The Strain Theory by Robert Merton - Essay Example

The Strain Theory by Robert Merton The theory states that the social society in which an individual lives may pressurize the people that live in the area to commit crime. The theory also comes out with the factors that majorly influences an individual in the committing of crimes. Robert Merton is the main contribute to the theory when he said that the behavior is influenced by ambitions. The theory is discussed in the consideration of several factors such as individual and structural characteristics. In the structural onset, the process that are in the society brings the individual to be influenced in the deciding on the activities that are in the structure that brings the needs. Through the structures that individual is able to change the characteristics due to the fact that there will be no regulation or the regulation that is available is inadequate (Agnew, 2006). The inadequate restriction or lack of restriction makes the individual to carry out the activities with the will. The process will result to the emergence of crime. In the individual perspective, the crime comes when the individual in the society experience the pains and struggles to satisfy the needs that are always unlimited (Agnew, 2006). The crime comes about when there is no significance in the process of the society in the satisfaction of the individual wants. Robert Dubin understanding on the society association with crime is based on deviance. Deviance as a functional aspect of the society disputes the assumptions that are made that the adaptations that are made to the processes of the society are harmful to the society. The example that was given by the sociologist is that when the individual is adapting to the changes in the society there is still the need to change with the consideration of the rules in the society. There was view that the deviance mainly lies in the neglecting of the cultural goals that are recommended (Lilly, Cullen and Ball, 1989). The main reason for the cause of the crime in the society is due to the lack of the distinction between the institutional norms that are the individuals are expected to have since in most of the cases the individuals perceive norms differently, the cultural goals of the society and the institutional means that are required. The norms are interpreted differently with the actions that they take on them being different than the expected from them leading to the committing of the crimes (Lilly, Cullen and Ball, 1989). The experiences that an individual have in the community will also may lead to the committing of crime by the individual. The education and the experience that the individual have may lead the individual in the poor interpretation of the norms than in the way that they are required to be (Lilly, Cullen and Ball, 1989). The internalization of the norms by the individuals also come due to the experience that one has. The action of the different people is rational with each one having the result of different behaviors. According to Dubin, the particular interest was in ritualism and innovation in the argument the strain theory focused on the individual rejection of the means that are in the society with the active innovation with illegitimate means as a substitute which is not thought to be true (Agnew, 2006). There was feel by the Duban that there should be a distinction that is made between the behaviors of an individual and the values that make the adoption of the values in the person. Robert Agnew came up with his version of the strain theory in 1992 where he thought the theory was not to be tied to the social class or the variables that are due to the cultures of the societies. His version of the theory was neither in the structural or individual perspective but mainly focused on the immediate social environment of the individual in the society as the major cause of crime in the society. He argued that the environment that an individual lived brought the situations with the lack to achieve the positive values that are required in the society and also brought the removal of the positive values that may have been in the individual due to the exposure to the given social environment. He brought out that anger and frustration brought the negative relationship within the individual in the society (Koch, 1952). The patterns that will result due to the behavior will result to the characterizing of the individual action to be more than what is and the individual will have the desire to avoid the unpleasant rejection that comes about. The unilateral action of the individual will result in the further alienation of the individual from the society. The rejection of the individual in the society will result to the feeling of the individual that the environment is unsupportive. The strong negative emotions in the individual will result to the individual engaging in criminal activities. The behavior was found to be much on the younger individuals in the society (Koch, 1952). Agnew thought that values and conditions such as intelligence, interpersonal skills, the presence of self-efficacy, temperament and lack of association with the antisocial, the age of the individual and the status of the peers are the major beneficial in the society that will prevent the engagement of an individual in crime. The causes of crime In the stain theory, the factors that contribute to the causes of crime can be analyzed as brought out as the major cause being the gap that occurs in the expectation of an individual and the actual achievement that are made by the person due to the aim on the personal goals (Koch, 1952). When the goals are not realized due to unavoidable circumstances in the society, the individual will involve in crime in trying to make the unachievable goals achievable. The belief of an individual in the outcomes of an activity and what the actual result brings leads also the crime (Hashiguchi and Yamakawa, 2012). The outcomes brings frustration to the individual and thus the interference with the valuable goals which result to the effect of anger in the individual that result to the crime. The frustration in the individual will lead to the dissatisfaction in the individual, anger and emotional customary that are the main elements and strain in the causes of crime. This anger is mainly in the drug users in the society. Anger is treated as the main critical emotion that is always directed outwards that leads to the resulting in emotions that makes the relationships in the society to disintegrate. Jie Zhang that also contributed to the strain theory focused on the suicide that is determined by the psychological strain. He thought that strain occurs due to four major elements that include different values, conflicts, differences between aspirations and the reality and also coping up with skills for a crisis. The strain theory in the relation with crime in the suicidal context comes with different perspectives. The sources of strain that are brought about by the argument are those that are to do with different values, the reality verses aspiration, relative deprivation and deficient coping. Differential values brings about the conflicting decision in the social values that are competing in the individual’s life in the society. When there is competition in the two values in the individual’s life, there is always personal internalization of the beliefs that are there by the individuals. Reality verses aspiration in an individual in the society results in the cause of crime. The aspiration comes