Labelling Theory And Robert Agnew 's General Strain Theory

The cost of substance abuse in Canada is astronomical. According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), in 2002 alcohol accounted for about $14.6 billion and illegal drugs for about $8.2 billion in social cost (Single, Robertson, Rehm, & Xie, 2002). This cost was measured in terms of the burden on health care and law enforcement, and productivity in the workplace or home. Arguably, the greatest cost may be immeasurable: human suffering and tragic loss of lives. This suffering is not limited to only of those wrestling with these problems, but extends those around them: family, friends, co-workers and society as a whole.

Substance abuse is difficult to treat no matter the background someone comes from, but adding sociocultural influences from diverse cultures can add an even more difficult element when it comes to effective prevention and intervention strategies. The United States is a melting pot of diverse cultures, with the Hispanic population accounting for “one-half of the nation’s growth” (Steven & Smith, 2013, p. 328). When it comes to treating Hispanic individuals for substance abuse issues, one needs to be aware of the cultural differences and acculturation issues that are characteristic of this culture. Clinicians who work with the Hispanic population need to understand their cultural values and respect their diversity so that barriers to treatment can be overcome.

Drinking alcohol is a behavior that diverse ethnicities and cultures have adapted as a form of leisure, celebration, socialization, or cultural practice. Mexican American males have engaged in drinking alcohol for all of these reasons. It is important to analyze the process of acculturation Mexican American experience and how it affects their ability to persuade and control their alcohol consumption. The stress of adjusting to a new place than the one they have been accustomed to and have already been accepted in, can lead males to drink alcohol to help them in coping with their issues. The gravity of extreme alcohol drinking is also

In 1991 a hospital nurse named Beverley Allitt killed four children and attempted to take the lives of nine others, but was unsuccessful (“Beverley Allitt, n.d., para 1). Beverley committed all of these murders while she was working at the Grantham and Kesteven Hospital as a part of a six-month work arrangement (para. 5). Beverley’s actions and why she acted in this manner can be explained from the psychiatric, sociological and psychological perspective. Psychiatry viewpoints explore the motivation behind an individual’s criminal behaviour. Factitious disorder and multiple personality disorder can explain the reasons behind Beverly’s choice to kill four children under her care, and the reasons behind these horrendous acts. The sociological perceptive looks at factors including level of education, a persons social setting and positive or negative role models in a their life (Pozzulo, Bennell & Fourth, 2015, p. 338-341). Labeling theory and strain theory can help explain why Beverley killed four children and acted the way she did. Lastly, the psychological perspective looks at “mental process” of an individual, also the reasoning behind an individual’s behaviour and actions (Rao, 2007, p. 9). Addiction theory can be used in this situation and can help explain why Beverley killed four children and what lead her up to it.

The Hispanic/Latin American population of the U.S. has been growing steadily over the last four decades (Casas, Vasquez, & Ruiz de Esparza, 2002 retrieved from Alvarez) and recent census statistics indicate that 42.7 million Americans identify themselves as Hispanic (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006 retrieved from Alvarez). The Hispanic population is expected to continue to grow and expand. Hispanic living in the United States face many challenges and social injustice. When facing challenges and social injustices people tend to handle those stressors in different ways. For some people partaking in substance and alcohol abuse has become a coping trend in America. “Substance abuse prevalence rates for Latinos/as generally mirror those of the

Many generations may reside in one residence where there is a clear patriarchy (GCU, n.d.). Considering the importance that Latino/Hispanics place on familia and how central a person’s role within the family is to individual identity, it becomes painfully obvious how a family disease such as addiction can be especially devastating to their community. In an adult individual, it becomes a challenge to distinguish whether the addiction causes or results from the family disconnection (Flores, 2014, p. 28). The addicted person tends to be a product of family instability, dysfunctional family environment, and hostile parenting (p. 26), all of which is exacerbated and perpetuated by substance abuse. This cycle of sickness may have begun with the destructive effects of immigration on the original family and trickled into later generations. In 2006, studies indicated that, on a regular basis, 40% of Latino/Hispanic adolescents used alcohol, 24% smoked cigarettes, and 17% used marijuana (SAMHSA National Survey of Drug Use and Health results, cited by Wagner et al., 2010, p. 98). Flores reports that alcoholism rates seem highest within the Hispanic population of Mexican descent (cited by GCU). Unfortunately, heavily acculturated Latinos/Hispanics can be resistant to mental health treatment due to machismo, the fear of

