valued possessions, and negative treatment by others. General Strain Theory has been applied to a range of topics, including the explanation of gender, race/ethnicity, age, community, and societal differences in crime
Furthermore, Merton presented a Strain theory, which was a micro-level approach that addressed the strain experienced by individuals who are in Anomie and their response in dealing with the disjunction between goals of success and the means available to attain them (Merton, 1964). As noted in the lecture, when individuals undergo the Strains of society and their interplay between scarce institutionalized means, they adapt in several ways (Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, Rebellion). Not all adaptations involve crime, however, some adaptations include criminal behavior (Lecture, 2016).
Featherstone, R., & Deflem, M. (2003). Anomie and strain: Context and consequences of Merton’s two theories. Sociological Inquiry, 73(4), 471-489.