The General strain theory

The General strain theory

The General strain theory is contrary based on the assumption that crime is a result of a negative relationship with others. It does not involve negative interpersonal behavior but also circumstances and events that subjectively expected to arouse negative emotions and characteristics such as parent abuse, abusive relationships, and unemployment e.t c

A distinguishing factor with other crime theories the General strain theory suggests that strain results in an active negative state, which creates pressure for a corrective measure such as engaging in criminal activities. A clear example is when child abuse unavoidably builds on a child with a violent model. However, GST claims that the state of emotions consequently leads to crime.

General strain theory centers on the negative implication of anger, which pressures an individual to exhibit negative action, consciously an individual state of mind is clouded. It reduces one’s concern for their acts or implication for one’s response. The theory supports that individuals who are easily irritated are more likely to experience a constant elevation in the state anger in reaction to strain as compared to their counterparts with a low display in rage.

Since the GST mainly focuses on anger as the primary emotional reaction that results in a negative action. It is also considered that other negative emotions such as depression and anxiety, are significant as well to the study of human reaction to emotional states. Further studies done by Agnew purports that the diverse types of negative emotions may result in different crimes example, cases of internalized emotions of depression may lead to less intensive criminal acts such as drug abuse. In contrast, the outer-directed exhibition of emotions individuals may tend to more aggressive and display physical and emotional strain.

Gender Strain theory supports and assesses gender differences in crime while determining the rate of gender variation in the amount of strain in both genders. Females are reported to exhibit higher levels of negative expression as compared to their male counterparts; however, they are less likely to be involved in criminal acts. GST, unlike social theory, rules on three assumptions that diabolically frame the level of strain within the male and female gender. The theory majorly validates the argument on the basis that the female gender is less likely to express criminogenic stress as compared to the male gender, thereby are least expected to involve in criminal and violent activities.

As compared to other theories relating to human characteristics with crime involvement’s GST is quite distinct in explaining the rate of crime in the life course of human beings. The approach weighs on the stability of crime with the level of negative emotional individuals. The traits show an increase with the experience of criminogenic strains and have a direct relation to negative behavioral characteristics that results in criminal activities. The display and development of such traits not only increase the possibility of illegal coping but further stabilizes and enhances the exhibition of negative characteristics, which helps in monitoring the level of criminal involvement for similar traits individuals.

Agnew theory of strain suggested that several forms of stress-triggered individuals to experience destructive states such as anger and depression. Agnew’s theory evaluated that criminal indulgence by an individual happened when individuals expressed and sought to cope with their negative emotions. However, the strain theory failed to support the probability that not all individuals route to crime as a means to deal with their negative states. Agnew validation for the approach was on the basis that the individual coping strategy was the key factor in determining the individual’s involvement in a crime.

Agnew’s strain theory could not explain criminal acts such as domestic abuse, sexual, and sexual assaults as crimes that have economic value. Agnew’s assumption of strain theory is based on the assumption that previously listed crimes are as a means of coping with emotional distress, although illegal, they tend to express an individual’s frustration to achieve a goal. An example will be if a female rejects a male’s advances to engage in sexual interactions the male may resort to sexual assault to achieve his goal. Additionally, the General strain theory in a bid to elaborate and support its supposition in criminal behavior, Agnew supplemented information on the sources of strain: he further removed positive stimuli and the confrontation of a negative stimulus.The modification of the theory provided further analysis and understanding of a wide variety of criminal activities and the resultant strain. The process enabled strain theory to explain crime among the other level societal standards. Criticism of the assumption was that it mainly concentrated on evaluating crime among the lower classes. However, Agnew’s new findings are drawn from a modern evaluation of criminal activities ruled out on the assumption that the lower level was predominately accountable for the majority of criminal responses. He believed that criminal engagements are evenly distributed among all social classes.

Agnew’s General strain theory proposes macrolevel GST to expound on community indifferences with its interconnection of the social aspect with criminal involvement. This has been evaluated on the social disorder and with minimal consideration of subcultural aberration, which is similar to the relative deprivation theory. The theory is unique since it suggests the Macrolevel General Strain Theory model that does not only include the key GST critical factors such as strain and negative effect at a cumulative level but also at an exogenous variable of community behavior. More so, increasing the capacity of community-level strain, the mentioned characteristics lead to the selection and holding of strained individuals. Therefore, community identification in the MGST model supports the control of self-selection manipulation as well as identify the community strain.