Offender's Tenedencies of Denial their Convicted Status

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.

His interest wasn’t so much why someone deviates but why the rates differed dramatically from one society to another. Merton also changed the concept to where there is an apparent lack of fit between cultures norms, about the apparent lack of success and the appropriate goals to achieve them. He believed the United States puts more emphasis on success, and anomie –strain becomes the explanation for high rates of deviant behavior in the U.S. compared with other societies, and also an explanation for the distribution of deviant behavior across groups defined by class, race, and ethnicity. The U.S., in fact, Merton sees as an example of a society in which success goals (often defined primarily in monetary terms) are emphasized for everyone in the culture, and people are criticized for not performing to their best ability.

Many individuals in today’s society wonder what pushes people past a breaking point in which they become involved in actions not accepted by society, such as stripping, prostitution, drug use, alcoholism and more. The reasoning behind this is deviance. Deviance can be either positive (over conforming) or negative (under conforming). When applying the subject of crime to a type of deviance, it falls under the negative category because those who under conform in society have a tendency to reach their goals with non-accepted means. Considering the crime of drunk driving, many factors add up to develop a reason why so many people do it. Merton’s strain theory perspective explains the deviance behind drunk driving very well, using its’ assumptions, key focuses, and root of deviant acts to support it. Before focusing on Merton’s theory relating to the crime of drunk driving, we first have to recognize how sociologists understand the concept of deviance.

This particular work will consist of a critical theoretical review and a comparative analysis on two criminological theories. For the comparison I have chosen Marx’s theory of crime and Merton’s strain theory of deviance. My critical comparison analysis will emphasise the central concepts and arguments within both theories and how each theory explains crime. The analysis will then explore modern day studies in which have stemmed from these theories as well as explore the many similarities and differences between these two theories. Exploring the strengths and weaknesses in both approaches and concluding that although both theories are

Strain theories of criminal behaviour have been amongst the most important and influential in the field of criminology. Taking a societal approach, strain theories have sought to explain deficiencies in social structure that lead individuals to commit crime (Williams and McShane 2010). Strain theories operate under the premise that there is a societal consensus of values, beliefs, and goals with legitimate methods for achieving success. When individuals are denied access to legitimate methods for achieving success, the result is anomie or social strain. This often leads an individual to resort to deviant or criminal means to obtain the level of success that they are socialized to pursue. This is the basic premise of strain theory. This

Another important theory of deviance is the structural strain theory. The structural strain theory is defined as when the goals in which society sets for an individual are not met, that individual will defer to deviance. A perfect example is throughout the entire movie of the images of the streets, the hopelessness in each frame express what the strain theory is based upon. It is the idea that crime and violence are an immediate result between people's goals and the means to accessibly achieve them. They cannot overcome their deviant behavior because it is necessary to survive. Another example is in the beginning of the film Doughboy had said he was going to store. Ricky asked him why, as he did not have any money. Doughboy yelled, "aww I don't care."(Singleton) Instead of conforming to how Middle American youths obtain money, such as chores, Doughboy has to find alternate methods of achieving. Doughboy robs a store and is arrested. In a society where economic status is held on a pedestal, change is very difficult. This shows there is an unequal distribution of wealth which is a major cause of violence and robbery. A common theory among Americans is that society wants what it cannot have. It there was an equal distribution of wealth the strain theory would not exist as people would be satisfied with what society gave them, there would not be selfish ambition to obtain all you can. Another

"When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw," (Kazi, 2017). The modern societies around the world put a high importance on preventing criminal activity and rectifying behavior that leads to crime. In an ongoing struggle against corruption, many sociologists, and psychologists have done in-depth research to understand what is the cause of crime in our society. Initially, in 1893, Emile Durkheim first came up with the idea called Anomie Theory to explain why offenses take place in our communities. Durkheim reported that crimes took place in our society because there was a lack of ethical norms and social standards within our communities (Walsh, 2018).However, almost half a century later, Robert K. Merton developed Merton's Strain Theory to thoroughly explain why some people in our society are more likely to commit crimes than the others who don’t. Merton’s Strain Theory argues that corruption not only occurs in our communities because we lack norms in our society, but are also caused by the strains that are present among us as individuals which influence people to commit the crime. In his explanation, people will resort to achieving success through illegitimate means when they are blocked from acquiring success through legitimate means (Walsh, 2018). After studying the classical strain theories, I think that Merton’s Strain Theory explains street crimes such as robbery, theft, assault, and drug dealing better than

