Proposed Topic
Exploring the role of negative emotions among murderers in a population of federal offenders: the General Strain Theory
Introduction
The General Strain Theory (GST) states that people who commit crimes are pressured into them by negative emotions that result from a variety of life strains. Negative emotions cause them to feel in a negative way and thus creating pressure on them to act in a variety of ways, with crime and violence being one possible response. GST has been explored among many different populations, but what has not been explored was its ability to predict crime of murder. The present study focuses on the role that negative emotions play in producing different types of criminal activity and involvement, most specifically, murder.
Abridged Literature Review
General Strain Theory was reinvented by Robert Agnew in 1992 and gave new perspectives to existent strain theory that was introduced a few decades ago (Agnew, 1992). Classic strain theory is associated first with Merton’s (1938), Cohen’s (1955) and Cloward and Ohlin’s (1960).
Based on Durkheim’s theory of anomie (1893), Merton developed his theory of deviance within a social structural framework. Merton’s view on the subject is that goal-expectation discrepancies, together with social stratification creates strain among disadvantaged populations in turn leading them to use any means necessary, such as criminal, in order to achieve culturally-defined goals (Merton, 1938). Merton stated that deviance was a product of discrepancy between social goals and the legitimate means to achieve these goals (Smith & Bohm, 2008). Merton created a typology of deviance (Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, and Retreatism, and Rebellion) depending on how di...
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...offender’s strains did not produce negative emotions.
Q3 The third research question asked whether the offender’s negative emotions influenced him to commit murder.
H3a: It was hypothesized that the offender’s negative emotions influenced him to commit murder.
H30: The null hypothesis for the third research question was that the offender’s negative emotions did not influence him to commit murder.
Summary
Various research has proven that General Strain Theory is quite successful in explaining individual variations in offenses among many different demographics. What has not yet been seen is how this theory fairs in relation to the crime of murder, and whether it can share the same amount of success. The present study attempts to test this problem and examine the role that negative emotions and strains play on federal offenders, and specifically, murderers.
The general strain theory hypothesizes that socioemotional problems cause strain in people’s lives and that the accumulation of stressors leads to criminal behavior. According to Agnew (2001), strain events can be characterized as involving “goal blockage, the loss of positive stimuli and/or the presentation of negative stimuli” (p. 323). These events can be seen by an individual as being unjust, undeserved, or threatening, especially for an adolescent. As we look back at the life of Jesse James, we
Predominantly, strain theory can be used to explain the criminal behavior of the Homicide in Hollenbeck documentary. In the course on juveni...
According to Robert Agnew, “Strain Theory is based on the idea that delinquency results when individuals are unable to achieve their goals through legitimate channels, achievement or strike out at the source of their frustration in anger”. (Agnew, R. (1985). A Revised Strain Theory of Delinquency. Oxford journals. 64(1).151-166). The norms are violated to alleviate the strain that accompanies failure. When a good look is taken at the theories the strains might not only come from peoples frustrations with acquiring “ The American Dream”, but it becomes a mixture of strains such as economic deprivation, abuse, neglect, or the loss of a loved one. However, most people that experience strains do not commit crimes.
Various theories have taken approach to this question however we shall take the perspective of Agnew’s general strain theory; to summarize Agnew claims he reasons that people commit crime as a response or coping mechanism
Overall, the empirical assessments of GST have found it to be quite successful in explaining the differences among violent offenses across a wide range of different demographics. However, no research to date has explored the adequacy of GST for predicting acts of violent crime such as murder in the context of negative emotions.
