General Strain Theory Essay

2046 Words5 Pages

This essay will argue that general strain theory provides the most valid causal explanation for incidents of domestic violence. The relationship between general strain theory and domestic violence will be illustrated through examinations of scholarly articles and legislation. Information regarding the context and legal status of domestic violence will be provided to enhance the understanding of the issue and the applicability of general strain theory to it, and potential remedies will also be discussed.

To understand the connection between general strain theory and domestic violence the term must be defined and relevant legislation and policy must be considered. Australian legislation defines domestic violence as acts of violence that occur …show more content…

Feminists played a significant part in the role of awareness through their focus on women and their position within the domestic and public scope (Liddell, 2013). The NSW Commonwealth’s Partnerships Against Domestic Violence (2008) conducted an evaluation on the increasing issue of domestic violence. Drawing from the feminist perspective, the increase of the imbalance of power in gender relationships can be illustrated through the various attitudes, beliefs and structures within society supporting the practice of abuse towards women (Stark, 2007).

Deterrence and labelling theory constitute opposite predictions regarding the effect of criminal justice actions on future behaviour. Deterrence theorists argue that formal intervention will reduce future offending, while labelling theorists argue that formal intervention will increase criminal behaviour.

Gosselin (2009) discusses the invalidity of these theories with regard to domestic violence. Deterrence theory focuses on the idea that punishment needs to be immediate and effective in order to deter the individual from committing a similar crime in the future. Easteal (2012) indicates that in today’s society, we still don’t understand the effect of deterrence and why it is successful or unsuccessful in certain situations. Experts determine the efficacy of deterrence is by examining the level of domestic violence and then determining if the rate of that specific …show more content…

This is demonstrated by conducting interviews and other measures with male perpetrators. Even though it can be difficult for perpetrators to come to terms with their emotions, face-to-face interviews with them can provide a more detailed, accurate account of the types of emotions they experience compared to official data and victim accounts (Mazerolle, 2013). It can further be said that direct contact with researchers can allow a deeper insight into the rationale of offenders, which has allowed them to apply GST to incidents of domestic violence (Coker and Smith, 2002).

Additionally, GST places emphasis on the role of emotions, a neglected area when conducting research on IPV (Erikkson, 2013). GST provides us with a better understanding of the ways in which individuals cope with their experiences of strain (Mazerolle, 2013). It also delivers clear statements provided by GST theorists on the future of the GST framework by guiding us with future research that can potentially enable us to better understand

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