Analysis Of Robert Agnew: The General Strain Theory

The general strain theory presented by Robert Agnew states that failure to achieve material goals is not the only reason for committing crime. Criminal behavior may also be related to the anger and frustration that result when an individual is treated in a way he or she does not want to be treated in a way he or she does not want to be treated in a social relationship. The strain theory has assisted in the development of crime prevention strategies by allowing social programs to address the problems of managing anger, more tailored for lower-class individuals. During the 1960’s Lyndon Johnson approached the issue as a candidate running for president, Johnson introduced the Head Start program as a part of his anti-poverty campaign. The Head

The study examined four domains in which the program had sufficient impact on the children: Parenting practices, children’s cognitive thinking, social- emotion, and health. The key findings in the parenting domain were big positive effects in the educational activities, however it was shown that physical discipline and safety practices had little to no effect in the program. The cognitive domain presented disappointing results of having little to no effect in the four sections of cognitive thinking: reading, writing, vocabulary, and literacy skills. The program was shown to have absolutely no affect on the children’s oral comprehension and phonological awareness or early mathematical skills. In regards to the social domain, there was a small impact on the children’s problem behaviors, but no impact on the other areas of social-emotion including social skills, approaches to learning or social competencies. In the health domain, parents were able to more easily access health care and better health status for the children apart of the program. Overall, it could be suggested that although the Head Start program offered better health for the children as well as educational activities producing positive results, everything else had little to no effect and could probably be gutted from the program to make it more efficient. Relating the results back to the strain theory, there were little to no signs of improving social skills and therefore no real effect in anger management or delinquent