For example, individuals
experiencing chronic unemployment may engage in theft or drug selling to obtain money
, seek revenge against the person who fired them, or take illicit drugs in an effort to feel better. … All strain theories acknowledge that only a minority of strained individuals turn to crime.
What is strain theory of deviance?
Strain Theory of Deviance
Strain theory, developed by sociologist Robert Merton,
posits that when people are prevented from achieving culturally approved goals through institutional means, they experience strain or frustration that can lead to deviance
. … They may act out in a deviant manner.
What is an example of Merton’s strain theory?
In this mode, individuals reject the societal goals and instead work toward less lofty goals by institutionally approved means. For example,
one may treat a job as a form of security instead of using the job as a means to achieve success.
What are the three types of strain theory?
- Failure to achieve positively valued goals.
- Removal of positive stimuli.
- Introduction of negative stimuli.
What is an example of rebellion strain theory?
Innovation: using socially unapproved or unconventional means to obtain culturally approved goals. Example: dealing drugs or stealing to achieve financial security. … Rebellion:
to reject the cultural goals and means, then work to replace them
.
What are the 5 reactions to strain?
Merton noted that the deviant response to strain was one of five responses he observed in society. He referred to such deviance as “innovation” while identifying the other responses to strain as
conformity, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion
.
What is an example of a ritualist?
One common example of ritualism is
when people do not embrace the goal of getting ahead in society by doing well in one’s career and earning as much money as possible
. Many have often thought of this as the American Dream, as did Merton when he created his theory of structural strain.
What are the 4 types of deviance?
According to Merton, there are five types of deviance based upon these criteria:
conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion
. Structural functionalism argues that deviant behavior plays an active, constructive role in society by ultimately helping cohere different populations within a society.
What are the 3 theories of deviance?
Since the early days of sociology, scholars have developed theories that attempt to explain what deviance and crime mean to society. These theories can be grouped according to the three major sociological paradigms:
functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and conflict theory
.
What is an example of a primary deviance?
For example,
teenagers smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol with their friends
is primary deviance. Although teenagers’ use of substance goes against social norms, it mostly goes unpunished.
What are the three main sources of strain?
- failure to achieve a goal,
- the existence of harmful impulses,
- and the removal of positive impulses.
What is general strain theory?
General strain theory (GST) provides
a unique explanation of crime and delinquency
. In contrast to control and learning theories, GST focuses explicitly on negative treatment by others and is the only major theory of crime and delinquency to highlight the role of negative emotions in the etiology of offending.
What crimes does general strain theory explain?
domestic abuse, sexual assault, and drug use
as those crimes are not means to achieve an economic goal. Agnew’s revision of strain theory offers an explanation of the previously listed crimes as means of coping, albeit illegitimately, for the failure to achieve one’s goal.
What is an example of rebellion?
The definition of a rebellion is a resistance against something, particularly the government, authority or other controlling forces. An example of a rebellion is
a refusal by a large group of people to follow a law
. … Having a tattoo was Mathilda’s personal rebellion against her parents.
What is rebellion strain theory?
The strain theory states that
people may deviate or rebel if there is an inconsistency between culturally defined goals and the accessible means to obtain those goals
. This discrepancy can cause strain that can lead to the crime, violence, and murder that are the effects of rebellion.
What is Durkheim’s theory?
Durkheim believed that
society exerted a powerful force on individuals
. People’s norms, beliefs, and values make up a collective consciousness, or a shared way of understanding and behaving in the world. The collective consciousness binds individuals together and creates social integration.