with a higher goal in the individual and the reality that the person also have to live with, there is the occurrence of the strains in the individual (Hashiguchi and Yamakawa, 2012). In the example that was given, an individual in the United States expects to be rich of to live in the same way that the other Americans live. The strain in the individual when there is no probability of becoming rich like the other Americans may involve the person in crime. Relative deprivation is a strain that occurs when an individual in the society who is poor realizes that some other people with the same background are living better than the individual. The realization will lead to deprivation strain. The conflicting social facts will lead the individual in the engagement in crime. Deficient coping also is an element that makes an individual being involved in dilemma that may lead to the individual involving in crime. Some individual in the society are not able to cope with realities and thus they experience the coping strain (Hashiguchi and Yamakawa, 2012). The conflicting factors in this context are the life realities and the copping capacity. The coping capacities in the individual that are low may make the individual involve in crime. Usefulness of strain theory in understanding crime The strain theory explains the effects the adverse relations in the cause of crime. Adverse relations is the key cause of crime. The relations with the others will lead to the effect on both the specific measures and the general measures in the association which is most of the time constant. The relationships is what causes the limited opportunities in the coping by the individual that involve in crime. A crime in the society can be caused by unfair rulings and the systems that are used in correction. The ruling according to the strain theory mainly occurs due to conflicts that occur between the individuals and the norms that are needed in the society. When there are unfair rulings in the system that corrects the individuals, there is probability in the falling in crimes by the individuals due to the false accuse in the causing of crime. Correction should be done as per the recommendation of the strain theory to reduce the effect of the inaccurate judgment. Drugs is a cause in crime and through the strain theory it can be understood that the use of drugs causes anger in an individual that makes the person to be involved in crime. The use of drugs that gears crime leads to the individual being rejected in the society (McShane and Williams, 1997). The rejection causes the person to involve in crime as he will think that the norms in the society are not in line with the ones the individual wants. The use of the drugs influences the behavior of the individual as there will be no control of the person in the environment. The lack of control makes the individual to do the wills hence the involvement in criminal activities (McCluskey, 2002). An involvement in crime can be due to depression and other social and mental disorders. The disorders and the depression in relation with the strain theory is due to the rejection of the individual in the society. The individual will try to make the meetings of personal interest without the consideration of the cultural values that are in the society and the environment that the individual is (McCluskey, 2002). The depression and the disorders can be minimized when the individual will be not involved with peers that influence him to be involved in the criminal activities. In the strain theory, a condition that an individual much influence the characters of the individual. Family condition is a major factor that makes an individual to be involved in crime (Hedner, 1963). When the young ones in a family comes from where the family members have been involved in criminal activities, there is the probability of the individual growing into becoming a criminal. The condition that the children in a family are exposed to influences their characters in crime. When there is no restriction in the family on the values that should be adhered to, there is likelihood of the individuals in the family carrying out activities on their wish (McCluskey, 2002). This conflicts in the interests will lead to crime. The ones that are neglected by the families and do not get the appropriate love and care that they need influence them to engage in crime. In the understanding from strain theory, regionalism is more important in the linking of an individual with crime (McShane and Williams, 1997). According to the theory, the people that live in poverty due to the regions that they live will influence them to live like the rich and also carry out the activities that are carried out by the rich (Hedner, 1963). The inability to live like the rich will influence them to get involved in criminal activities in the trying to achieve the objectives. Racism is also a major influence in the causing of crime by an individual. The distinction of individual according to the theories explain the rejection that occurs with individuals striving to remove the difference that occur between the different cases (Potma, 1967). In the struggle the individual may ignore the norms and the values that are to be upheld in doing so hence resulting in the cause of crime. Politics is a major cause of crime in the society. The politics that occur in the society most of the time goes against the norms and the values that are to be upheld in the society. The lack of the upholding the values is what leads to crime (Hedner, 1963). According to strain theory the politics will lead to the conflicting of the interests that the people in the society have. The conflict in the interest will make each individual to do what the person thinks that is right due to the knowledge has without considering the values of the society. Poverty as a cause of crime can also be well understood through the strain theory. In the theory there is view of the cause of crime through the gap that occurs between the rich and the poor with those that are in the poverty aspect trying to come up with strategies to live like the rich (Potma, 1967). During the struggle, the poor always neglect the norms in the society that are governing the society and does their activities according to their knowledge of the society. The environment that an individual lives greatly affect the characters. Overpopulation has been a major factor that leads to the outcomes of crime. In the populated areas there is much influence by the peers that are not able to meet all the demands that they may have resolving to engage in crime. In the theory the people in an environment may neglect the norms and resolve to crime. References Agnew, R. (2006). Pressured into crime. Los Angeles, Calif.: Roxbury Pub. Hashiguchi, K. and Yamakawa, Y. (2012). Introduction to finite strain theory. Chichester, West Sussek, U.K.: Wiley. Hedner, G. (1963). Total strain theory of creep including recovery. Göteborg: Elanders. Koch, J. (1952). Strain gauges. Eindhoven]: Philips Technical Library. Lilly, J., Cullen, F. and Ball, R. (1989). Criminological theory. Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage Publications. McCluskey, C. (2002). Understanding latino delinquency. New York: LFB Scholarly Pub. McShane, M. and Williams, F. (1997). Criminological theory. New York: Garland. Potma, T. (1967). Strain gauges. Eindhoven: Centrex. Sadd, M. (2005). criminology. Amsterdam: Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann. Welsh, I. (2008). Crime. New York: W.W. Norton. Read More