Merton Strain Theory Essay

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Which theory do you think does the best job of explaining criminal behavior?
Strain theory explained criminal behavior the best. Strain and stress is the causation of crime. Individuals that suffer from stress and strain strive for corrective actions. Driven from anger and frustration, individuals often seek revenge and self-conscious. Individuals engage in crime to reduce and escape the strain their experiencing. Strain is likely to result in delinquency when the reward is high and punishment much lower.
Explain in detail why you think this theory does the best job of explaining criminal behavior.
Strain theory has been founded to be one of the most influential and accepted criminological theories of the 20th century. Merton’s strain theory has been utilized to explain the classes of crime. Classes of crime include gender, age, race, and population differences. In credit of Merton strain theory, researchers were able to discover the relationship between classes in crime. For example, middle-class populations are likely to commit white-collar crimes. Lower-class communities are likely to commit minor crimes.
Agnew defines strain as the events disliked by other individuals. Since the development of Agnew strain theory, GST has been applied to a variety type of crime and …show more content…

Merton believed individuals living in the United States had a monetary goal. Due to blockage of that goal, frustration developed and individuals utilized crime to cope with their frustration. Prostitution, gambling, theft and drug distribution all spiked in increase. However, overall most individuals did not cope with stress through crime during the time. Majority individuals coped with monetary lost through cutbacks, borrowing, and working overtime at work. Between the 1970s-1980s, the classic strain theory declined due to challenged research. Researchers argued that crime is the result of strain to achieve

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