Strain Theory (sociology)

Strain theory is an analysis of why people commit crime. It suggests that when people are under stress (strain), their emotions sometimes lead them to engage in criminal acts. This may be a means of getting away from or coping with the stress. Individuals may respond to aggression in others by becoming violent themselves, for example, or cope with financial pressures by turning to theft. Some people may use drugs to counteract their feelings, or act out, seeking revenge because of a real or perceived slight. Researchers have suggested a number of variations of the strain theory. Some of the most common are the anomie theory, general strain theory, institutional anomie theory, and relative deprivation theory.

Overview of Theories

Many early criminologists believed that crime thrives in urban slums because each generation shares its antisocial views and attitudes with the next, perpetuating a cycle of criminal behavior. Researchers theorized that high crime in urban slums was a direct result of the people rejecting what were known as conventional middle-class values.

Anomie Theory

Robert K. Merton took a different view of crime in low-income communities. He proposed the anomie theory: Strictly following conventional middle-class values (with the so-called American dream serving as an example) and focusing on economic success result in high rates of crime in impoverished areas.

The American dream is of particular concern in this theory. It is the myth that hard work will lead to economic prosperity and that all individuals willing to put in the effort have an equal chance of achieving success. Merton and others recognized that the social structure of the United States is not balanced. Many people will not have access to such things as higher education, which is closely linked to higher income, no matter how hard they work because they are far down on the socioeconomic ladder from the start. Social conflict emerges when individuals who cannot achieve the American dream through institutionalized, or socially acceptable, methods seek it through deviant actions or crime. Merton referred to this instability, the deterioration of cultural norms, as anomie. Anomie lies in the chasm between a society's shared goals and access to a legitimate way to achieve them. Merton believed that without institutionalized social norms, individuals would simply pursue economic success through any means necessary.

Merton's theory includes five ways that individuals adapt to the strains they experience when they are unable to attain goals. Conformity is the adaptation of acceptance of a culture's goals and efforts to achieve them through legitimate (lawful) actions. Innovation is the adaptation of using illegitimate means to achieve the accepted goals. In ritualism, an individual gives up the goals, but chooses legitimate actions. Retreatism describes the rejection of both the goals and the means. Rebellion describes an individual rejecting both the acceptable goals and means, and seeking a new social structure. According to Merton's theory, when anomie and the degree to which opportunities are blocked are higher, rates of deviance will also increase. Conformity should be the norm in communities where everyone has equal opportunities and all understand what are acceptable goals and means to achieve them.

Institutional Anomie Theory

Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld felt that the anomie/strain theory did not take into account the influences of family, education, and other social institutions. During the 1990s, they introduced the institutional anomie theory. Messner and Rosenfeld agreed that society's overemphasis on the American dream likely influenced individuals to seek economic success through the most efficient method. However, they believed that social institutions inappropriately promoted the idea of economic success. Education, for example, is regarded as a tool to help an individual become successful by getting a job and making money. Social institutions did not help individuals define success in other ways; therefore, they could not counterbalance the economic focus. According to the institutional anomie theory, then, society's focus on financial success and the failure of social institutions to provide alternatives to the American dream as a measure of self-value are likely to result in more crime.

General Strain Theory

According togeneral strain theory, which was proposed by Robert Agnew, strain causes negative emotions. The result could be wrongdoing. The strains addressed by Agnew include loss, negative experiences such as abuse, and failure to attain a goal such as money. Under this theory, crime is a likely result of certain types of strain, in particular those that seem unjust, extreme, or uncontrollable, or produce feelings that antisocial actions are justified.

The response to a strain is a way of coping with the emotions it has aroused in the individual. Young people are particularly likely to choose antisocial responses for several reasons, including peer pressure, a need for autonomy, and lack of control over circumstances. Of the negative emotions caused by strain, anger is the one most often associated with criminal behavior.

Relative Deprivation Theory

People may measure how well they are doing against others. This comparison is an important theme of relative deprivation theory. Success or well-being may be measured in terms such as wealth, power, or status. When an individual perceives his or her well-being as being less than another's—relative deprivation—the person may experience negative emotions. A person's perception of his or her own and another's success may not be accurate, and an individual may have complex reasons for choosing the person he or she is using for comparison. According to the theory, an individual knows someone has X, wants X, feels entitled to X, realizes he or she can get X, and feels it is not his or her fault for not having X.

Relative deprivation may affect people in any social class. Because it occurs at all socioeconomic levels, relative deprivation may be a better indicator of a person's likelihood of committing a crime than wealth or status.

Bibliography

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