SOCI3603 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: General Strain Theory, Sociological Perspectives, Anomie
Sociological Perspectives Feb 7,9 14
Focus on Social and Cultural factors
Sociological theories of crime focus on the impact of social conditions, culture,
and economic factors on crime. These theories examine the attributes of societies
that may make some nations, regions, organizations, or group more susceptible to
crime
While biological and psychological theories concentrate on the personal traits that
make some individuals more prone to crime
Sociological theories today explain trends and patterns in crime (crime rate
differences across societies, regions of a country, or even in different
neighbourhoods within one city)
Perhaps, most appropriate in understanding the interactive nature of crime. Crime
is not simply an isolated act of one individual
Interconnectedness of sociological theories
Assert that the pre-eminent goal in North American society is financial success
and that people from all social classes strive to achieve such success
Strain theory argues that all members of society subscribe to one set of cultural
values- that of the middle class
One important middle class value is economic success
Society is structured in such a way to restrict access to the legitimate means of
achieving middle class goals- some people will then turn to illegitimate means in
desperation
Structural functionalist perspective
Emile Durkheim- one of the greatest influences on sociologists who study crime
and one of the founders of the field sociology
View crime as inevitable and a beneficial part of social life
Structural-functionalism accepts that a certain amount of deviance and crime is
normal and functional to society
Anomie Concept
Anomie: the breakdown of social order as a result of the loss of standards and
values, normlessness
Durkheim believed that rapid social change caused crime
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Beneficial: made society stronger to collectively stand up to those who violated
the laws. In turn, societies rules were reinforced and the solidarity amongst
members was strengthened
Deviance and crime are necessary to define the boundaries of acceptable
behaviour
Punishment of deviance confirms the “ moral boundaries” of social and reaffirms
conventional norms and values
Merton’s strain theory
Merton also related the crime problem to anomie, but did not focus on the role of
social change
Merton looked to the social structure that holds out the same goals to all its
members without having equal means to achieve these goals
The greatest proportion of crime will be found in the lower classes because of the
lack of opportunity to reach goals
Robert Merton used the term anomie to describe the contradiction between the
goal of financial success set by the culture and the actual legitimate means
available in society to achieve goal
We all share the desire for wealth but disadvantaged members of society may be
unable to achieve such success through legitimate means
They then feel angry and frustrated due to their inability to share in this success
Five modes of adaptation: (Merton’s modes of adaption) CRRRI
A. Conformity: most common. Individual accept the culturally defined goals and
the prescribed means for achieving those goals accept both
B. Innovation: Individuals accept society’s goals, but design their own means for
achieving them accept goals, find own means
C. Ritualism: individuals abandon societies goals and concentrate only on the
means reject goals, concentrate on means
D. Retreatism: individuals who give up on the goals and the means give up on
both
E. Rebellion: individual who reject the cultural goals and the cultural means and
substitute new cultural goals and means reject both
General strain theory
Agnew expanded Merton’s theory to explain criminal behaviour
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Agnew argues that failure to achieve material goals is not the only reason for
committing crime
He suggests that negative relationships with others leads to negative emotions and
are causal factors for criminal behaviours neg relat neg emotions crime
Relative deprivation- people compare their situation with others, rather than
simply in relation to culturally defined goals
Resentment when others in society are much more successful
Robert Agnew’s general strain theory deals with multiple sources of strain, rather
than simply strain arising from blocking economic opportunities general=more
Three main types of negative relationships
Strain caused by failure to achieve positively values goals never had
Strain caused by the removal of positively valued stimuli from the individual lose
it
Strain caused by the presentation of negative stimuli opposite
oNot all persons who experience strain become criminals
Cohen’s status deprivation
Delinquency arises from status frustration of lower class youth unable to compete
with other affluent youth, due to standards of social behaviour adopted by the
middle class
Lower class children are evaluated by the middle class teachers on the basis of a
middle class measuring rod
Middle class values: self-reliance, good manners respect of property, long term
planning
When status frustration and strain are experienced children respond by adopting
one of the following rules
oCorner boys: try to make the best of a bad situation, group activities like
sports, support from peers, menial jobs and conventional lifestyles
oCollege boys: live up to middle class standards, chance for success are
limited because of academic and social handicaps
oDelinquent boys: band together to form a subculture, deviant from middle
class and form own norms
Reaction formation: a mechanism that relives anxiety through the process of
rejection what one wants but cannot obtain
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Document Summary
Sociological theories of crime focus on the impact of social conditions, culture, and economic factors on crime. These theories examine the attributes of societies that may make some nations, regions, organizations, or group more susceptible to crime. While biological and psychological theories concentrate on the personal traits that make some individuals more prone to crime. Sociological theories today explain trends and patterns in crime (crime rate differences across societies, regions of a country, or even in different neighbourhoods within one city) Perhaps, most appropriate in understanding the interactive nature of crime. Crime is not simply an isolated act of one individual. Assert that the pre-eminent goal in north american society is financial success and that people from all social classes strive to achieve such success. Strain theory argues that all members of society subscribe to one set of cultural values- that of the middle class. One important middle class value is economic success.
