Anomie Research Paper

The motivation of criminals encompasses more than one common denominator, however, the degree of culpability and causation are within close proximity of one another. People every day engage in illicit acts for a myriad of reasons that run the gamut from white-collar crimes such as embezzling large sums of money to retail thefts. Gang related and drug-crimes that result in violence have plagued metropolitan areas throughout American. There is never any justification for taking someone’s life unless it is in self-defense, but people kill indescribably for material items or money. Is it the Americans insatiable appetite and relentless pursuit of obtaining wealth and prosperity in achieving the American dream? Unfortunately, yes. For some
people, this is the underlining-motivator for committing criminal acts regardless of the consequences. The perception of wealth in America as a viable solution for resolving problems is a mirage not a remedy. Even though this is a common known cliché that “money doesn’t buy happiness,” people continue to risk their freedom and commit criminal acts for such a dream. These are just a few irrational explanations of why people under the general strain theory, whether first offenders, or career criminals commit crimes. There are many exceptions, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, mental health problems, drug and alcohol addiction that contribute to criminal behavior as well. According to Robert K. Merton’s strain theory developed in 1957, strain on a person’s life creates the causation factors why a small segment of the population becomes pressured in engaging in criminal behavior. The strain placed on individuals or groups eventually becomes salient nadir points at which people emotionally breakdown and commit non-violent as well as violent crimes for a myriad of reasons. It is important to clarify that the majority of people in American society under various combinations of stresses do not commit crimes. This research paper examines underlying factors concerning the general strain theories that contribute to urban violence among inter city Whites, Hispanics, and African American adult males. There are an amalgamation of expert opinions and explanations why people turn to a life of crime. For example, socioeconomic factors are extremely vital contributors to criminal behavior along with the high recidivism rates due to local, state, and federally depleted resources, lack of economic opportunities, which all have contributed to the violence witnessed among young adult males today. The twenty first century optics constantly streamed on mobile and electronic devices day-to-day uncensored without parental guidance, young people view sex, violence, porn, and listen to music riddled with inflammatory lyrics demeaning women and videos displaying vast amounts of wealth have left an indelible impression and desire in today’s young adult male and female population. Moreover, young adult males with raging hormones viewing this unlimited amount of negative information 24/7 are subconsciously being desensitized into a downturn and emotional belief this cacophony of content is acceptable. Therefore, unless parents or in loc prarentas intervene at a young age to change the trajectory of what has become the new normal, these children being brought in the world will not have a chance. Moreover, any attempt of an emotional rescue of disarming the false narrative being perpetually via news and social media will continue to skew facts and fiction to no avail. Adult males become stuck in the queue of an economic criminal bureaucracy where they are susceptible to make irrational unlawful choices that have contributed to the mass incarceration in America prisons. When people are in dire straits in communities with more drug-crime opportunities than legitimate means to earn a living wage, systemic criminal behavior becomes commonplace. Therefore, no one is exempt or intrinsically safe from turning toward committing criminal acts in living in these geographic urban areas. The general strain theory does not discriminate regardless of your gender, age, race/ethnicity or vocation. Police officers, military personnel, politicians, blue collar or white-collar workers all have succumbed to strain for a myriad of reasons. Careers have abruptly ended and people have served lengthy prison sentences because of a multitude of stressor in their lives that drove them to break the law. Due to the plethora of causations of why people are motivated to partake in criminal activity, this paper graces the surface of why inner city young adult males have made life changing decisions that have commuted their freedom.
Historical and Intellectual Background Émile Durkheim the French sociologist had a holistic view about society and crime.
