The American Dream: An Idea That Changed The Nation

Burglary has an undeniably large presence in society. Consequently, there is significant discourse surrounding the major criminogenic forces that motivate burglars. As a result, this essay asserts that to a large extent, strain theory provides the most effective explanation for burglary. However, this essay recognises the limitations of strain theory, thus the essay acknowledges the smaller, albeit still significant roles that theories like Seduction of Crime theory and Conflict theory play in explaining burglary. To develop this hypothesis, a number of factors are explored. First however, a definition of burglary must be established; for the purposes of this essay, the Common Law definition shall be used. Additionally, strain theory’s fundamental

The American Dream is something many Americans desire. The desire to the mind – set or belief that anyone can be successful if they worked hard for what they’ve been yearning. It is considered to be a ‘perfect life’; it can be full of money, contentedness or even love. There are many divergent opinions given by people. Walter Younger from Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of the Salesman’ both have their own views on the American Dream and how it can be achieved. Walter Lee Younger, a

The concept of the American Dream has been present in the lives of many since the beginning of American literature’s arrival

Pressures on society to live the dream can make feelings of low self-worth and turn into pushing people to go further to achieve by any means necessary. The American Dream does not only represent honesty and truth. It has not been uncommon for big CEO’s of companies to lie, cheat and steal to achieve their “American Dream”. This has been common throughout our history of economics. As society grows, wealth is the common denominator for success, and one starts to look up to these people at the top of the ladder to have achieved the dream. These people, who are anything but ethical, are the ones who influence society as what it takes to achieve and live the dream. "He's the man who fixed the World Series back in 1919" (The Great Gatsby, page 78). The dream became so focused on money that any means of a obtaining it were condoned, even if it were unscrupulous. Result of American dream being corrupted is that the motivation and ambition were gone and the dream is left with the pursuit of an empty goal. Ignorance and the ideal of looking out for oneself are prevalent; where as in the pure American Dream striving to accomplish ones' own personal goal is ones main focus. One should use the American Dream for motivation and hope that one can achieve ones personal goal. The American Dream should not

Over time, The American Dream has changed in an innumerable amount of ways. Past civilizations have laid the foundation for what we view it to be today. In the 1970s, people looked at a variety of aspects such as culture, political affairs (government), one’s appearance, and entertainment to fit their definition of “The American Dream”. The 1970’s helped shape and influence what people regard as the current American Dream.

The American Dream can be, in a sense, complex; in other words, it is prone to change, and has been changing over the centuries since it’s informal conception. Alexis de Tocqueville, a French writer, prominent in the 19th century, regarded the American Dream as a system of several physical and ideological components that contributed to the success of it’s people; for example, these factors included “abundant and fertile land, countless opportunities for people to acquire land and make a living, lack of a feudal aristocracy that blocked the ambitious, and the independent spirit encouraged by frontier living” (“American Political Culture”). These views are responsible for establishing a basis for the American Dream; however, this ideology does

The general strain theory is most commonly referred to as GST. Rather than explaining how social class impacts crime rates, Agnew explains why those who feel strain commit crimes (“Merton and Agnew”). Criminals commit crimes for many reasons: parental rejection, child abuse, unemployment, bullying, and feeling as if one has failed in life. Growing up in a bad community and home life has been highly related to criminal activity later in life. For instance, most strain is brought on by parents, teachers, peers, spouses, and employers. Now, why does strain increase the likelihood of crime? All of the reasons listed above and many more cause very negative emotions such as, anger, depression, and

The American Dream has almost always been an ideal which has changed from generation to generation. In this paper, we will examine the changes that the American Dream has gone through since 1849. Along with the changes we will examine the purpose of the American Dream, who it is meant for, and why we believe in it. We will also define what the American Dream is in today’s time. Doing this in turn will give a deeper insight to the American Dream, as well as the mindset of America. It is essential that we pinpoint the driving force that motivates many Americans to get to the next day.

