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Genetic and environmental influences on criminal behavior
Genetic and environmental influences on criminal behavior
Essay on general strain theory
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Criminological Theory of Jesse James Jesse James started out as a traditional western youngster. He was raised by a strong religious mother, and seemed to be on his way to becoming a preacher like his father. So what happened that changed this fun-filled, charismatic young man into a hardened thief and killer? This change can be explained by Robert Agnew’s general strain theory. 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 …show more content…
One occurred when Jesse tried to surrender to Union troops. Instead of accepting his white flag, the union soldiers opened fire and shot him in the chest. He managed to escape; however, this added to his hatred, his desire for revenge and thus his accumulation of strains. Another event which occurred later in his life was the bombing of his mother’s house. Pinkerton men were trying to see if Jesse was at the house. They threw in a smoke bomb to force the inhabitants out. Unfortunately, Jesse’s brother, Archie, thought it was a stick from the fire, and tried to put it back. It exploded, killing him instantly. It also severely injured their mother, leading to the amputation of her arm. This event further added to the strains accumulating in his life. He exacted revenge upon several of the men present at the event. Although he was already a well-established outlaw by this time, the murder of his brother cemented his resolve to continue his criminal
In the biography, “Jessie James: Last Rebel of the Civil War,” written by T.J. Stiles was about a man named Jesse James who spent most of his life participating in criminal activity. He was born on September 5th, 1847 and was a criminal of the Old West along with his brother, Frank James. The James brothers served in the Confederate Army before creating their gang called “The James-Younger Gang” which symbolized them as bank and train robbers. As time went on, more people were added to this gang including a man named Robert Ford who killed Jesse in 1882. With a bullet to the back of the head, Jesse James became a legend in the Old West. The most important concept in this book is how Jesse became the legend that he is. This book would be most favorable towards history on the Civil War lovers like the author himself. The author, who studied the 19th century mostly around the Civil War, was interested in the well-known man, Jesse James and his story.
The Pinkerton Detective Agency was called in to help catch the James/ Younger Gang. During a nighttime raid on the family home a firebomb was tossed into the log cabin. The explosion tore off the hand of Jesse's mother, and killed his half- brother. One of their most famous rides was in September of 1876. Jesses gang tried to take the Northfield, Minn. Bank. The town people fired at them and all except for Frank and Jesse were killed, wounded or captured.
Unknown, to James at this point he did not realize that he was having a problem with a psychological theory called behaviorism. Now this theory is one that is saying human behavior is developed through learning experiences which in this case would apply to James. His behavior as an adult was reflected by the way he was treated as a kid by his father and mother because they fought all the time. They never truly paid any attention to him, which in terms taught him how to stay out of their way and learn how to steal and burglarize places without getting caught. Therefore, within the psychological theory of behaviorism Behaviorists saw crime as something that is a learned response to life’s situations such as James situation which led him to a life of crime because of his parents. Although, he was never truly mistreated, he did not receive his father attention due to the fact of the way his father was treated as a child growing up an abusive household. Therefore, he did not want to place his son in the same situation. There is also the fact that James could be suffering from the psychodynamic theory which says that a person’s personality can be controlled by their unconscious mental process and that is grounded in them in early childhood. These entire things such as the id, ego, and superego
Boyz N the Hood is a classic film for African American culture and depicts juvenile delinquency in the tough streets of L.A. They can relate all too well to the situations these three best friends went through. To apply this movie to the life-course perspective and strain theories we have to analyze these three boy’s realities from a structural, social and cultural level to determine why they ended up deviant and they way they started off. Sampson and Laub’s theory was, criminal activity as well as elements preventative of crime, change throughout the life-course. While all of the criminals have some form of a shared beginning. While Merton’s strain theories revolve around five different types, that puts people into certain categories; conformity,
There are many criminological theories that attempt to explain criminal behavior or crime patterns. For instance, Agnew’s General Strain Theory can be applied to explain why the criminal John Dillinger committed various crimes. Agnew’s General Strain Theory assumes that all individuals experience strain, which, in turn, causes negative emotions that can result in legitimate or illegitimate coping, depending on an individual’s constraints or dispositions. Thus, the continuous criminal behavior throughout John Dillinger’s life can be explained using Agnew’s General Strain Theory in relation to strain, negative emotions, and dispositions.
