Final Reflection

A condition of my admission to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was the completion of my senior year courses. I admit that my grade in Math Techniques was an F. This fact is not what I wish to explain, as there is no way for me to skirt the fact that I received a failing grade in this class.

Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) argues that strain or stress is the major source of criminal motivation. He expands upon Merton’s Anomie Theory of strain and stress to include several causes of strain or stress. Agnew categorizes 3 types of strain that produce deviance: the failure to achieve positively valued goals, the loss of positive stimuli, and the introduction of negative stimuli. There are several different actions that can be taken to correct the strain in order to curb deviance, including exercise, counseling, and advocacy programs. Furthermore, we will also look at how this relates to domestic violence.

The second theory I would like to discuss is the Strain theory. The strain theory basically states that crime breeds in the gap, imbalance, or disjunction between culturally induced aspirations for economic success and structurally distributed possibilities of achievement. The theory assumes fairly uniform economic success aspirations across social class and the theory attempts to explain why crime is concentrated among the lower classes that have the least legitimate opportunities for achievement. It is the combination of the cultural emphasis and the social structure which produces intense pressure for deviation. The lower classes are the most vulnerable to this pressure, or strain, and will maintain their unfulfilled economic aspirations in spite of frustration or failure.

Crime consists of behavior patterns, the environment, and the economy of the world. Researchers tend to use theories to answers questions concerning these behaviors. For example such questions involve why people commit crimes, what type of people commit crimes, and a host of other questions. The topic of this paper consists of two types of theories. The topics discussed and compared involve the conflict theory and the social control theory. In addition, the comparison will display the theory that does a better job of addressing the occurrence

This essay shall describe and evaluate two influential theories which have been used to explain criminality: strain and biological abnormality. The first sociological theory examines the social structures, and the second psychological examines the individual. Research supporting and criticizing these theories shall also be examined Strain theories developed within the school of sociology argue that the presence of certain stressors can increase the likelihood of crime. There are three categories of stressors: The feeling of disempowerment, the presence of negative stimuli, and the loss of positive stimuli.

Social process theory believes that individuals are socially conditioned into or against crime (Siegel, “Social Process Theory”). Negative family relationships, limited education or association with others who have little or not respect for the

I have learned so many things out of this class that would be very useful to me in the future. Also, I don’t think that if I truly want to write about all the things I have learned from this class it would all fill a 2 pages paper. However, the three main things that I have retained from this include how to write a response paper, how to read a book better, and how to better write essays.

As a new student coming into this class we might have wondered what interpersonal communication was. However, I believe by now we all have a better understanding of what it means to communicate amongst ourselves. We all, or at least most of us were strangers at the start of class. However, through exercises and discussions we have become open with each other and learned a little along the way. Something as simple as our shared interests such as superhero movies or Star Wars trivia has opened up discussions we might not have had otherwise as a group. Our perceptions of each other have changed since that first awkward day playing a cheesy board game (Alder, Rosenfeld, Proctor II, 2013, p. 106-139). As we practiced our communication skills many of us have developed a stronger self-concept as well as boosted our self-esteems (Alder, Rosenfeld, Proctor II, 2013, p. 66-67). We also used social comparisons in our class intended or not (Alder, Rosenfeld, Proctor II, 2013, p. 69). We compared our backgrounds, both cultural, ethnic, as well as socio economic standing. Some of these comparisons come from what we learned as children to believe, while others are from what we have learned in life. This is what has intrigued me the most in class. The facts that we as a “civilized” world still have not come that far at all. Women are still for the most part second-class citizens, hate is taught to our children, and language still hasn’t evolved to where there are no

Strain theory states that strain increase the chance of committing crime. These strains can lead to anger and frustration which can lead to crime. People in this theory use crime as a way to escape their strain and a way

During week one, my initial definition of learning was listening to an instruction, studying and then rehearsing that information in my mind, or categorizing it in a way so I could remember most of what was taught in the course. The class has opened a new dimension for me in the learning process; from understanding how I process information to deciphering which learning processes I use in intentional learning or metacognition. Understanding my learning patterns form dynamic learning relationship is a key element to my view of how and why I process the learning experience, even relating it to every day life.

The field of sociology is very different in explaining the causes of crime from the perspectives of the fields of biology and psychology. While the biological and psychological fields focus on explaining crime through the individual, sociology focuses on groups or society as a whole being a key contributor to someone’s actions. This perspective believes that individuals are influenced by family, school, religion, laws, and friends. As with any other academic field, there are innumerable theories that attempt to explain why crime happens and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. One of the most prominent theories is the conflict theory.

The aim of this essay is to compare, contrast and evaluate two sociological theories of crime causation and two psychological theories of crime causation.

There are many theories that try to explain why crime is committed. There's the strain theory, the Social disorganization theory, the Different association theory and many others. But the one that I think best explains why crime is committed is the social bond theory. It is very straightforward and it explains what leads to a crime. The social bond theory states that a person's view toward a society determines if a person will be a criminal or not. This theory has some downsides to it but I will try to defend it against some theories. I will also try to defend this theory against some criticism.

Many people have different theories as to why crime exists. Some believe crime happens because of the individual’s culture, education (or lack there of), or even their race. Others believe crime is associated with whom we surround ourselves with. There are three sociological theories that suggest why crime happens in society; they are social learning theory, social control theory, and social reaction (labeling) theory. These theories suggest it is our relationships and social interactions that influence our behavior.

The one single theory that can explain all types of criminals or crime, all the time, anywhere is clearly Travis Hirschi’s social bonding theory developed in 1969. In this theory Hirschi believes that delinquent behavior is an example that results from weak social bonds. In most cases, crime is the result that starts far before adult or even adolescent years. This is why there are four key elements to social bonding theory that range from attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. All of these elements are key to the forming and reasoning of one’s involvement in crime. Most people grow up attached to a certain figure in their lives whether it be a close person throughout their lifetime such as a neighbor, friend, family member, or in most cases a parent. As well as becoming attached, most everyone is also involved in some form of commitment and involvement through out their life. Commitment is one’s commitment to society as involvement is the amount of time one is consuming taking part in legitimate activities. The last element to social bonding theory, belief, refers to a person’s internalization of the laws or other social norms such as religious beliefs or what they were raised as being considered “appropriate”. The best true general theory of crime is based on a person’s social bond that include: attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.