CRIM 2650 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: General Strain Theory, Richard Cloward, Lloyd Ohlin
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Thursday, October 19, 2017
CRIM 2650
Lecture #7!
Overview: Anomie and Strain Theories!
●Introduction!
●Historical Background of Strain Theories!
●Merton, Anomie and Social Structure!
●Strain and Delinquency (Subcultural Theory)!
●Albert Cohen: Delinquent Boys!
●Cloward and Ohlin: Delinquency and Opportunity!
●Policy Implications of Classical Strain Theories !
●Contemporary Research in Strain Theory !
●Agnew’s General Strain Theory!
●Strain Theory and African American Offending!
●Institutional Anomie Theory!
●Policy Suggestions of Institutional Anomie Theory!
Introduction: Main Theorists!
●Robert K. Merton (1910-2003)!
●Social Structure and Anomie (1938)!
●Albert K. Cohen (1918-2014)!
●Delinquent Boys (1955)!
●Richard Cloward (1926-2001) and Lloyd Ohlin (1918-2008)!
●Delinquency and Opportunity (1960)!
●Robert Agnew (1953-)!
●Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency (1992)!
●Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld (1948-)!
●Crime and the American Dream (1994)!
Introduction: Main Themes!
●Individuals are more likely to engage in crime when they cannot achieve culturally
prescribed goals through legitimate (or institutionalized) means. !
●Strain on individuals. !
1. Illegitimate ways !
2. Demonstrate anti-social behaviour and develop an alternative value system !
3. Resort to drug usage.!
Strain Theories: Historical Background!
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Thursday, October 19, 2017
●The Great Depression (1929) and The New Deal (1933-1938)!
●American Dream!
●Functionalist School of Sociology!
●The Renewal of Interest in Strain Theory!
●The Golden Age of Welfare State (1945-1975)!
●Progressive Social Movements in 1960s!
The Great Depression and the New Deal!
●The Great Depression (1929)!
●Steinbeck’s The#Grapes of Wrath (1939)!
●Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)!
●The New Deal America (1933-1938) !
●American Dream!
●Common Individual!
●Hard Work!
●Pecuniary Success!
●The Culture of Consumption !
●‘Conspicuous consumption’ (Veblen 1899).!
●Production to consumption based economy.!
●The Recession in 1937!
●The contrast between the American Dream and deep inequalities!
●Merton: crime as an adaptation to economic and cultural conditions.!
Merton, Anomie and Social Structure!
●Merton’s Biography !
●There is a disjuncture between culturally prescribed goals and institutionalized
means for attaining these goals !
●Culturally prescribed goals: the American Dream!
●Institutionalized means: hard-work, strong work ethic, education, rational
thinking and planning. !
●The contradiction between culture and social structure is anomie. !
●Strain on individuals!
●Durkheim vs. Merton on Anomie!
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