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Strain Theory
What do you do when bad
things happen?
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Peer insults you for wearing cheap clothes
A parent abuses you physically
You fail a test you studied for
Your partner dumps you
Your dad dies suddenly
Your parents get a divorce
Agnew’s Strain Theory
• Blocked goals motivate crime
• Goals that may be blocked include
– Money
– Good grades
– Masculine status & respect
• Corrective action that may be taken
– Theft, drug dealing, prostitution
– Cheating on exams
– Violence to demonstrate toughness, power, control
Social Pressure To Deviate
• Our society makes it easier for some
people to achieve success by following
rules, but looks down on those who give
up
The American Dream
• Goals
• Means
Merton’s (1938) Strain Theory:
A Critique of U.S. Society
• Tension between success goals and
available means
– We all want wealth, but our ability to achieve it
varies by social class
• The goal of success reins supreme
– Relatively few moral costs for rule breaking
A Theory of
Deviant Motivation
• We are all naturally law-abiding, if given
the chance
• We break rules when we experience strain
• Strain originates in our social experience
Merton’s Adaptations to Strain
Mode of
Adaptation
Conformity
Adhere to
Cultural Goals
Yes
Adhere to
Legitimate Means
Yes
Ritualism
No
Yes
Innovation
Yes
No
Retreatism
No
No
Rebellion
Change cultural goals using legitimate
or illegitimate means
Cloward and Ohlin (1960):
Illegitimate Opportunities
Mainstream
Goals
Adaptation
Innovation
Yes
Retreatist
No
Legitimate
Means
Illegitimate
Means
No
Yes
No
No
Retreatists are “double losers” or “double failures”
Albert K. Cohen (1955)
Oppositional Subculture
• Explain non-utilitarian delinquency
– Lower class youth fail to achieve middle class
standards (the “middle class measuring rod”)
• Status problem solved within the gang
– Status redefined in opposition to middle class
standards (not completely separate)
– Reaction formation – reject what you want but
can’t have – middle class values upside down
Why does strain cause crime?
• Strain causes negative emotions
– Anger, frustration, depression, anxiety
• Negative emotions create a pressure for
corrective action that motivates crime
– Immediate situation
– Long-term cumulative effects
Messner and Rosenfeld (1994)
Institutional Anomie Theory
• The American Dream causes crime
– Overemphasizes competition and success
– Underemphasizes responsibility to others
• Institutional balance of power
– Relations of mutual dependence between economy,
family, education, religion
• Institutional anomie
– The economy has supplanted the family, education, and
religion as the dominant institution (and source of
values)
Implications of
Institutional Anomie
• Economic efficiency norms dominate
– Means-ends thinking applied in all areas of life
• Non-economic institutions are penetrated
– Families adopt an exchange mentality
– Dual income families
• Economic social roles bring most status
– Other social roles de-valued (stay-at-homemoms)
Explaining
Crime and Deviance
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Robbery
Cheating on exams
Date rape
Spouse or child abuse
Vandalism by youth
Alcohol or drug abuse
Drug dealing
Policy Implications
of Strain Theory
• Equalize opportunities for success
– Provide job and education programs
– Affirmative action
• De-emphasize material success goals
– Change the institutional balance between family,
religion, and economy
• Emphasize playing by the rules
– Reward sportsmanship over winning
• Help people treat each other better
– Reduce grievances & disputes