The Strain Theory: A Sociological Analysis

Experiencing the different cultures brought a whole new perspective in my eyes, but being so young at that time; I also had doubts and experienced deviance, a violation of norms or rules. There were times when I felt like my parents were being very strict and limited my fun activities. One day I went to my friend, Brittany’s house and started venting about how horrible and dull my life was. She told me her parents were fun because they would just give her money and she could do whatever she desired. Brittany’s parents were entrepreneurs and they belonged to the upper social class, so she always had the money to spend. I wanted that lifestyle, but I did not belong in that social class. Brittany decided to take me to the mall to go shopping and midway
I stared at her and I told her it was wrong to steal because of social control, the regulation, and enforcement of norms, and would result in negative sanctions, punishments for violating norms (Sociology, 137). She told me I was always complaining about how boring my life was and that this was the perfect way to have some fun, shoplifting. I never thought about doing anything illegal as a mean of fun, but that day Brittany somehow influenced me to it. Looking back, I think I was experiencing the Strain Theory, which was one of the theories of the functionalist perspective on society. Merton mentioned anomie that was to describe the strain individuals’ feels when they were not able to have the opportunities to achieve their goals or desires and that was a factor in pushing me to shoplift. I wanted expensive jewelry and fancy clothes, but I did not have the money for it. I felt like society wanted me to reach for a goal that would give me a stable income to purchase these desires, but I felt like I would never make it there. Holding that mindset, I felt the one way to achieve the jewelry was to steal it and I made the move. After leaving the mall, Brittany was perfectly normal, but I did not feel