Durkheim’s theory of crime is that crime is a naturally occurring phenomenon in all societies. Durkheim’s many meanings are confusing, but his research into suicide is where the term, anomie developed. There are many interpretations of Anomie and meanings. Anomie interpreted in the twenty-first century regarding criminal causation is a breakdown of an individual or group in society fraught with feeling disenfranchised and emotionally empty with not cameno to a better quality of life. Furthermore, the ambiguity and rationalization in attempting to explain anomie and its various meanings are points of contention between criminologist and sociologist. DiCristina (2016). “In Suicide, anomie, is said to foster unhappiness and anger, emotions that can drive a person to commit not only suicide but also homicide” (p. 321). According to Durkheim, these isms of emotions contribute to the causation of criminal, violent behavior, but the lack of holistic economic opportunity has been a force majeure in today’s urban violence weighing heavily on minorities disproportionately incarcerated in America. Durkheim’s theories became the foundation of the modern general strain theories. Durkheim highlights property crimes as one key motivational factor of why people commit crimes. However, opportunities not entitlements will lower a major percentage of non-violence and violent
crime. Robert K. Merton ruminated over Durkheim’s various meanings of anomie along with its complexities. Merton introduced the strain on criminal behavior, emphasizing how strains in peoples’ lives increase criminal behavior. Merton argued that Americans’ desire at a chance to achieve the superficial façade known, as the American dream has been a major component in criminal behavior. Unfortunately, for some people the dream cost them their lives and freedom. Robert Agnew developed the General Strain Theory (GST), from Merton’s strain theory. Agnew’s GST is more applicable to the current times. Agnew simplified the strain theory using the gold rule metaphor. If people are not treating other people the way they themselves would find offensive, stress develops in that person that brings about a macabre of emotion and instability. The GST encompasses a deluge of explanations from social control of social learning, which lead to delinquency. However, for some people, strain creates a paradoxical effect during the commission of a crime causing a reduction in stress. The margin of strain effecting Whites, Hispanics, and African Americans is very narrow in scope. Hispanics and African Americans faced past discrimination that did not afford them the same opportunities as whites to earn a living wage, which increased the strain along with the probabilities of these groups being involved in criminal behavior in order to have enough money for necessary expenses and to eventually obtain the American dream. Therefore, the absence of positive stimuli made minority groups’ more susceptible to arrest that led to incarceration. Moreover, once people have a criminal record, their employment opportunities are very limited. Now obtaining a proper education is almost impossible, making it extremely difficult to assimilate into the workforce. This creates an applicant pool primarily made up of young adult males susceptible to negative stimuli of unfavorable immeasurable odds at any change of succeeding in life. The obvious disconnect over racial/ethnical lines as well as economic challenges creates a vacuum of a substantially large growing have-nots due to of economic inequality in low-income urban areas of minority based areas eroded due to crime-infested neighborhoods with no resources and deplorable conditions of the loss of family and friends that fell victim to violent crime have broken their community. For example, a major U.S. city like Detroit has a deteriorated infrastructure just fermenting in decay that has tumbled into economic blight and mired in deplorable conditions, which is now a perfect canvas for criminal opportunities.
Empirical Studies of the Causal Arguments Violent crime rates are cyclical and differentiate between: Whites, Hispanics and African American young adult males. Light and Ulmer (2016) stated, “In 2008, less than 1 percent of white men were incarcerated, compared to 2.7 percent of Hispanic men and nearly 7 percent of black men from 131 of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas from 1990 to 2010 (p. 293). These statistics are registered differently from state to state because depending on the state; the ethnicity of Hispanics is registered as white, or separated from whites, which changes the accuracy of the studies. The statistics concerning the incarceration of African Americans affects everyone in society, regardless of your race/ethnic background. What are some of the causations surrounding this empirical data regarding African American violence?
