The strain theory. Strain theory (sociology) 2022-12-25
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The strain theory is a sociological theory that explains the relationship between social structure and deviance. According to strain theory, people who are unable to attain their goals through legitimate means, such as education or employment, may turn to deviant behaviors as a way to cope with the strain that results from their inability to achieve their goals.
The strain theory was first proposed by Robert Merton in the 1940s. Merton argued that people in a society are socialized to strive for certain goals, such as wealth and success. However, not everyone has equal access to the means to attain these goals. Some people may be born into disadvantaged circumstances, while others may face discrimination or other barriers to opportunity.
When people are unable to achieve their goals through legitimate means, they may experience strain or frustration. This strain can lead to deviant behaviors as a way to cope with the disappointment and frustration of not being able to achieve their goals. Merton identified five different ways in which people may respond to strain: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion.
Conformity refers to the idea that people who experience strain will try to achieve their goals through conventional means, even if it is difficult or requires a lot of effort. Innovation refers to the idea that people who experience strain will try to achieve their goals through illegal or unconventional means, such as theft or fraud. Ritualism refers to the idea that people who experience strain will give up on their goals and instead focus on the routine of their everyday lives. Retreatism refers to the idea that people who experience strain will completely give up on their goals and turn to drugs or other forms of escapism. Rebellion refers to the idea that people who experience strain will actively challenge the social norms and values that are preventing them from achieving their goals.
The strain theory has been influential in explaining deviant behaviors, and it has been applied to a wide range of topics, including crime, drug use, and mental health. However, the theory has also been criticized for its focus on individual behavior and its lack of attention to the role of social and economic structures in shaping deviant behaviors.
Overall, the strain theory provides an important perspective on how social structure and individual behavior are related. It highlights the role that social and economic inequalities play in shaping deviant behaviors and suggests that addressing these inequalities may be an important way to prevent deviance and promote social stability.
Strain Theory: How to Cope With Stressful Situations Free Essay Example
The Free Press, New York, pp. Anderson 2009, as cited in Agnew 2001 , suggests that inner-city communities may engage in criminal coping as a response to conflicts within the community and with police. In fact, all individuals will be part of multiple role relationships. This would be very difficult for a med-student, though. As mentioned earlier, 22. Social Science and Medicine. So there's incentive to engage in criminal behavior as well.
In other words, we weigh the pros and cons of our actions before deciding whether or not to do something. According to General Strain Theory, strain increases crime because it leads to negative emotions such as anger, frustration, depression, and fear. According to the initial statement of GST Agnew, According to some studies, delinquent peer associations, deviant beliefs, low self-control, and other factors increase the likelihood that strain will lead to deviant outcomes e. This results in some individuals from the lower classes using unconventional or criminal means to obtain financial resources. When a strain is perceived as being high in magnitude.
GST recognizes that the experience of goal blockage can also result from the failure to achieve expected outcomes e. It is cheaper to import a car through a country that has a high year of manufacturing gap. As a result of their difficult temperament, aggressive individuals have difficulty maintaining stable relationships and employment. Poverty, low job and housing availability, and institutionalized racial oppression are not problems that can be solved overnight, if ever at all. What a strain creates pressures or incentives to engage in coping that includes criminal conduct. His first killing was of a 16-year-old boy taking a bus trip to Chicago by himself.
A member of middle management, for example, who accepts that they will never progress but nonetheless stays in their position is a ritualist. You may have heard that serial killers are all dysfunctional loners or that all serial killers are white males. The second update that Agnew added to his theory of coping strategies was behavioral. The incentive for violence comes from the fact that if Jack doesn't act disrespectfully, he'll get even more abuse. They generally have less control over their lives, having difficulty removing themselves from adverse environments, and have fewer opportunities for legal coping, given poor schools and limited job opportunities.
The Strain Theory: The Serial Killer Of John Wayne Gacy
Objective strain happens because of events and conditions that most people in a given group dislike, while subjective strain results from events and conditions disliked by one particular person or the particular persons being studied. Therefore, this type of strain could motivate an individual to commit crimes such as robbery and theft in order to get money to pay for the cost of living when their occupations fail to provide enough financial stability. Deviance is not just doing something wrong, it is something against the norms of society. The third major type of strain involves the loss of positively valued stimuli. Bullying Victimization and Adolescent Self-Harm: Testing Hypotheses from General Strain Theory.
As easy as it might be to believe these stereotypes, and although some serial killers meet a few of the descriptions, they are not necessarily true. Aside from these characteristics it is undetermined why a serial has a desire to kill, they all have their own unique reason. General Overviews Strain theories are among the leading theories of crime and so are routinely discussed in textbooks, handbooks, and encyclopedia dealing with crime theories. And finally, anticipated strains are strains that individuals expect to experience, especially in the near future. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. The subjects of the study were convicted white-collar offenders. An example would be a young adult moving to a large city, expecting to become successful and life an affluent lifestyle, only to find that the means to achieve this might not be equally available due to their social status.
However, they choose the alternative values. Members of terrorist groups that do not seem to have experienced high magnitude strains still report experiencing high magnitude strains Hoffman 2006. If, however, he's robbed of his life savings of thousands of dollars, he may seek significant and likely criminal retribution. She can always apply for a student loan and work while she studies. Justice quarterly, 13 4 , 681-704. Variation in crime across macro-level social units is typically explained in terms of deviant subcultures or breakdowns in social control.
Future research should test and map variations in anger across and within populations and explore implications for macro-level GST in explaining cross-cultural differences in crime. I live on the north side of Chicago, which has lower rates of crime, particularly violent crime than in other more marginalized areas of the city, but it is still prevalent. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 43 4 , 297-325. What are the limitations of strain theory? However, most of the research found that this was not the case. Agnew's macro-level strain theory MST , however, provides an additional explanation. While Agnew is credited with GST, it is important to note the key people in history who have helped develop the broader strain perspective that it elaborates. It also increases the likelihood that angry and frustrated individuals will encounter each other, contributing to elevated rates of crime and violence Agnew, Hundreds of studies have been published that test some aspect of GST or that apply GST to crime, delinquency, or other deviant behaviors.