To lists some of the crime he has committed such as the case with vandalism, petty theft, grand theft auto, rape, assaults and assault with a deadly weapon, drug dealing, and attempt murder. Not only does the offense he committed affect him, but it has also caught up with him to do three years in prison. The use of Strain Theory is to examine deviancy within Nathan McCall’s life when he is confronted by the cultural goals that is within his environment and the institution means that enable him to achieve the goals. Within a healthy society, McCall will be acceptable towards the goals and suitable means to achieve the goals that society have impose upon on him. In contrast, when McCall cultural values and means becomes imbalance, he would encounter strain by adapting to five modes of adaptation.

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.

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

Firstly, when it comes to the association that many of the would-be offenders that are committing the crimes may have many kinds of thought of how they are offending, which could be illegal or legal. It could be why they have offended or are thinking about offending. Whereas there could be many hindrances that are connected, which have been associated with the choices many people are making in term of their mental capacity and the sociological aspects have also then been connected to the way they have committed the crimes such as burglary or petty crimes. It also could be

Murtons theory also supports this analysis as he discusses conformity as a way to not commit crime and engage in socially acceptable behaviours. Murton also talks about anomie and when cultural goals are unobtainable strain occurs which leads to frustration, Murton lists five responses to strain conformity (Lilly, Cullen, et al, 2014). The first response include conformists who accept both the culturally defined goals and the societally restricted means of achieving such goals as legitimate response. The second response being innovation and Merton believed that much of criminal behaviour could be categorized as “innovative” (Lilly, Cullen, et al, 2014). Innovators are people who continue to embrace monetary and material success as a worthy

Have you ever wonder why criminals commit the crimes that they do? What give them the motive to commit such act? Well the social structure theory emphasize subcultural values as the fundamental causes of crime. Not only that, it also focus on poverty, lack of education, income inequality, disorganization within the family, and absence of marketable skills. This paper will address the social disorganization theory and the major principle of sociological theories within Merton’s anomie theory, and Agnew’s general strain theory.

Have you ever wondered why criminals commit the crimes that they do? What gives them the motive to commit such act? Well the social structure theory emphasize subcultural values as the fundamental causes of crime. Not only that, it also focuses on poverty, lack of education, income inequality, disorganization within the family, and absence of marketable skills. This paper will address the social disorganization theory and the major principle of sociological theories within Merton’s anomie theory, and Agnew’s general strain theory.

Throughout history many sociologist and criminologist have developed theories to explain crimes in society. Robert Merton was an American sociologist. He believed societies like the United States create deviant citizens because they do not give them the tools to create “The American Dream”. There are various things that can turn a citizen deviant such as the inability to achieve valued goals, the presence of negative stimuli, and the removal of positive stimuli. A deviant citizen is not always a criminal, deviant citizens are simply defined as someone who goes out of societies norm. The behavior of citizens lead Merton to developed the Strain Theory. This theory explains how the strains of society effect and generate criminal behavior in order to achieve the American Dream. The American Dream is a social construct that has been created through media to promote an acceptable living status. The social status is constantly changing, but overall, it’s a reflection of upper middle class and possessing higher education. Countries like the United States have such a great emphasis on wealth, but don’t provide the things needed to achieve it. For example, if you attend public schools in a under privileged neighborhood you may not have the funds or opportunity to go to college. Not having a certain level of education can prevent you from jobs which has a ripple effect on your environment and home life. This ripple effect is well known in today’s society causing citizens