The American Dream is a concept that has been wielded in American Literature since its beginnings. The ‘American Dream’ ideal follows the life of an ordinary man wanting to achieve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The original goal of the American dream was to pursue freedom and a greater good, but throughout time the goals have shifted to accumulating wealth and high social status. Deplorable moral and social values have evolved from a materialistic pursuit of happiness. In “Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity”, Roland Marchand describes a man that he believed to be the prime example of a 1920’s man. Marchand writes, “Not only did he flourish in the fast-paced, modern urban milieu of skyscrapers, taxi

Many times while reading modern literature you will hear reference to the “American Dream”. What the various authors and or readers must decide is whether or not this is a true goal. There are many arguments that state that the “American Dream” is a figment of imagination. There are others that believe this is an attainable goal.

The book “Crime and the American Dream” is an example of the Strain Theory. Social class and living conditions are some of the factors that increases the vulnerability of a certain group to commit crimes. People are eager to be part of the ideology of the dream that the United States has to offer. The United States promise people that if they form part of the American society they will be successful and have the opportunities that they did not have in their home country. Most people believe that since the United States is the land of opportunity. Many people come to this country chasing the American dream while leaving behind the restrictions of their home land.

Crime affects all human beings regardless of their race, religion, age, or nationality. Some groups will encounter crime on a more regular basis than others and a primary example of this socioeconomic state. According to sociologists, crime is caused by deviation from the accepted norms of the society (Andersen & Taylor 2009). Traditionally, lower income areas within a society will have more crime and more violent crime than areas with more economic advantages. This makes sense; areas with higher incomes will be less likely to experience theft as people can afford necessities as well as luxuries. People with less money and less possessions will be more likely to feel encumbered by their lack of financial excess and will steal in order to acquire money and goods which they could not otherwise possess. Areas with lower incomes are also more likely to have heavy drug use and prostitution which sociologists argue has to do with a psychological need to escape the dire reality of their living situations. Sociology is the study of the workings of a given social group and crime is a major negative factor in groups which sociologists should study. Therefore, this issue is an important one in the field of sociology and to those who study societies. By examining the link between social and economic status and crime it is possible to identify ways and means of limiting criminal behavior and its negative impact on the societies in which the crimes occur.

In sociology and criminology, strain theory states that social structures within society may pressure citizens to commit crime. Following on the work of Émile Durkheim, Strain Theories have been advanced by Robert King Merton (1957), Albert K. Cohen(1955), Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin (1960), Neil Smelser (1963), Robert Agnew (1992), and Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld (1994). Strain may be either: Structural: this refers to the processes at the societal level which filter down and affect how the individual perceives his or her needs, i.e. if particular social structures are inherently inadequate or there is inadequate regulation, this may change the individual's perceptions as to means and opportunities; or individual: this refers to the frictions and pains experienced by an individual as he or she looks for ways to satisfy his or her needs, i.e. if the goals of a society become significant to an individual, actually achieving them may become more important than the means adopted.

We lived in the world where our environments have been contaminated by some series of behaviors which affects the society in different norms such as poverty, discrimination, homelessness and others. It is true that climatic change has a possibility of making and leading large numbers of individuals to experience severe strains, but most strains are blamed on other people or individuals. We can see this situation mostly in the environment and areas where there is poverty and when people are unable to find relief either because they cannot count on the government for help. As Agnew and Kaufman (2010) suggested, “that these type of conditions are conducive to the development of beliefs and values favorable to crime.”

Strain theory states that various social structures or stressors can increase the likelihood of a person to resort to criminal activities. The strains increase the negative emotions of an individual such as frustration and anger, which create the pressure to seek corrective action and therefore crime may be seen as a possible solution to ease the pressure (Bao, Haas, Chen, & Pi, 2012). When a person uses crime to ease the pressure that has been brought about by strain theories, he or she is trying to escape from the source of the strain, seek revenge, or alleviate the negative emotions that he or she feels. For instance, a young