Single parenting, income disparity, grandparents raising their children’s children, and lack of a support system in drug infested neighborhoods all contribute toward the sustained struggle resulting in a higher probability leading to violent criminal behavior. Does society cast blame on the government or societal maladies for the gap in homicides among racial-ethnic cultural groups? This question is absolute in its summation that more strain on an individual’s life result in negative emotions that lead to criminal behavior. Free will, self-accountability become diluted when factoring in the general strain theory along with historic variables. Once an individual crosses the threshold and enters into the criminal justice system, economics play a major role in whether or not they will be incarcerated. For example, the high profile case of O.J. Simpson resulted in a not-guilty verdict for allegedly killing Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. DNA evidence presented failed to assist prosecutors in the case against O.J. Simpson. This demonstrated the efficacy and influence of fame and fortune. Moreover, assembling a dream team of attorneys along with jury nullification due to past wrongs minorities faced within the criminal justice system rendered a verdict that sent a message of the systemic economic bias of the criminal justice
system. Studies attempting to explain the disproportionate numbers of African Americans incarcerated due to violence because of GST are conflicting. Minority neighborhoods that are homogeneous have more violent drug-crimes due to the lack of diversity. The Agnew theory that minorities commit more crimes due to strain and depleted resources contradict other studies. Attempting to lock down on a definitive explanation defies statistical information. According to Piquero & Sealock 2010 “White youth reported significantly more strain, anger, and depression and non-White youth reported significantly greater cognitive, emotional, physical, and spiritual coping resources and better family communication” (p. 179). This contradicts Agnew’s theory of minorities being under more strain than whites. Emotional indicators and perception often mislead judgment beyond empirical research. The unexplained innate fortitude the majority of people have in society defying the odds everyday entering the struggle and strain are the bedrock of hope.

General Issue The general issue surrounding the empirical studies of GST in regards to addressing the causation of urban violence among: White, Hispanic and African Americans are fraught with ambiguities of many general complexities preciously discussed. Studies need to be conducted without fear of reprisal for not being politically in order to get to the nucleus of urban violence. People studying the genocide in American cities are stymied by not offending people, but this only leads to euphemism without results, especially when addressing black-on-black violence. Therefore, the fieldwork required to understand why young adult males fall victim to violent criminal behavior continues to ignore because the murders are homogeneous. What have we become when human beings continue to kill one another indiscriminately. Why has this cog in society become the acceptable viewing norm night after night on the news? Prudent studies with real solutions are not done modern phenomenon because the modern general strain has made people numb to the subconscious effects of finding a sustainable remedy in stopping the violence. As long as it does affect me, it doesn’t matter. This unspoken voice is one reason for the violent crime epidemic in America. The social construct of urban violence being repeatedly reported only reinforces minority male stereotypes, especially among African American males. Over the past decade, news media outlets have not addressed reports of gun violence in urban areas in largely populated African American communities. with any attempt at implementing a plan to extinguish the violence. Instead the focus has been on the longest war in history, the war on terrorism and a minutia of deadly force incidents by law enforcement officers. Furthermore, the political discord dehumanizing people based on race/ethnicity, gender, and political affiliation are distractions in avoiding addressing the issues to finding viable sustainable solutions. The social construct portrayed repeatedly over and over has sensationalized this environment as well.
Conclusion
Studies have shown after 9/11, violent crime dropped overall in the United States. This lends credibility to the GST because Americans had a common enemy and purpose, which brought about a homogeneous theater. Unfortunately, human beings slide into old habits and this harmonious solidarity enjoyed was short lived. Sadly, in the past decade, violence has manifested itself as entertainment. I realized preventing crime is impossible because of individual free will. I agree with Durkheim’s theory on crime that it is a part of all societies and the general strain placed on people today is overwhelming. American society will always have crimes such due to drug and alcohol addiction, mental illness, sexual assaults, and domestic violence. That being said, the violent random homicide epidemic that is constantly in the news must end. In order to reduce homicides among adult males, especially in inner cities like Chicago, everyone must get involved in the communities with a clear and concise path to training and education programs for all people so that the vision in achieving the American dream becomes a reality. The general strain theory of stress in society resonates and affects all people. Although everyone handles stress differently, I cannot reiterate how important a sense of pride and dignity affect all people so that they can support their families and feel they part of something greater than themselves. In today’s nuclear family, which is, an amalgamation of different people and the general strain is global. But if when society fails to ignore a segment of the minority population, we are all destine to fail, which is guaranteed to destroy the fabric of the human race along with the path to peace and prosperity.