Anomie And Strain Theory Essay

1. Throughout the course, we have learned many different theories and how they all try to define and explain deviance. Yet, the most influential force that always comes into play is society and how we get perceived as individuals. Two of the most convincing theories that we talked about in lecture are Labeling theory and Social Disorganization theory. Both blame society for creating deviance in people who would not otherwise be deviant if it weren’t for the constant pressure of the civilization where they live. However, both have different approaches to how they explain why people are considered deviant and how they are recognized in society.
First we will take a look at Social Disorganization theory. This macro level theory tries to make sense
He pondered at why there was such a “macrolevel” difference in these societies. As a result, he coined the term anomie to describe the state of normlessness he was witnessing in these societies. This term, however, appeals to some groups more than others. I will argue that anomie/strain theory is more convincing to proponents of a free will perspective, rather than those who favor determinism. Free will states that people "weigh the cost and benefits” of their action. When people do this, they often think about how society will view them if they partake in this particular act. When there is a sense of anomie, where society isn’t regulating expectations of its citizens, free-will would be harder to measure. People would no longer know how to act, since they can’t figure out what society wants from them. However, if we were to look at this through a deterministic lens, no one would act differently, since their behavior is out of their
40% of the class responded that they had engaged in all 4 activities. This was shocking to me, but didn’t seem to be for quite a few of my classmates. On the other end of the spectrum were the 1% that had not participated in any of them, which was also quite shocking for me. Scholars using differential association versus labeling theory would interpret these results differently. If Sutherland, the creator of differential association theory, were to look at these results, I believe the first thing he would say is that we must have learned these behaviors, either from watching TV dramas or from friends and family. By communicating with our friends, it made us more likely to commit these acts of deviance. One question asked if we had ever stolen anything, even of limited value. Some people who added that to their total probably grew up watching a family member steal, and thought it was what they were supposed to do to fit in with their