1 / 13

Strain theories

Strain theories. Two kinds of “Strain”. Anomie (Emile Durkheim): Society cannot regulate “natural” appetites of individuals Rapid social change breaks down social controls Strain (Merton) – Social change not required to explain some types of crime

tristana
Download Presentation

Strain theories

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Strain theories

  2. Two kinds of “Strain” • Anomie (Emile Durkheim): Society cannot regulate “natural” appetites of individuals • Rapid social change breaks down social controls • Strain (Merton) – Socialchange not required to explain some types of crime • Individual “appetites” originate in the culture • Heavy emphasis on material wealth • Social structure limits the ability of certain groups to satisfy this appetite • Result: pressure on certain persons to engage in deviant behavior

  3. Imbalance between goals and means • American culture is criminogenic • Strong forces promote goal of material success • Weak forces promote culturally accepted means • Protestant work ethic • Honesty • Education • Delayed gratification • Egalitarianism – everyone has an equal chance to gain wealth • If you can’t it’s your own fault – perhaps you’re “lazy”

  4. Strain and lower classes • Lower classes may have fewer opportunities to gain wealth through accepted means • Limits imposed by social structure - not by talents or efforts • Severe strain on lower class persons • Lack of socially acceptable “means” to achieve ends • Excessive emphasis on the “ends” - to become wealthy • Little reward for following institutionalized means • Those who use deviant means are not punished • Overall social consequence of strain • Merton - crime is a rational choice – a way to adapt to strain • Higher crime rates in the lower classes due to restricted opportunities

  5. Individual responses to strain • Conformity (accept goals and means) • In stable society, most persons will keep trying even if they do not succeed • Innovation (accept goals, seek out new means) • Non-criminal adaptations – training, education • Criminal adaptations – steal, deal drugs • Ritualism (reject goals, accept means) • Achieve minimum success • Retreatism (reject goals and means) • Drop out – vagrants • Rebellion (replace socially accepted values with new values) • Political rebellion, spiritualism

  6. Explaining gang delinquency - Cohen • Mostly not caused by strain • Non-utilitarian, malicious, negativistic (vandalism) • Goals are intangible • Status and self-worth • Who? • Youths without ascribed status (from a poor family) • Youths who cannot gain achieved status (competition with others) • Cohen’s theory similar to Merton’s “rebellion” • Form that “rebellion” takes is shaped by a group - not just by an individual

  7. Explaining gang delinquency –Cloward and Ohlin • Goals are both tangible (Merton) and intangible (Cohen) • Goal of serious delinquents: conspicuous consumption • Fast cars, fancy clothes, “swell dames” • Clashes with conventional values • Serious delinquents are looked down on: • What they do not want (middle-class lifestyle) • What they do want • If they lack licit and illicit opportunities to get what they want, may form a violent or “conflict” gang to express their anger

  8. Public policy adaptations ofstrain theory • Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Control Act of 1961 • Improve education • Create job opportunities • Organize lower-class families • Provide services to individuals, gangs, families • War on Poverty - Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 • Crime and poverty based on social structure • Original intent to change social structure • Implementation geared to change poor people

  9. Criticizing strain theory - Kornhauser • Strain is evenly spread through society • Rich and poor always want more • Economic gain not a cultural value - it is intrinsic • Hard work (Protestant ethic) is a very weak value, easily overcome by gain motive • Criminals and delinquents not strained • Have low aspirations (what they want) and low expectations (what they expect to get)

  10. Defending strain theory -- Bernard • Strain not evenly spread through society • Concentrated in lower classes • Delinquents do have a gap between expectations and aspirations • Strain is primarily structural – not cultural • Illusion of street-corner men who generate “public fictions” to justify themselves: “too much of a man for any woman” • These excuses are misinterpreted as components of a “lower-class lifestyle • Adaptations described by Merton are real • Simple reactions to socially structured situations that individuals cannot control or overcome

  11. Meanings of strain -- Cullen • Strain means two different things • Characteristics of a society - doesn’t provide legitimate means to achieve culturally valued ends • Individual feelings of frustration, anxiety, depression that can flow from above • Structural inequalities encourage deviance • Unequal legitimate opportunities caused by social structure • Deviant response varies according to “structuring variables” • Social/economic circumstances • Technological advances • Specific opportunities (e.g., Columbian drug cartel) • Individual psychological responses • It’s the “feelings” that directly cause crime Social structural inequality  frustration  crime

  12. Individual strain -- Agnew • Negative relationships & stressful life events • Juveniles stressed by “noxious”, negative interpersonal relationships • If home or school is the locus, may not be able to escape • Delinquency and drug use a way to cope or manage the strain • May provide “relief” from stresses

  13. Societal strain --Messner and Rosenfeld • Agree with Merton that high levels of crime explained by cultural pressures for tangible success • BUT - expanding opportunities may cause more crime unless culture changes • Newly “enabled” persons lose their excuse to stay poor • Economic goals override influence of social institutions • Families, schools, politics – all are subservient to the economy • Recommendations • Support families with child care and flexible work schedules • Disentangle education from worker training • Protect citizens from the marketplace with social safety nets • Engage young people in community service • Give greater social prominence to goals other than material success

More Related