Tag: strain theory

  • Why are Americans Dying Younger?

    Life Expectancy in the U.S. has fallen for the last three years in a row, which is yet further supporting evidence that the United States might actually be a less developed country. The decline is driven by the increasing death rates in young Americans, aged between 25 to 64, which the main causes of death…

  • Consensus Theories of Crime -Functionalist and Strain Theories: Summary Version

    Introduction/ The basics Consensus Theory – Social Institutions generally work, social control is good, crime is dysfunctional (bad) Closely related to Subcultural Theories 1890 -1940s Durkheim’s Functionalist Theory Crime is natural and inevitable, society needs crime. There are three positive functions of crime – social integration/ social regulation/ social change Hirschi’s Social Control/ Bonds of…

  • Merton’s Strain Theory of Deviance

    Crime is a result of a ‘strain’ between legitimate goals and lack of opportunities to achieve those goals.