General Strain Theory means that people who experience strain or stress become distressed or upset which may lead them to commit a crime in order to cope. The key element in the general strain theory is an emotion which could motivate a person to commit a crime. One example that could prove this theory as a true factor about how someone’s emotion could affect the outcome of committing a crime, is by losing their source of income. If a person once had a great job where they were able to earn a lot of money but later was let go due to job cuts, that person stress of losing that high-end income could push them over the edge and they do the unthinkable such as shooting the boss who let them go. The three main sources of General Strain Theory are …show more content…
The term Chicago is often used to refer to the University of Chicago 's sociology department which is one of the oldest and one of the most prestigious. The video uploaded by Mark Cambridge discuss the Chicago School and its role in Classical Criminology. According to Cambridge, he stated that: The Chicago school is an ecological approach to understanding crime, ecology basically means the relationship between different species and wider society (Cambridge). The ecological approach is an ecological systems theory that was developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner who believed that a person 's development was affected by everything in their surrounding environment. The Chicago school includes the broken window theory which focuses on the importance of disorder in generating and sustaining more serious crime. The broken window theory is not directly linked to serious crime however disorder leads to increased fear and withdrawal from residents. According to Wayne G. Lutters and Mark S. Ackerman the Chicago School embraced many of the concerns of American sociology such as urban decay, crime, race relations, and the family, while adopting a more formal, systematic approach data collection and analysis which had been a trend in Germany to yield a “science” of sociology (Lutters and Ackerman). The Chicago School was a distinct reaction against the state of American sociology of that time period and the Chicago School was shaped by the unique interests of its primary researchers. According to the Geographic Society of Chicago stated that: Influenced by the natural sciences, in particular, evolutionary biology, members of the Chicago School forwarded an ecological approach to sociology emphasizing the interaction between human behavior, social structures and the built environment (Chicago). Ernest Burgess
Predominantly, strain theory can be used to explain the criminal behavior of the Homicide in Hollenbeck documentary. In the course on juveni...
The proposal of Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory in explaining criminal deviance is based on three concepts. The first concept is that people are not naturally inclined to commit crimes. Rather, their transition towards deviant behavior begins when they experience strain. The second concept is that once strain is present, depending on the severity of the stain, a person becomes victim to their own negative emotions like anger, jealousy, and frustration. Their response to those negative emotions may expedite their transition. The third concept looks at a person’s ability to cope with the strain and negative emotions. If a person has poor coping abilities they tend to become overwhelmed by the strain and the negative emotions they are feeling as a result of strain. Poor coping abilities may cause someone to commit crime in hopes of rectifying their situation. (Agnew, 2011)
Classic Strain Theory, as introduced and defined by Robert Merton, is a Social Structure Theory used to help explain the effect one’s community, most notably lower class areas, has on their ability to achieve predetermined goals, usually considered culturally normal. Merton theorized that all people in a various culture and social structure have similar values, goals, and norms. He stated that within this social structure there are individuals who come from affluent upbringing and are therefore more likely achieve these goals, and most likely this will be attained through legitimate, culturally acceptable means. There are however, Merton said, lower class areas where individuals suffer from lack of educational and economic opportunities afforded the upper class, leading to resentment and anger individuals at their inability to achieve stated objectives and goals through legitimate means.
The General Strain Theory scope has an intention of providing a clear explanation for why and why not crime occurs across all levels of society, while maintaining that stress is a major cause of criminal involvement. When people experience negative emotions, such as anger, frustration, or depression, they are in result unhappy and upset, thus experiencing strains or stressors (Ganem, 2010). Crime is then a way of reducing or escaping from these strains, and it is their method of coping with their emotions. According to Agnew, “Strains refer to events or conditions that are disliked by individuals (1992,
There are many theories to choose from and I decided to choose and focus on general strain theory. I chose general strain theory because I believe this particular theory applies to a lot of people across the United States, especially those people who are in the middle class and below. First I am going to explain what general strain theory is and what Agnew finds most important about it. Secondly, what micro level components are used in this theory and how they affect people. Lastly, I am going to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of general strain theory. Not everyone falls victim to general strain theory because not everyone is in the same social and economical predicament. A lot of people are unfortunate to go through these strains/stressors of life and it all comes down to how one chooses to deal with the hand life dealt them.
