01:920:222 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Noxious Stimulus, Homicide, Arson

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: 01:920:222
• Professor: Professor Covington

Document Summary

The theories of merton, cloward & ohlin, and cohen are traditional strain theories. What are the problems with these traditional strain theories: they cannot explain delinquency in the mc/uc, they can only explain delinquency in lc, traditional strain theories have tested poorly. In tests of strain theory, strain is measured as: high aspirations/low expectations. Ie for someone who has high aspirations of graduating college but low expectations of graduating: gap between aspirations and expectations is strain. However, most hs students do not experience this gap and thus are not strained: their aspirations usually match their expectations, most with high aspirations are unaware of limited chances for success. Because so few teens are strained, strain does not cause delinquency. Instead it is low education/occupation aspirations and low education/occupation expectations that cause delinquency. Applies to all social classes and to males and females. Another problem for the strain theorist, cohen, is his claim that: school failure status frustration delinquency.