limitations of general strain theorylimitations of general strain theory

Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com. In the face of strain that originates in families, schools, or neighborhoods, adolescents have fewer opportunities for legal coping. The theory explains that it is the social structures that influence a person to commit a crime. As Merton recognized, pervasive inequalities in the United States create serious barriers to success for many lower-class individuals. In the longitudinal analyses, however, strain did not predict drug use (although the effect was significant in cross-sectional analyses). GST specifies conditions that are said to increase the likelihood of deviant coping, including a lack of coping resources, a lack of conventional social support, few opportunities for conventional coping, ample opportunities for criminal coping, the existence of low social control, and a strong predisposition for crime. At the same time, adolescents frequently encounter opportunities for delinquent coping, such as exposure to delinquent peers. Using data from the 2008 Youth in Europe Survey, this study applies general strain theory of deviance to suicidal behaviors of Turkish adolescents. The Strain Theory basically states that its the entire lower classes fault for crime in the cities and the upper classes have nothing to do with it. General strain theorists recognize these factors, but they offer two additional reasons for the gender gap in crime and delinquency (Broidy & Agnew, 1997). Too deterministic- a lot of working class people experience crime but not all deviate. This would let the researchers look at various factors that cause strain firsthand, by doing interviews and surveys more frequently. Certain school-level measures (such as perceived fairness) predicted delinquency at the individual level, but others did not (such as school problems). These mixed findings may reflect methodological challenges and the limitations of individual studies (see Mazerolle & Maahs, 2000). Over the long run, however, delinquent responses to strain are likely to exacerbate problems with parents, teachers, and conventional peers. These and other issues provide opportunities for further theoretical development and are likely to stimulate additional research on GST. For example, in empirical tests, the experience of strain or goal-blockage did not prove to be a strong predictor of delinquency. General Strain Theory has a greater theoretical sophistication than its traditional counterpart, not only in terms of specifying different types of strain but, most importantly, in recognizing the relationship between the individual and society is more-complex than that suggested by writers like Merton. The findings of the study suggest that the main direction of the casual relationship flows from strain to delinquency. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. They also find support for the interpersonal friction argument, noting that, in such schools, students in general (not just angry students) have an elevated risk of becoming involved in fights. In particular, they often lack coping resources that are available to those in wealthier communities, such as money, power, and conventional social support. Peoples methods of coping with stress can take two general avenues, the first avenue being the use of legitimate means of achieving goals or coping with stress, such as seeking professional help, and the second being illegitimate means, for example, bullying kids at school because of frustrations of not fitting in. Certain data indicate that the subjective experience of strain is an important consideration in understanding the relationship between strain and offending, but studies in this area have produced mixed results. (2) Strain as the disjunction between just or fair outcomes and actual outcome. Merton observed that, in the United States, the cultural ethos of the American Dream encourages all individuals, regardless of circumstance, to strive for personal success, with an emphasis on the accumulation of monetary wealth. In contrast, Cohen (1955) observed that most juvenile offending is non-utilitarian in nature. To illustrate, these conditions are often faced by adolescents, which may help to explain why adolescents exhibit high rates of offending relative to other age groups in the population (Agnew & Brezina, 2015). The evidence in this area suggests that, on average, males and females experience the same overall level of strain. An example of removing stimuli could be someone shooting up a school because they were bullied, thus terminating the negative stimuli. Chronic anger tends to foster attitudes that favor aggression, which in turn increase the likelihood of violent offending. Agnew, Robert ( 1992) 'Foundation for a General Strain Theory of Crime and Delinquency', Criminology 30 (1): 47-87. In other neighborhoods, strained youth specialize in violent behavior or in money-oriented crimes. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. Jang and Rhodes (2012), however, find that the effects of strain are partly mediated by social bonds and self-control, but not delinquent peers. General strain theory (GST) has gained a significant level of academic attention, since its development in 1992. . Further, the experience of anger tends to reduce ones tolerance for injury or insult, lowers inhibitions, energizes the individual to action, and creates desires for retaliation and revenge (Agnew, 1992). All produce negative emotional states/feelings. Since its inception, strain theory has attempted to explore the dynamic evoked between the process of goal identification and the process of goal acquisition as this relates to subsequent criminal behavior. How to Market Your Business with Webinars. The third path, ritualism, describes a person that will reject the culture goals of society, but use its institutions as an avenue for advancement. According to the initial statement of GST (Agnew, 1992), the likelihood of a deviant response to strain is shaped or conditioned by the individuals coping skills and resources, availability of social support, association with criminal/delinquent peers, social control, beliefs about crime, and possession of certain traits such as self-control. Since its inception, the theory has received a considerable amount of attention from researchers, has enjoyed a fair amount of empirical support, and has been credited with helping to revitalize the strain theory tradition. Substance use, in turn, appears to exacerbate problems. Google Scholar. General strain theory (GST) is an established criminological theory. In comparison to their female counterparts, angry and depressed males are more likely to engage in delinquency because the outward expression of anger and depression is consistent with masculinity norms. The desire to get the object back could lead to a person committing delinquent acts by seeking revenge for those responsible. Furthermore, the GST's broad scope makes document forgery impossible. The article had some success, laying the groundwork for my "general strain theory," now one of the leading explanations of crime and delinquency ( Agnew 1992 . They try to increase the likelihood that youth . Why do people "adapt" to strain in different ways? Getting something of great value stolen from you would be an example of the removal. Although the theory appears to be logical and fits the criteria for being a good theory by what was learned in CRMJ 301, I have become a skeptic of the theory. Numerous studies have examined gender differences in the experience of strain and its emotional and behavioral consequences (e.g., Baron, 2007; Cheung & Cheung, 2010; De Coster & Zito, 2010; Francis, 2014; Hay, 2003; Hoffmann & Su, 1997; Jang, 2007; Jennings, Piquero, Gover, & Prez, 2009; Kaufman, 2009; Mazerolle, 1998; Morash & Moon, 2007; Piquero et al., 2010; Piquero & Sealock, 2004). Some strains may have a relatively strong relationship to crime, while others have a weak relationship to crime. General Strain theory in my opinion is parsimonious in its general explanation of why strain causes crime, but latent variables such as gender, age, race, neighborhood, and other factors make it complicated when it boils down to experimental testing. GST is primarily a social psychological theory, focusing on the relationship between the individual and his or her immediate social environment. Theoretical Criminology, 14, 131-153. Strain may lead to other negative emotions, foster beliefs favorable to crime, reduce social control, and increase attraction to delinquent peers. Males and females appear to react differently to strain or to the emotional consequences of strain. To fully understand GST, it is helpful to review the multiple publications that span the development and growth of the theory. There are hundreds of coping strategies; individuals often employ several strategies, contemporaneously and over time; the strategies they employ often vary, depending on the stressors they experience and other factors. Piquero and Sealock (2004) analyze data from a small sample of justice-involved youth and find that males and females generally experience the same amount of overall strain. Weaknesses One weakness of the strain theory is that it does only focus on the middle and lower classes of society. According to GST, however, the primary reason these strains are related to crime and delinquency is because they increase the likelihood that individuals will experience negative emotions, such as anger, resentment, anxiety, and depression. For instance, it was argued that individuals experience strain when they aspire to achieve monetary success but do not expect to attain it, because they perceive the goal of success to be out of reach. Unexpectedly, they observe that the females in their sample exhibit higher levels of anger and depression. Previous empirical tests of general strain theory support this theory, but their shortcomings preclude the drawing of definitive conclusions. In another multilevel study of problem behavior in schools, de Beeck, Pauwels, and Put (2012) find that a school-level measure of strain, based on negative future prospects, predicts violence but not other delinquencies. The trait of aggressiveness may result, in part, from chronic strains experienced in childhood, such as harsh or erratic parental discipline. Robert Agnew, who devised a revision to previous strain theories, argued that most of the previous theories accredit crime to the failure of adolescents to accomplish traditional goals defined by society through legitimate avenues (Agnew 1985). Y. M. Cheng, Y. M. Cheng. In contrast, strains that involve accidents, illness, that are due to natural causes, or that are associated with prosocial activities are expected to have a weak relationship to offending (see also Felson, Osgood, Horney, & Wiernik, 2012). Also, while early tests of GST typically examined the relationship between strain and general delinquency, the theory has since been applied to a variety of specific deviant behaviors. Another possibility is that males are more likely to react to strain with emotions that are conducive to offending, such as moral outrage. It is also distinguished by the emphasis it places on particular strains, especially strains involving negative social relations. Although the theory has been examined by many and enjoys empirical support, some limitations of previous studies need to be addressed. The second phase of the social structure defines how society is to go about achieving these goals, by placing regulations and creating laws (Merton 1938: 673). For example, being bullied by peers on a frequent basis is a type of strain that is expected to have a relatively strong relationship to delinquency. Merton developed five modes of adaptation to cultural strain: Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, and Rebellion. Given the complexity of the coping process, he now argues that a single factor examined in isolationsuch as social support or association with delinquent peersis not likely, by itself, to shape the likelihood of deviant coping. They also find that the co-occurrence of anger and depression is more common among females. To understand the development of GST, it is helpful to review the classic strain theories because GST was developed, in part, to address the limitations of these theories. Further, individuals who possess this trait are more likely than others to respond to strain with depression and substance use. Certain strains that fall into this categorysuch as racial discriminationhave been neglected by other theories. Further, certain data indicate that adolescents may resort to delinquency because it allows them to alleviate the negative emotional consequences of strain, at least in the short run (Brezina, 1996, 2000; Novacek, Raskin, & Hogan, 1991). Among males, however, depression exacerbates the criminogenic effect of anger. Agnew (1992) identifies three major sources of strain, being, the prevention or blockage of achieving positively valued goals, the removal of positively valued stimuli, and the threat or presentation of negatively valued stimuli. One of the major criticisms is the fact that the strain theory is based on weak empirical support. In contrast, based on a sample of students in middle school, De Coster and Zito (2010) find that males and females exhibit similar levels of anger, although females exhibit higher levels of depression (see also Kaufman, 2009). The idea of anomie means the lack of normal ethical or social standards. A variety of explanations have been offered to account for this gender gap in offending. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. Agnew's Theory state that "strains are shaped by various factors, including the nature, intensity, and duration of the strain, the emotions that the strain produces in the individual, the collection of coping mechanisms at an individual's disposal (Broidy 2001:10)." Second, certain data suggest that the response to strain is gendered, with males being more likely to cope with strain in a criminal or delinquent manner. , the experience of strain to delinquent peers to be a strong predictor delinquency. The longitudinal analyses, however, strain did not predict drug use although! Adolescents have fewer opportunities for delinquent coping, such as harsh or erratic parental discipline review. 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