Strain Theories

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Strain Theories
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Introduction

• Originally a social structure perspective
• Popular in 1950s-1960s (Merton)
• Explains class correlate
• Most versions assume we share similar values and
  goals but do not have equal opportunity

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Emile Durkheim

• French sociologist (1858-1917)
• Studied evolution of society
• Mechanical to Organic
• Le Suicide (1893)
• Theory of Anomie (normlessness)
• Causes of crime
• Breakdown of regulatory structures
• Forced division of labor
• Cult of individualism
• Failure to adapt
• Crime as necessary and functional

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Robert Merton

• Applied Durkheims ideas to the U.S. after the
  Great Depression
  
• Anomie/Strain Theory (1938)
• Disjuncture between culturally accepted goals
  (American Dream) and legitimate means to achieve
  them creates strain
  
• Differential access to opportunity
• Relative depravation
• 5 adaptations to strain

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Robert Merton
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Robert Merton

• Causal Structure
• Disjuncture between means and goals ?
• Societal state of anomie (macro portion) ?
• Individual adaptations to strain (micro portion)
• Some crime-related
• Explains instrumental crimes (monetary gain)

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Macro Strain

• Limitations
• Very difficult to test
• Not much empirical testing/support
• Considered dead by 1980s
• Research with delinquents does not support
• Less expectations/stress
• Assumes everyone shares same goals
  (ethnocentric)
  
• Fails to explain choices of adaptation
• Fails to account for differences in gender, age,
  race, religion, country of origin, etc.

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Robert Agnew

• General Strain Theory (1985/2005)
• Micro Strain
• Social-psychological variables
• Strain triggers negative emotions requiring
  coping strategies
  
• 3 sources of strain
• Failure to achieve goals
• Removal of valued stimuli
• Presentation of negative stimuli

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Robert Agnew

• 3 components of failure to achieve goals
• Disjuncture between aspirations and expectations
• Disjuncture between expectations and actual
  achievements
  
• Disjuncture between just/fair results and actual
  results
  
• Social equity

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Robert Agnew

• Aggravating/Mitigating Factors
• Magnitude/Severity of strain
• Clustering How many strains occurring at once?
• Recency The more recent, the worse it is
• Duration Temporary or chronic stressor?
• Negative affect (fear, depression, anger)
• Anger most important

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Robert Agnew

• Delinquency/crime is one way to cope with strain
• Others include
• Behavioral coping (action oriented)
• Exercise
• Cognitive coping (negative to positive)
• Think positive
• Emotional coping
• Meditation/relaxation techniques
• Use of medication
• Anger response most likely to lead to crime

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Robert Agnew

• Wide scope, although less parsimonious than
  Merton
  
• More empirical support than Merton
• Applies/Extended to everyone, not just lower
  class
  
• Limitations
• Difficult to measure emotion
• Reliance on partial tests

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Robert Agnew

• Policy Implications
• Focus on family
• Advocated family and school interventions
• Reduce adversity in environment and train parents
  to better supervise and discipline
  
• Provide social skills training
• Increase social support through counseling,
  mediation, and advocacy
  
• Increase ability to cope through anger
  management, problem-solving, social skills, and
  stress management

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Messner Rosenfeld

• Institutional Anomie Theory
• Crime the American Dream (1994)
• American Dream
• Economic institutions undermine social controls
• Emphasizes winning over how we play the game
• 4 cultural values
• Achievement Orientation
• Fetishism of money
• Individualism
• Universalism

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Messner Rosenfeld

• Culturally produced pressure to secure monetary
  rewards weak controls from non-economic social
  institutions high rates of instrumental crime

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Messner Rosenfeld

• Strengthen non-economic institutions to create
  balance
  
• Implement pro-family economic policies (family
  leave, child care facilities at job)
  
• Loosen the strong ties between academic
  performance and future economic prospects
  
• Limit the costs of crime control through the use
  of intermediate sanctions in community
  
• Create broader social and civic participation
  through national service programs (Americorps)

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Strain Theories

• CJ Policy
• Do not over promote economic goals
• Reduce sources of strain
• CJ Practice
• Provide education and economic opportunities for
  lower classes
  
• Mobilization for Youth
• Head Start
• War on Poverty
• Teach legitimate coping skills

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Strain Theories

• Evaluation
• Explains crime at all levels
• Fails to explain why people choose particular
  crimes
  
• Fails to explain senseless violence
• Agnews GST and Messner Rosenfelds IAT have
  empirical support
  
• Macro (classical) strain theories lack support