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Stain Theory
- Strain Theory was developed by the sociologist Robert Merton in the 1940's. It was an attempt to explain the role social stress plays on the development of deviant behavior, in particular crime.
- Strain Theory is based on the concept anomie. Anomie first defined by Emile Durkhiem (1858-1917) and means a state of normlessness.
- The basic concept suggests that when social norms become disorganized an increase in deviant behavior will occur as a reaction to the loss of social cohesion.
- Strain Theory states that anomie occurs whenever there is a gap between the goals a society expects from persons and the means that exsist to achieve the goals. Strain Theory suggests there are five possible reactions to this anomie.
- Conformity - Some people can continue to except the goals sactioned by society and the means that are avalible to them.
- Ritualism- occurs when the person continues to perform traditional duties and behaviors when there is little change of that leading to achieving the accepted goals. In this situation the means in away becomes the goals. By carrying on the traditional behaviors the person finds structure in thier life.
- Innovation - If a person chooses this reaction to anomie they will continue to accept the goals of the society however will not accpet the means to achieve the goals. they will instead innovate new means to achieve the goals. These new means may result in criminality.
- Retreatism - In this reaction to anomie the person rejects both the goals of society, there is little desire to achieve societies expectations and the means. The person fills no obligation to behave in a way that society defines as acceptable. In this senerio crime cans emerge as a result of retreatist behaviors such as drug use, prostitution, and crimes related to alcohlism .
- Rebellion - In the case of rebellion not only does the person reject society's goals and means but wish to replace the goals and means with new goals and means that the rebellious group believes is more appropriate. Criminal acts can occure from this situation that are political in nature. Crimes such as assasinations, terrorism, and revolution are the result.
- Strain is also closley associated with the idea of relative deprivation. Relative deprivation is the concept that one will define how successful they are only in realtion to thier surrounding enviroment.It follows that if a person who percieves themselves in state of economic failure lives in a nieghborhood that contains many financially successful people, it will only elevate the since of strain. the corelation would be that the greater the relative deprivation the greater the anomie and the reactions to the strain.
- Concept area that has come out of strain theory is the idea of a General Strain Theory. Strain theory was critized for focusing to much on economic strain. General Strain Theory state that conditions other than economic contitions can create anomie strain reactions. The focus is on negative emotional states such as anger, saddness, confusion, frustration that do not have to come from economic conditions but may have many sources. These negative states will also lead to strain.
- A recent development in the theory of strain is Institutional Stain Theroy
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