Strain Theory Essay

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

protected by their gang members. This brings back up my theories with differential opportunity theory and strain theory. Gang violence that is done in a community is dealing with other gangs wanting to have control over that part of the community, and how that gets started is they both are trying to do the same thing in a neighborhood that they are in. Theories There are many theories that can be applied to gang violence; however there are two theories that focused on gang violence that will be emphasized

presented many theories to serve as such explanations with strain theory being one of them; however, like many other theories, strain theory was pushed aside decades ago. It was not until recently that this theory was given new life by criminologist, Robert Agnew. Robert Agnew introduced this new development as the general strain theory. GST was the first supposition that was not tied to social class or cultural variables as it was in previous implications of Émile Durkheim’s anomie theory. Instead,

Limitations Merton’s strain is only concerned with working class as opposed to middle class and white collar crimes, this is a criticism of the theory. (Newburn, 2012, p184) The limitations of Merton’s theory of strain can be argued as the study, which he has compiled is only concentrated on working class crime, not the middle class and white collar crimes. Furthermore, there is an over prediction because not all individuals under strain become criminals. For example, women are under most strain with unequal

Strain Theory and Criminal Behavior Luis Carrillo CRUJ 330 California State University, Fullerton Introduction Two major concerns of students studying crimes are the origin and reasons behind criminal behavior. As a result, theories on crime and delinquency primarily revolve around these concerns. Moreover, it provides a doorway to understanding in human nature. Theorists draw their knowledge from different fields of science—such as sociology, psychology and biology—to find

1957, by Robert Merton, strain theory originates from Emile Durkheim’s conceptualization of anomie. According to the strain theory, criminal offenders are those who experience the strain to anomie, or, “the disconnection between goals and the means of goal attainment,” (McLaughlin, November 2016, no pagination). While the theory of anomie focused on the mismatch between social norms and individual or group circumstances, strain theory expands upon this explaining that this strain to anomie can cause

Abstract This paper presents the basic knowledge behind the strain theory. The strain theory was developed by Robert K. Merton. The strain theory is when one is unable to achieve valued goals, becomes frustrated, and then turns to criminal acts. Criminal activity is like an on-going cycle and it all starts with the communities one lives in. Strain can be caused by other people, one’s surroundings, and the feeling of failure. If one’s environment is traumatizing or indifferent, there is little that

The explanation of sociological and philosophical theory relies on the interpretation of human behavior using theoretical frameworks. These theoretical frameworks have been an integral part over the years and have been used to understand phenomenon in contemporary living. Karl Marx, Max Weber. Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud are some of the famous composers of theoretical frameworks that are used to interpret and analyze human living. For instance, Marx’s sentiments on capitalism are instrumental

through legitimate means, others however strive to obtain that same goal through some illegitimate means. The strain that crashes down on certain individuals to obtain financial success can lead to some going astray down a criminal path in order to meet those goals that many individuals around them had achieved. This strain is known as Agnew’s General Strain Theory. Agnew’s General Stain Theory, or GST, is one

Classic Strain Theory, as introduced and defined by Robert Merton, is a Social Structure Theory used to help explain the effect one’s community, most notably lower class areas, has on their ability to achieve predetermined goals, usually considered culturally normal. Merton theorized that all people in a various culture and social structure have similar values, goals, and norms. He stated that within this social structure there are individuals who come from affluent upbringing and are therefore more