Strain Theory

Strain Theory

Literature Review

Strain theory comprehends gang membership and delinquency as an outcome of the discrepancy connecting high economic aspirations and insufficient means for achieving them. It takes over that every youth is likely to have similar economic ends or aims, for instance; power, success and wealth, but it should be realized that most of the youth cannot have legitimate resources to accomplish such aims. Therefore, in order to balance the lack of means, the faction of youth must resort to illegal activity for achieving their ambitions. Under the discipline of criminology, strain is quite similar to the stain of crime, which does not last its mark over the mind of citizens. There are several advancement has been done by many theorists, which includes Albert K. Cohen, Robert King Merton, Lloyd Ohlin, Richard Cloward, Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld.

Inability to achieve financial success influences people to commit crime and hence it is the cause of deviant behavior. Since people today are becoming more materialistic, they have a greater desire for material possession, as their success is measured by the attainment of these possessions; therefore those who are unable to achieve it through legitimate means will resort devious means to achieve their desired goals . The anomie theory of Robert Merton recognized strain that under class youth sensed in trying to attain the ambitions of middle-class, and drawn five directions that they can settle to this strain. They can meet the universal aims and seek to reach them by using legal mediums. The faction of citizens can make inventions and attain the aim by other means than those usually used by society, for instance, gain money by robbery rather than functioning for it. These factions can use ritualism that rejects the aim rather than means of gaining it. These people can ...