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,

Immigrants who have moved from their origin of birth have changes their set of cultural norms and values. This is seen in Hispanics who have moved to the United States. Most of the women who are sensitive to changes are Cuban American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican American women. They state their drinking behavior has increased because of the dominant society. Washington State conducted a study that showed an accelerated abuse of alcohol and use of illegal drugs within the Hispanic culture. The increase was 7.2%, which was compared with less than 1% of others and 6.4% of whites (Abbott, 2008).

In 1995, a very heinous, mysterious crime was committed the murder of two innocent boys by their mother. This crime was thought to be completely unexplainable. This mother convinced America that a black man had stole her car and kidnapped her children. Little did we know this suicidal woman would be capable of committing such a crime. There are many theories that you can apply to this case. However the theory that fits it most closely is the general strain theory.

Asian Americans are always shown to have a relatively low rate of substance abuse among all the ethnic groups in the US (Kim, Ziedonis, & Chen, 2007). In fact, studies suggest that Asian American youth are more vulnerable for emotional and social difficulties than youth of other races or ethnicities (Wong et al. 1998). As a group of immigrants, Asian American youth often face acculturation stressors like low self-esteem, high depression and anxiety and social isolation, and more and more studies have reported various behavior problems among Asian American youth, like gang activities (Zhang, 2002), a rapid increase in juvenile crime (Le, 2002) and a significant increase in violence.

In addition, Latinos were reported as having higher rates of drug use and problems associated compared to the Asian American race, marijuana was said to be the leading drug among adolescents. U.S. born Latinos were more likely to use marijuana and cocaine than men and women born in Mexico and Puerto Rico, but Puerto Rican men had higher rates of cocaine and marijuana use than Cuban Americans (Alvarez, Jason, Olsen, Ferrari & Davie,

Whitebeck, L. B., McMorris, B. J., Chen, X., & Stubben, J. D. (2001). Perceived discrimination and early substance abuse among american indian children. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 42(4), 405-24. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/201656961?accountid=34899

The notion of labelling theory was first created in the 1960s and gained popularity towards the late 1960s and early 1970s. The term was first applied “mentally ill” in 1966 when Thomas Scheff published his article Being Mentally Ill. Labelling theory explains a great importance in respect to drug use. Although labelling theory does not fully explain why initial drug use occurs, it does detail the process by which many people find themselves as socially deviant from others (Glen R. Hanson, University of Utah Salt Lake City Utah Glen R Hanson, Peter J. Venturelli, Annette E. Fleckenstein). The term deviance is used in a manner to describe an absence of the patterns of behaviour expected in a society and not in a judgemental way. Labelling theory

Introduction: Throughout history there have always been many different theories of crime and why people commit crimes. In the late 1930s a new theory rose to the forefront; this theory was called the anomie theory. Anomie means a lack of ethical standards. The anomie theory was proposed by Roberton Merton. It stated that society, as a whole, generally shares the same goals relating to having success in life; whether that is having a family, wealth, power, or just happiness. Society generally agrees that these are things that are to be sought after. Furthermore, Merton proposed that society, as a whole, also has a list of generally accepted ways to achieve such goals (Merton, 1938). Criminal activity, such as robbery, murder, and corruption, are among the things that are not accepted by society as appropriate means to achieve these goals. Merton’s anomie theory was built upon in 1992 by Robert Agnew who developed the general strain theory. General strain theory argues that when members of society are unable to achieve the general goals that society has set forth, they will, in order to avoid further rejection, further alienate themselves from society. Agnew also argued that if these individuals feel as if their shortcomings were a result of their environment failing them they will likely develop very negative feelings towards society, causing them to

In other words it can be said that the drug hysterias that sweep the US can be safely ignored if focus is instead on the ethical concerns of social marginalisation that cause the addictions and abuse such as poverty and racism (Room, 2005).