The General Strain Theory (GST) states that people who commit crimes are pressured into them by negative emotions that result from a variety of life strains. Negative emotions cause them to feel in a negative way and thus creating pressure on them to act in a variety of ways, with crime and violence being one possible response. GST has been explored among many different populations, but what has not been explored was its ability to predict crime of murder. The present study focuses on the role that negative emotions play in producing different types of criminal activity and involvement, most specifically, murder.
Matt Maready CRM 255 Dr. Maume 29 April 2015 General Strain Theory There are many different criminological theories that try to explain why certain crime is committed. As far as the matters of crime and delinquency are concerned, one of the most influential theories comes to mind: Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory. According to the text, general strain theory (or GST as it is most commonly abbreviated) “starts with the assumption that negative relationships with others causes strain or stress in people’s lives” (Kauzlarich, Barlow 251). In our class lecture, we learned that general strain theory considers 3 sources of strain: (1), which is also in the definition, negative relationships with others, (2) when other individuals remove or threaten
Agnew stated general strain theory in a very clear way, which caused his outlook to be subjected to multiple empirical tests from its beginning to the present time. Several conclusions have emerged from the research of his perspective’s empirical support. There is consistent empirical evidence that exposure to strain increases the probability of criminal offending. The issue is that the strains that can be faced in life are everlasting. According to Agnew the studies that may show that strain-inducing situations are linked to crime, but they do not make sense of all the findings and tell us which strains are most criminogenic. Agnew understood this challenge and addressed it by identifying the strains that are most likely to lead to crime
... people commit crimes and are not limited to one aspect like the original theory. For example, Merton strain theory just looked one aspect of blocked opportunities to unable achieve economic success. Differential Opportunity theory helped explain the different illegitimate means that causes people to commit crimes for example poverty and high concentrations of youth living in slums (Murphy & Robinson, 2009). Agnew General Strain theory takes a micro approach into looking at the different types of strain that causes people to commit crimes (Lilly et al.2010). Even though these theories explain certain aspects of what causes crime, it does not explain the sole cause of why criminal behavior occurs or why one commits different crimes. However integrated theories are helpful to understand certain aspects of why people commit crimes and engage in deviant behavior.
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
There are many criminological theories that attempt to explain criminal behavior or crime patterns. For instance, Agnew’s General Strain Theory can be applied to explain why the criminal John Dillinger committed various crimes. Agnew’s General Strain Theory assumes that all individuals experience strain, which, in turn, causes negative emotions that can result in legitimate or illegitimate coping, depending on an individual’s constraints or dispositions. Thus, the continuous criminal behavior throughout John Dillinger’s life can be explained using Agnew’s General Strain Theory in relation to strain, negative emotions, and dispositions.
Hay and Evans (2006) examined three General Strain Theory (GST) hypotheses regarding the relationship between violent victimization and involvement in delinquency. The first hypothesis is violent victimization should be positively related with later involvement in delinquency. Second, if GST's view of this relationship is correct, the effects of victimization on delinquency should be at least partly explained by the juvenile's level of anger. Third, if GST is to be further supported, the effects of victimization should depend in part on variables it identifies as factors that condition the effects of strain. These elements were studied on juveniles to see if their behavior was affected by family or peer group victimization. The researchers collected longitudinal data first interviewed in 1976 when the children were ages seven to eleven, with a follow-up then conducted in 1981 when respondents
This could explain the effect of strains on crime by taken this theory into account. Once strain causes bonds to weaken amongst conventional groups and institutions such as family, school, and peer networks will open up doors to delinquent behaviors, because by being in these social roles causes the person to regulate by role expectations.
In terms of culture goals and means to attain them, describe each of the five modes of adaptation that Merton outlined in strain theory.
To gain an accurate understanding of strain theories it is best to first examine their intellectual foundations. One of the most important influences on the development of strain theories was sociologist Emile Durkheim. A structural functionalist, Durkheim argued that deviance and crime were not only normal, but also served a function in society. Durkheim believed that crime served the purpose of displaying to members of society what behaviours and actions are considered unacceptable as determined by societal co...