SOC 1500 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: General Strain Theory, Counterculture, Child Neglect
20 Oct 2016
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Intended to explain all types of crime. Empirical support - low self control is most important cause of criminal behaviour. Sampson and laub"s turning points and desistance. Turning points lead to desistance of point. Societal pressures produce a state of anomie, which can lead to crime. Anomie according to merton is the result of a disjuncture of. Working class youth had few opportunities to achieve culturally approved goals as middle class youth. All of us are held to this rod whether or not it"s easy to meet those expectations. Lower class argued; find deviant subculture proof for a crime and often difficult to live up to expectations. Agnew agreed with merton that strain can cause criminal behaviour but he argued there are different forms of strain not just financial. Agnew identified three types of strain: the inability to achieve positively valued goals. Macro-level strain; societal or structural issues that"s well beyond individual level.
