Strain theory and labeling theory

Strain theory and labeling theory

The strain theory states that deviance is more likely to occur when a gap exists between cultural goals and the ability to achieve these goals by legitimate means. There are four responses to the strain theory: 1) Innovation - the individual accepts the goals of success but uses illegal means to achieve it. People in this response will probably use drugs or robbery to become successful. Innovation is the most common for of response. 2) Ritualism - the individual rejects the goal but continues to use legitimate means to achieve it. An example of this is a teacher who goes through daily routines without concern for students and their learning. 3) Retreatism - both the legitimate means and the approved goals are rejected. Drug addicts are examples of retreatists. They are not successful by legitimate or illegitimate means and do not seek to be successful. 4) Rebellion - people reject both success and the approved way to achieve it. Meanwhile, the substitute a new set of goals for the approved ones. Militia groups are examples of these types of people. The pursue a goal of changing society through deviant means.

Strain is the pressure on disadvantaged minority groups and the lower urban populous to take advantage of any effective available means to income and success that they can find even if these means are illegal (Akers, 2000, p. 144). In his 1897, publication, Suicide, Durkheim classified strain into two basic categories: social processes and personal experiences. These in turn produced two general types of strain: structural and individual. Social processes create the environment necessary for the evolvement of structural strain and personal experiences cause individual strain. Structural strain applies to members of society who determine their needs based on the ideals of society and are in a constant struggle to meet those expectations. Individual strain is the personally created stress applied by the individual while searching for a means of meeting their needs that are defined by their personal expectations that they hold of themselves (O'Connor, 2003).

According to General Strain Theory, as aspirations increase and expectations decline, delinquency and the amount of deviant acts that occur increases in effect to these changes. Merton recognized certain expectations created by the two general types of strain and identified five specific "modes of adaptation" to these strains (Akers, 2000, p. 144). Within the social psychology field, Robert Agnew identified three more major sources of strain in addition to those defined by Durkheim and Merton (Akers, 2000, p. 159).

In comparison, The Labeling theory works on the basis that when dealing with crime, the behavior is not as important as the reaction to said behavior (the label). This implies that the way society reacts to the behavior will dictate whether or not it is deviant or better yet whether or not a person is "labeled" a criminal or deviant. The theory goes even further to say that if a behavior occurs and there is no reaction to the ...