The proposal of Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory in explaining criminal deviance is based on three concepts. The first concept is that people are not naturally inclined to commit crimes. Rather, their transition towards deviant behavior begins when they experience strain. The second concept is that once strain is present, depending on the severity of the stain, a person becomes victim to their own negative emotions like anger, jealousy, and frustration. Their response to those negative emotions may expedite their transition. The third concept looks at a person’s ability to cope with the strain and negative emotions. If a person has poor coping abilities they tend to become overwhelmed by the strain and the negative emotions they are feeling as a result of strain. Poor coping abilities may cause someone to commit crime in hopes of rectifying their situation. (Agnew, 2011)
Jesse Owens' childhood was unparalleled to any other child's with how hard it was. His parents struggled to get everyone in his family fed since their family consisted of twelve people (“Jesse Owens”). Many of his siblings were too busy to help their parents because of school. Jesse Owens was still too young for school which led to Owens having to help his parents out by earning money and buying food. This was an enormous responsibility for such a young child, especially with that big of a family. What topped it all off was he was an African-American and in that time period, African-Americans were greatly judged. Owens was cheated out of many opportunities for being an African-American, but that didn't stop him as he still found ways to help his family out in any way he could. Owens was forced to become a man at a very young age and made him mature very fast.
Born on September 5, 1847 in Clay County, Missouri was probably the most famous criminal in all of America Jesse James. Jesse was the highlight when it came to criminology and still is his name comes up and anyone can tell you who he is in America. His life of crime began not at a young age but later on during his campaign in the civil war as a confederate soldier. Jesse and what he then started as his gang would capture unarmed Union Soldiers and put them through cruel torture sessions, but they would usually capture them and kill them without orders of their commanding officers and scalping them like game. However this did not help Jesse and his brother when they were trying to do this to what they thought were Union Soldiers who were unarmed,but Jesse found out that they were not unarmed he was shot in the chest near Lexington, Missouri. This was not all bad for Jesse this event is what lead him to marrying his wife; his cousin Zerelda Mimms (1874–1882).
The Owens family moved to Cleveland, Ohio when James Owens was just nine years old, where he would get the name that came to be known around the world. Because Owens had a southern accent, J.C.’s teacher heard ‘Jesse’ when she asked him his name (Trust 1). The Owens’ house had exciting new luxuries and they got to eat more often. The whole family worke...
...asis on these types of strains and stressors and how they cause deviant behavior. The connection between the strains and deviant behavior are the negative emotions that are produced by the strains such as anger and anxiety. The causes of deviant behavior can be linked to those emotions and the personal resources available to handle the emotions. This helps to define why some individuals with similar strains commit crimes and why others chose legal manners in which they deal with their strains and emotions. General Strain Theory can help to explain any act that is considered deviant by society, and carries with it some sort of punishment, either formally or informally (Agnew, 2006).
Chen (2010) also concluded that depending on the context, the desire for autonomy and delinquency could result in creating greater strain for these adolescents by dealing with stricter constraints and limiting their ability to exercise autonomy (As cited in Akers and Sellers, 2013). The desire for autonomy is just one example of strain, as noted above, in which individuals face through out the age of sixteen to twenty, in which could be used to explain why more crime tends to take place during this specific time frame in an individuals
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...
The General Strain Theory scope has an intention of providing a clear explanation for why and why not crime occurs across all levels of society, while maintaining that stress is a major cause of criminal involvement. When people experience negative emotions, such as anger, frustration, or depression, they are in result unhappy and upset, thus experiencing strains or stressors (Ganem, 2010). Crime is then a way of reducing or escaping from these strains, and it is their method of coping with their emotions. According to Agnew, “Strains refer to events or conditions that are disliked by individuals (1992,
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.
This could explain the effect of strains on crime by taken this theory into account. Once strain causes bonds to weaken amongst conventional groups and institutions such as family, school, and peer networks will open up doors to delinquent behaviors, because by being in these social roles causes the person to regulate by role expectations.