Criminality: Strain And Biological Abnormality

This “strain” can take on two forms: individual or structural. Individual strain is a reference to one’s own needs and the pains that a person has to endure when trying to gain them. Structural strain is a reference to the pains felt to both fit and achieve on a certain level within specific contexts. All of this information points to strain theory fitting into the category of the Postmodernist School of Criminology. This school of thought teaches of how criminal behaviors are in fact used to correct inequality that is caused by society.

Strain theory points out that certain societal structures push individuals to commit crimes (Agnew, Robert, Brezina, Wright, Cullen, 2002). For example, when individuals are not able to successfully attain their goals through legitimate means they resort to illegitimate means to attain them. Strain theory is divided into three major categories: The first category is “ (1) prevent individuals from achieving their positively valued goals, including monetary, status, and autonomy goals; (2) remove or threaten to remove positively valued stimuli that individuals possess; and (3) present or threaten to present individuals with noxious or negative value stimuli” (Agnew et al . , 2002). These three categories of strains can ultimately drive individuals into deviant subcultures. Growing up, Guzman Loera faced some of these strains, therefore strain theory will be used to explain his engagement in criminal

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.

What causes people to commit crime? This million dollar questions has place many criminologists and researchers searching for answers. In the past decades, people have tried to explain crime by referring to the earliest literature of criminal’s atavistic features to human biology. Recent studies have shows that crime is described in the social environment. While, no one theory can prove the causes of crime, strain theory has gain support in academic research for its five mode of adaptation.

The theory of General Strain is how the strain on an individual leads them toward criminal activities and behaviors. The main concepts of general strain theory explain how a negative relationship affects the individual and their future in the expansion towards delinquency. Negative or harmful relationships are defined as affiliations with others that are partake in similar criminal activity and how an individual believes they should be treated. The strain theory is broken down into three types: (1) Strain as the failure to achieve positively valued goals (Traditional Strain), (2) Strain as the removal of positively valued stimuli from the individual, and (3) Strain as the presentation of negative stimuli.

First of all, what is “Social Strain Theory?” Robert Merton who is a theorist and creator of Strain Theory has allocated that “strains” are instigated by United States social structure which dictates equivalent goals in terms of success and job status within all members of society despite all members not having equivalent means to achieve money and success. Those that have that have obstacles in the way of achieving success and wealth experience strain and could engage in criminal behavior (Merton). In this theory Merton also created “Deviance

Furthermore it states that humans, being conformists readily buy into these notions. However, access to the means for achieving these goals is not equally available to everyone. Some have the education, social network and family influence to attain these goals. The socially and economically disadvantaged do not have the opportunity, education or necessary social network for attaining material wealth and economic or political power. Thus the strain theory predicts that crime occurs when there is a perceived discrepancy between these goals and the legitimate means for reaching them. Individuals who experience a high level of this strain are forced to decide whether to violate laws to achieve these goals, to give up on the goals pushed upon them by society, or to withdraw or rebel.

In the 1980’s, Criminologist, Robert Agnew, presented his theory of general strain, in which he covers a range of negative behaviors, especially how adolescents deal with stresses of strain. General strain theory focuses on the source, such as anything that changes in the individual’s life that causes strain. His theory provides a different outlook on social control and social learning theory for two reasons: the type of social relationship that leads to delinquency and the motivation for the delinquency (Agnew, 1992). He states that certain strains and stresses increase the likelihood for crime such as economic deprivation, child abuse, and discrimination. These factors can cause an increase of crime through a range of negative emotions. For some people it can take a lot of willpower to take a corrective action and try to deter away from committing crime in a way that they can relieve these negative emotions. When people cannot cope with the stresses of the strain, they turn to crime as a coping mechanism. Agnew also states, that not all people that experience the stresses of strain will go forward to committing crime and live a deviant life.

The proposal of Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory in explaining criminal deviance is based on three concepts. The first concept is that people

Also anything that helps with positive coping mechanisms to deal with an individual’s stress. It was proven in studies that educational and vocational programs are needed communities for high-risk youth. The youth without much motivation can have a huge impact on the amount of criminal activity that takes place. Another thing mentioned was that it was not necessary to avoid encountering stress, but to develop healthy coping skills. These arguments also have important policy implications from Agnew argued that two major policy recommendations flow from General Strain Theory reduce the exposure of individuals to strain and reduce the likelihood that individuals will cope with strain through crime (Schram & Tibbetts, 2014).

Routine activity theory and strain theory are two theories that attempt to explain why crime occurs. Strain theory essentially posits that social factors determine whether or not people will commit crimes. By contrast, routine activity theory posits that social factors have no influence on crime. Instead, people will commit crimes if they have the opportunity to do so. Interestingly, routine activity theory focuses mostly on whether or not people are likely to be victims of crimes, rather than whether or not they are likely to perpetuate them.

Sociological strain theory was developed by American sociologist Robert K. Merton, who believed that society is the cause of deviances. This occurs when society norms and goals set in a society puts pressure on individual causing a deviance. Per Dr. Merton there are two criteria to promote deviant behavior: A society goals is more important than following rule to get to the goal and the inability of a society to provide access to legitimate resources so the goal can be reachable. Dr. Merton created five different modes of adaptation of which innovation, retreatism and rebellion are the reaction to anomie exercising criminal behavior.

The biological theories are essential to the criminal justice profession so that they won't assume that a person's genetic characteristics cause a person to commit a crime. However, there are born criminals and “these types of criminals are the most dangerous, and can be identified through his or her stigmata or identifying characteristics” (Akers, Sellers, See, & Kieser, 2013, p. 10). Biological theories are the bases for severe criminal behavior mostly found among people who are born with an innate impulse to commit a

They blame lack of equal opportunities, neighborhood disarray, and the social environment for crime causation. The theories associated with this idea are; Strain Theory, Cultural Deviance, Social Learning and Control, and Labeling theories (Hall, n.d.). One interesting thing about sociological theory is that society makes up criminality. Simply put, some types of activity are deemed to be harmful by society and thus viewed as criminal. On a side note, some of these behaviors that are viewed as criminal, are harmless in nature and do not have a victim.

Strain theories imply that particular strains and or stressors can increase the rate for the likelihood of offending. These strains are mostly related to negative emotions. Like a domino effect, these emotions can then lead to crime to satisfy the pressure. Crime is an escape from stressors for individuals that feel the need to alleviate negative emotions. For example, single unemployed mothers may engage in theft by stealing food from the grocery store to feed her children. Agnew’s General Strain theory has become the dominant version of all strain theories, and also the most important theory of all crime. The General Strain Theory focuses mainly on a broad aspect of a variety of strains. This includes the lack of ability to accomplish specific goals, the lack of resources, loss of personal belongings, and adverse treatment by other individuals. This theory can be related to many different topics as well that can vary from the explanation gender, age, sociological differences, race, and crime rates. The General Strain Theory is applied to crime and deviance majority of the time. This can also range from police behavior, terrorism, cyber bullying, and suicide to different disorders. This theory is used to explain the likelihood of crime (Agnew,