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General Strain Theory

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General Strain Theory
There are many criminological theories to explain why crime and criminals work the way they work. Five theories are fit into a majority of today’s crime cases are Anomie theory by Emile Durkheim, General strain theory by Robert Agnew, Social Disorganization theory by Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay, Social Bonding theory by Travis Hirschi, and the Containment theory by Walter Reckless. Anomie is when there is a clear lack of social norms and values. This is common among teens who grew up in a dysfunctional, abusive family. General strain theory is used an individual is strained and unable to cope with the strain so they commit their time to doing crimes. Social Disorganization theory shows why certain neighborhoods experience more crime rates …show more content…
Hirschi described social bonding theory as, “Elements of social bonding include attachment to families, commitment to social norms and institutions (school, employment), involvement in activities, and the belief that these things are important” (Alston 1995). Forming social relationships is one of the most important aspects to staying out of criminal activities. The four basic principle elements of this theory are attachment, commitment, involvement, and beliefs. Attachment is the degree of value an individual holds in a society. The most important attachment most individuals form is family. Family helps to form an idea of what the world is from a very young age. They teach how to behave in specific situations and what is wrong or right. With attachment, an individual learns what to expect from society as well as what the society expects from him or her. A person who doesn’t form a strong attachment to family or society has trouble fitting into the norms (Alston 1995). Commitment is said to be the second step to attachment. One has to commit to the norms of society and uphold to expectations. An individual without a strong attachment will find it difficult to commit. The third element, Involvement is giving importance and time to society. Its engrossing oneself and participating in conventional activities. Finally, beliefs are the the rules and certain values of society a person has to follow. For example, having a monogamous relationship is a norm in the United States. Not following this norm or any other norm causes an individual to deviate from society. They become outcasts and lose their sense of responsibility to society. This in turn encourages that individual to participate in criminal activity and deviance (Alston
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