Discover The Major Causes Of Crime: Strain Theory

Strain Theory
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Strain Theory
Throughout history, people have been striving to discover the major causes of crime. Since the evolution of philosophy, there have been various theories that have tried to explain why people begin to engage in criminal activities. The emergence of sociology as a science came with a new perspective where crime became a scientific study and new complex theories have been designed to explain the cause of the behavior. Some of the newly developed theories have categorized social-economic status to be a potential causation factor for criminal activities. Several crime theories exist, but the strain theory stands out to be the most commonly used in conjunction with the socio-economic element. However, several strain theories exist, but the important one is Robert K. Merton's original strain theory. Delinquency is a growing problem not only in the U.S.A but across the world because families are faced with hard socio-economic challenges due to an increase in the standards of living. The socio-economic problems that individuals are facing in the society have made deviance to be the only means of achieving success. This paper will attempt to explain the causes of delinquency according to the strain theory as coined by Robert K. Merton and Agnew.
The strain theory has its foundations in the Emil Durkheim's anomie theory which holds that as societies continue to shift from law free to enforced law, the strain is likely to appear due to inadequate society regulation (Merton, 1938). Therefore, the structural strain is as a result of inadequacies in social regulation, which influences how individuals perceive their needs from different perspectives. The individual strain is as a result of an individual's efforts to find ways in which he/she can accomplish her needs. The bottom line, Durkheim's theory set a foundation for Robert K. Merton's strain theory. However, Merton dismissed some of the claims that were made by Durkheim that strain is as a result of inadequacies in societal structure, but theorized the stability of current societies. Merton's focus was on the role of institutions in the achievement of cultural goals. According to Merton, society's most important objective is wealth achievement and to achieve it, several institutionalized means and rules were created. As Merton explains, a problem tends to occur when the created institutionalized means and rules get overshadowed by the desire of achieving the goal. Therefore, crime occurs when the interest of people is to achieve the goal than respecting the set societal rules and regulations. Merton faults the society by asserting that it has put more emphasis on wealth than on the rules and means through which this goal can be achieved. Merton believes that the lower class is the most social class that is impacted by the inability to utilize the set rules and regulations to achieve the goals. Since its development, the theory has been used by various theorists and scholars to explain delinquency about the low socio-economic class as well as the minority groups.
Merton included five types of strain in his theory. They include conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Conformity is a result of individuals trying to use the institutionalized means and rules to achieve the goals. Merton asserts that the modern societies are stable because most people are conformists and that is what maintains the stability. Innovation is as a result of individuals striving to achieve the ultimate goal by ignoring the institutionalized means and rules. Ritualism is as a result of individuals not striving to advance or achieve the goals by keeping whatever they have by respecting the set rules and regulations. Retreatism is as a result of individuals abandoning all the societal goals and become isolated and not respecting the institutionalized rules. The last type of strain, rebellion occurs when individuals reject the rules and goals altogether and attempt to replace them with their own (Merton 1938).
The general point of strain theory is that certain strains increase the chances of an individual to engage in criminal activities. Some of these stressors according to the theorists include the inability to achieve an objective (monetary objectives), loss of positive stimuli (death of a relative or loss of valuable possessions, or presence of negative stimuli (physical abuse). Individuals who are prone to either of these strains experience some reactions that may cause them engage in criminal activities as a way of coping. To them crime makes them reduce the stressors. For example, individuals who are unable to achieve their monetary objectives may steal some properties to sell to achieve the ultimate goal. On the other hand, children who are abused by their parents may steal money so that they can run away. Consequently, other individuals may use crime as a way of getting revenge against the sources of the stressors, for example, some individuals may opt to harass peers who harass them. Crime may also be used to relief any negative emotions, for example, some individuals turn to illicit drugs as an attempt to feeling better (Agnew, 2006). In general, the strain theory explains why ind...