One warning sign can be antisocial behavior. Don Andrews and James Bonta, authors of the book The Psychology of Criminal Conduct, in the article, “Assessing Criminal Thinking: Attitudes and Orientations Influence Behavior” found that, “An individual who is oriented toward antisocial behavior (i.e., one who thinks like a criminal) and has intermaized anti-social definitions of behavior is much more likely to behave in an anti-social/criminal matter” ( ). Andrew’s and Bonta’s findings parade the fact that persons who are anti-social are more likely to commit crimes than pro-social people, which could be detected by a criminal psychologist. Another warning sign of persons about to commit a crime is a negative or angered attitude. Andrews and Bonta also conducted meta-analyses, and compared with others, in which they deduced, “Several recent meta-analyses have revealed high correlations between negative attitudes, and/or peer associations, and criminal behavior” (Holsinger 22). In the meta-analyses, they showed that subjects that had more opposing attitudes were expected to commit a crime or participate in criminal behavior. These warning signs and behavior patterns are used to predict and prevent possible future crimes. Humans that show emotions, and behavioral similarities to psychopaths and other mental disorders can be at high risk of commit a crime. This makes the psychologist work
Most serial murderers have been deprived of any control over their home, their body, and their entire life. “Psychokillers take their fantasies and make them a reality living their dreams” (Serial Killers: Nature vs. Nurture 2). Both physical and especially emotional abuse is the consistent, reoccurring factor among a majority of serial killers. Traumatic abuse in childhood has long been viewed as a primary cause of violent behavior in adulthood (Dolan 24). Abusive parents do not generally vent their anger equally on all their children. Such parents tend to unleash the anger and negative emotions on their more difficult children; this potential aggression and physical and emotional abuse of the child shapes the future criminal. “Most serial murders are not classified as psychotics, but rather as psychopaths- their perception of reality is clear except that they feel no social or moral obligations” () Killers are taking control of their own lives through their fantasies in the only way they know fit, through
He proposes that it is the trauma in conjunction with outside factors such as social or environmental, which exacerbate the problem and leads to the criminal activity (Hickey, 2016, p149). Hickey says that the most common trauma experienced by serial killers is childhood traumatisation caused by rejection and that this rejection can be in the form of rejection by family members or an unstable/abusive home life (Hickey, 2016, p148). Hickey says that rejection by family members, e.g. relatives or parents, is the most common cause of childhood traumatisation and that an unstable, abusive home has been proposed as a major form of rejection (Hickey, 2016, p149). Holmes, Tewksbury and Holmes (1999), in their ‘fractured identity syndrome’ theory of serial murder, suggest that serial killers are similar to everyone else in the early years of personality development and lead normal lives. They argue that an event or series of events that often take place in the serial murderer’s adolescent years, causes a fracturing of the personality and that this fracturing, following subsequent incidents, causes the fracture to explode into a
While profiling serial killers we must look into their psychological and sociological characteristics in order to see if there is a pattern in which criminologist are able to pin point traits that can be related to other serial killers. By having this information criminologist are able to make determinations to what social approach problems a serial killer might posse. While serial killers only represent a small fraction of criminals in the United States, their crime contributes to only a small number of crimes (O’Reilly-Fleming, 1996). O’Reilly-Fleming (1996) suggests that there is an estimated ten serial killers in the United States at one time, however, the FBI estimates that there are between twenty-five and fifty serial killers operating throughout the U.S. at any given time ().
The Structural Strain Theory is a theory of deviance that explains deviance as the natural outgrowth of the values, norms, and structures of society. Amer...
Robert Merton created quite a big influence on what is known as, Strain theories. He based it off of Durkheim’s Anomie concept, but they each had their own different approach of it. Merton’s approach was towards what he called it as, “The American dream” Merton describes it as (1938), “in our competitive society, where in wealth has taken on a highly symbolic cast.” (677). He believes that society as a whole gives this dream too much of an importance. This American dream is his concept of Anomie. His model of Anomie became widely known and still one of the most cited theories.
One of the more common theories often used to explain this trend is general strain theory. General strain theory was first introduced Robert Agnew when he was trying to revise anomie theory from a micro level, social psychological perspective (Akers and Sellers, 2013). According to Agnew’s revised theory, he claimed that, crime and delinquency were often an adaptation to stress. For example, if an individual was in desperate need for money, Agnew claims that this individual would often feel frustrated, angry, or experience a range of negative emotions, which could result in this individual coping with this strain through crime (Cullen, Agnew, and Wilcox,
Strain theories of criminal behaviour have been amongst the most important and influential in the field of criminology. Taking a societal approach, strain theories have sought to explain deficiencies in social structure that lead individuals to commit crime (Williams and McShane 2010). Strain theories operate under the premise that there is a societal consensus of values, beliefs, and goals with legitimate methods for achieving success. When individuals are denied access to legitimate methods for achieving success, the result is anomie or social strain. This often leads an individual to resort to deviant or criminal means to obtain the level of success that they are socialized to pursue. This is the basic premise of strain theory. This paper will explore the evolution of strain theories by first examining their intellectual foundations which laid the foundation for Robert Merton’s theories of anomie and strain. Merton’s strain theory will be discussed in detail including the modes of adaptation that people use when faced with societal strain. Finally, the paper will conclude with the strengths and weaknesses of Merton’s strain theory and an examination of the criminological theories and social policies it has influenced.
Criminality constitutes strategic mannerisms characterized by apathy to misery inflicted on others, egocentricity and depressed self-control. Habitual criminal behaviour seeks to satisfy the offender’s desires for material prestige, power or pleasurable feelings regardless to damage inflicted to victim or society. Such behaviors extend mistrust, fuel prejudice, and largely corrupt social cohesion. Biological, psychological and environmental attributes are thought to heavily influence antisocial and criminal behaviour. Numerous studies have proven that active emulation, genetic predispositions and psychosocial labeling are all complementary to development and expressions of criminal behaviour. There has historically been a myriad of theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour through different perspectives, all which constitute intricate paradigms that play a role in expressio...
“According to Eric Hickey (Author of Serial Murderers and Their Victims), stress caused by childhood 'traumatizations' may be a trigger to criminal behavior in adulthood. It is important to understand that most people go through one or more of these traumatizations with no lifelong effects. However, in the future serial killer, the inability to cope with the stress involved with these trauma...