Robert Agnew Why Do Criminals Offend Summary

This paper explores Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory by helping to explain what it is as well as research that has been conducted to support it. A majority of the articles used in this paper help try and explain or define what GST is as well as attempt to define its components. This paper will then help better understand some of the research that has been done regarding GST. These studies will help explain why certain types of strain lead to criminal acts as well as the effect of negative emotions leading to crime. Another aspect introduces the matter of how people cope with certain strains by committing crime and reasons behind it. The importance of strains leading to juvenile delinquency is briefly explained. Next, some limitations on the theory are provided. These will include recommendations for further studies on the GST along with explanations as to why policy applications are difficult for this theory. Naturally, weaknesses of the theory will also be provided within the limitations section. Finally, an application of the general strain theory will be provided for the film “Bernie.”

All individuals have the ability to conform to the rules and norms of society. Merton’s Strain Theory suggests people feel strain when they are unable to attain society’s goals and/or beliefs. Then, because they are not able to appropriately achieve these goals in the way society says to, some will do so by committing criminal behaviors. This theory also explains, in society there 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

There are numerous researches about social strain theory and criminal offending. Robert “Merton states that the study of social strain believes that individual tend to respond to the gap between society’s values and their own

For instance, as part of an extensive multivariate analysis, Stephen W. Baron’s 2004 inquiry into youth homelessness through the lens of general strain theory, taken from a sample of street youths, discovered homelessness to have a significant positive correlation with future criminal behaviour. The sample generally consisted of unemployed youths, more than half of which were male, that were not enrolled in school, and had been living without a fixed address in the lasts 12 months. The results revealed that homelessness was associated with property, violent, and total crime (Baron, 2004). This is supportive of Agnew’s theory, as general strain theory asserts that crime happens in reaction to strain as a means to achieve revenge against whom they

His theory argues that individuals make individuals make bonds to society. He believed that there were four types of bonds. They are attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. Most of the criminals have little to no conventional ties to the societies they live in. most of the criminals have little to no real attachment to the societies they live in because they are only looking out for themselves. If they did have families they put them second to partying with alcohol and drugs. They are not committed to any bonds because most of them have no jobs, families, or real friends. They have only committed to themselves and no one else. They may have people that they hang out with and party but at the end of the day they would not help them out if they needed it unless it benefitted themselves. They have no involvement in society because the only thing they care about themselves so no one else matters to them. This is why they will burglarize homes within their own neighborhood. The burglars also do not have any belief bonds with society. The society has morals and beliefs and these burglars did not agree with them so they kept burglarizing.

A review of a wide range of literature indicates that researchers have conducted significant research on this particular topic on juvenile delinquency and the impacts that the general strain theory has had in understanding such behaviors. However, the majority of these studies have not been able to provide a clear connection between the negative behaviors shown among teenagers and youths and their criminal behaviors. In most cases, researchers argue that such behaviors may come about due to

The two theories I have decided to merge are Agnew’s General Strain Theory and Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory. I picked General Strain Theory because it does a good job at discussing some of the things that can trigger the release of a person’s negative emotions which in turn may lead to deviant behavior. I also decided to write about Social Bond Theory because it describes some of the factors that keep people from committing crime. Both of the theories have strengths and weaknesses individually, but when merged they help fill in each other’s gaps. (Agnew, 2011; Hirschi, 2011) +1 (888) 295-7904

Control theory, Anomie theory and Strain theory provide very different explanations of why people commit crimes based upon assumptions about how humans function. Control theory suggests that humans are naturally drawn to breaking the law. Humans are driven to fulfill their needs and desires. Crime provides one method by which humans can reach their goals. Control theorists would thus ask why everyone does not turn to crime to meet their wants and needs. The question shifts from the typical why do people commit crime to why do people not commit crime (Cullen and Agnew, 2011). Hirschi suggest that crime and social bonds are linked, such that crime occurs in absence of a strong social bond. The four elements of the social bonds are

The strain theory, developed by Robert K. Merton in 1957 is not only a criminology theory but it is a sociology theory as well stating that individuals do indulge in crimes because the society exerts pressure and puts a lot of strain on them while they are on the process of achieving socially acceptable goals. A good example of this socially acceptable goal is the American Dream whereas examples of crimes committed under strain theory include

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 Merton’s (1938) strain theory social structures account for the criminal tendencies found in offenders. Individuals adjust to societal pressures in five distinct ways. Adaptation I, which entails conforming to both culture norms and means, is the most common. The popularity of this adaptation allows a society to function effectively. In contrast, adaptation IV is the least common and gives rise to the rejection of both cultural goals and means. Those that adopt this culture pattern are societal misfits and usually include some such persons as psychotics, psychoneurotics, chronic autists, vagrants, and chronic drunkards or drug addicts.

Across the nation, social scientists and criminologists have researched and hypothesized the main contributing factors that promote juvenile delinquency. The Strain/ Anomie theory introduced by Robert Merton and later revised by several other theorists, attempts to explain why juvenile subculture tend to behave certain ways when confronted with pressures from everyday life. Revised by other theorists, the Strain theory attempts to provide the framework of juvenile delinquency and its sources in order to analyze the effectiveness of this assumption, as well as to implement certain crime prevention policies and programs to curb this problem. This paper is going to analyze how the Strain theory contributes it’s principles of delinquency

Agnew, R. (1992). Foundation for a General Strain Theory of Crime and Delinquency. Criminology. 30(1), 47-87.

Strain theory is an occurrence within society where pressure to the juvenile to commit crimes, the juvenile is compelled remains in a specific settings like family and school. Therefore if said juvenile is experiencing pain or aversive it is hard for them to escape the situation. So to alleviate this discomfort they turn to crime, this mainly seen within the subculture of gangs (Agnew, 2012).