What is the basis of strain theory?
Our desires are shaped by culture and when we are unable to achieve these desires in pro-social ways we may try to achieve them in anti-social ways (crime).
Who are the key theorists?
Durkheim and Merton
What were Durkheim’s ideas?
ANOMIE
- crime is normal and expected, and that’s why law exists
- Crime is functional: plays roles in determining what is wrong and reflecting changes in social standards
- Whether the level of crime is healthy or unhealthy is effected by division of labour
- When there is a lack of integration between members of society, anomie can develop (lack of social regulation where normlessness abounds)
- When moral and social standards come into question people question what they deserve and what they should desire or aspire to
What were Merton’s ideas?
- Questioned Durkheims idea: why is there still crime in periods of economic boom and political conformity?
- Decided that the problem is that different people choose different means for achieving their desires: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion.
- Crime occurs where there is a gap between socially constructed desires and a persons ability to achieve this through legitimate means
- Poverty is not the issue; it effects the middle class who cannot achieve goals just as much
What is conformity?
- conformity: majority of people. Person accepts culturally defined goals and the means for achieving them
What is Innovation?
- Innovation: accept culturally defined goals but use innovative means of attainment because they dos have access to legitimate means
What is ritualism?
Person gives up on goals but pursues legitimate means regardless. (e.g. a person working up ranks in a business but doesn’t care about money)
What is retreatism?
A person rejects both culturally defined goals and the means for achieving them (e.g. drug addict)
What is rebellion?
A person rejects the culturally defined goals and means and replaces them with their own goals and means of achieving them (e.g. an ecologically sustainable hippy)
Application to reduce crime
- Increase people’s abilities to achieve desires
- Prevent relative deprivation in relation to desires
- Alter people’s desires to what is realistic and achievable
- Focus on reducing risk factors: parental criminality, socio-economic deprivation, poor parenting, peer influences, broken homes, intellect, family size etc.
Criticism of strain theory
- focuses on working class crime (not white collar crime)
- accepts societal values: but maybe these values are superficially imposed/could be changed
over-simplifies lack of opportunity and crime - focus on monetary desires (ignores crimes which aren’t for monetary gain: murder, sexual assault, drugs etc.)
- ignores crime for the ‘thrill’
Example
Armed robbery
- usually committed by strangers, in public
- especially common to steal money
- usually committed by young men, who are unskilled and without high school certificate
- motivations include money, opportunistic and making life ‘fair’
