Theories Of General Strain Theory

The Strain Theory was developed by Robert Merton a Sociologist in 1938 (Richard Featherstone, 2003). It was first called the theory of anomie and deviance, then it was changed in recent years to what we know as strain theory (Richard Rosenfeld, 1989). He believed that the Theory of Anomie was that we put an emphasis on cultural goals and the means to achieve them, and that the strain of this theory is that the deviance we see in society is caused by the social norms within a society (Daniel S. Murphy and Mathew B. Robinson, 2008). This was that the ideas of our society to obtain wealth, may actually cause this deviant behavior in individuals. As an individual we will obtain the means to

Exploring the role of negative emotions among murderers in a population of federal offenders: the General Strain Theory

Despite criminology theories claiming that they are gender and race neutral we still see disparities in incarceration rates on a racial divide. Why do we see rising rates incarceration rates in Hispanics and African Americans representing over 50% of those rates? Is there a theory out there than can explain this occurrence in the criminal justice system? The intent of this paper is to explain why this disparity occurs using the General Strain Theory. I also intend to explain why Social Disorganization fails in explaining the racial gap in offending. Both of these theories encounter the issue of failing to fully explain why certain racial or ethnic groups are incarcerated more than other, however, due to empirical evidence it’s clear to see

Within the social science field, strain theory has been expanded and advanced by many theorists over the last century. Created by Emile Durkheim in a study surrounding suicide, it quickly adapted to other areas of criminology and sociology. Strain theory can explain many forms of crimes, it cannot account for all forms of crime and deviant behaviour within society. Strain is prevalent throughout many forms of societal life, but not all can be linked to the crimes of which are committed by those within society, it tends to turn a blind eye to some forms of crime of which have not been acknowledged by the theorists. Though explicitly arguing the idea that strain theory does not account for all types of deviance, this will also include the arguments which have been put forward to say that strain theory does account for all kinds of crime.

Emile Durkheims’ theory of anomie is the original foundation of where the strain theories developed, but there is a lot of ambiguity when attempting to explain anomie and why certain crimes are committed. During Durkheim’s research into suicide, he introduced the term, anomie, which is a breakdown of society or an individual feeling emptiness and disenfranchised. These bundles of emotions contribute to the causation of certain types of criminal behavior such a “property crime, violent crime, and juvenile crime.” Robert K. Merton ruminated and re-introduced the strain theories on criminal behavior from Durkheim’s anomie, thus, in explaining the strain in life that result in criminal behavior.

The initial strain theory which was inspired by Emile Durkheim’s anomie, was created by Robert K. Merton in 1938. (Tibbetts & Hemmens, 2015, p.222). Merton came up with this theory after observing the Great Depression and how poverty produced crime in America (Tibbetts & Hemmens, 2015, p.223). During this time in history, many Americans lost their jobs and were unable to provide for their families. Not only did poverty rise throughout the nation, but crime grew rapidly(Tibbetts & Hemmens, 2015, p.222). Shanty towns formed all over the United States, not to mention that illnesses such as tuberculosis, renal diseases, and pneumonia were also a factor. Being in the midst of economic failure, poverty, and disease, many Americans began to commit unlawful acts such as stealing, suicide, and murder (Tibbetts & Hemmens, 2015, p.222). Strain theories express how certain emotions such as frustration and being under pressure can influence crime (Tibbetts & Hemmens, 2015, p.222). The American dream according to Merton was that if individuals have a strong work ethic, they will obtain success in the end (Tibbetts & Hemmens, 2015, p.223). Being educated

Moving forward with the General Strain Theory, Robert Agnew, in collaboration Timothy Brezina, John P. Wright and Francis T. Cullen aimed to examine the relation between personality traits, such as negative emotionality and low constraint, strain and delinquency (2002). The researchers hypothesized that "individuals high in negative emotionality are much more likely than are others to experience events as aversive, ..., to experience intense emotional reactions to these events-particularly the key emotion of anger.. and to be disposed to respond to such events in an aggressive or antisocial manner" (Agnew, et al. 2002, 46). The researchers study was based on cross-sectional data from second wave of the "National Survey of Children" (Furstenberg

Criminal psychologists and sociologists, amongst others, have studied numerous criminal cases to try to understand what makes people commit crimes. Are people born criminals? Are people born bad or good? Or why do good people commit crimes? A great number of sociologists have come up with different theories to answer these questions. Robert Agnew, for example, proposed the General Strain Theory. This theory “argues that strains or stressors increase the likelihood of negative emotions like anger and frustration. These emotions create pressure for corrective action, and crime is one possible response (Agnew 1992).” (Agnew, 2001, p. 319) A stressful day at work or a stressful relationship can cause a person to get angry and frustrated. According to this theory, these emotions need to be expressed or let out in one way or another.

The General Strain Theory (GST) is both a sociology and criminology theory that was developed by Robert Agnew in 1992. It states that people who experience strain or stress become distressed or even upset and it may lead them to commit crimes so as to

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

Agnew’s General Strain Theory in 2006 restated the six central propositions of GST. Those are first, that strains refer to events and conditions disliked by individuals. Secondly, strains increase the likelihood of particular crimes primarily through the impact on a range of negative emotional states. Third, those strains most likely to cause crime are perceived as high in magnitude, seen as unjust, associated with low self control and create some pressure or incentive to engage in criminal coping. Fourth, the likelihood that an individual will react to strains with criminal behavior depends on a range of factors influencing the individual’s ability to engage in legal coping, costs of crime and disposition of crime. Fifth, patterns of offending

GENERAL STRAIN THEORY General Strain Theory was coined in the 1980’s by Robert Agnew. His theory stems from the ideas of Emile Durkheim and Robert K. Merton of strain and concept of anomie, or the “normlessness or the chaos that takes place when a society (e.g. economic structure) changes very rapidly” (Schram and Tibbitts, 2014). Their view focused on the frustration felt when individuals, particularly the lower class, cannot obtain the “American Dream” or their ultimate goals. Robert Agnew, on the other hand, chose to incorporate a multitude of frustrations that are focused by a wider range of people, in everyday life.

Criminality has always been a topic of interest and debate. Theorists have attempted to explain why it is that criminals behave in such a deviant manner. Every theory has a different focus and way of explaining why people commit crime. Anomie Theory, also known as Strain Theory, emerged in 1938. The concept of anomie was brought about by Emile Durkheim, then expanded by Robert Merton.

The purpose is to identify the similarities between Strain theories, and General Theory of Crime. Strain was developed from the work of Durkheim and Merton and taken from the theory of anomie. Durkheim focused on the decrease of societal restraint and the strain that resulted at the individual level, and Merton studied the cultural imbalance that exists between goal and the norms of the individuals of society. “General Theory of Crime”, In 1990 Michael R. Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi wrote the book “A General

In my opinion, the Strain Theories are the best structural theoretical perspective that can explain crime because when the concepts of the stain theory are combined with the definition of anomie, it provides a potential explanation on why crime is committed. “Anomie is from the Greek term a nomos, which means “without norms” and a strain is the failure to get what they want which leads to anger and frustration.” (Siegel, Ch. 6-4). If a person is living in an anomic society and they have no have no values, customs, or norms guiding them through society, they will be exposed to greater strains in society, thus leading them to crime. “The greater the intensity of and frequency of strain experiences, the greater their impact and the more likely