StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Best theories explain crime - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Consequently, there are some behaviors or actions, which are inherently considered vices and may land an individual into trouble with the law. But why do people engage in crime? The…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.1% of users find it useful
Best theories explain crime
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Best theories explain crime"

Download file to see previous pages

There are numerous theories such as rational choice theory, strain theory, social disorganization theory, social learning theory, and social control theory, labeling theory as well as biology, genetics and evolution. Although there are many theories that have been put forward to explain why some people have high propensity to commit crime, I find strain theory to be the most suitable for explaining crime. Robert Merton, a sociologist from the United States, was the first to assess criminal behavior using Strain Theory in 1938.

According to Merton’s Strain theory, all members of the society have the same aspirations, but have varying opportunities or abilities to achieve their aspirations (Agnew & Brezina, 2010). Consequently some people will fail to achieve what the society expects of them through accepted ways like embracing hard work first then enjoying the fruits of labor later in life. Merton identified and explored five basic adaptations of people who cannot legitimately achieve the societal aspirations. These include: innovation, rebellion, conformity, retreatism and ritualism (Rios, 2007).

Conformity is where a person acknowledges that he or she cannot attain goals expected by the society and embrace the limited opportunities within their reach. Innovation is where an individual resort to illegal means to attain societal goals. Rebellion is where an individual disowns both societal goals as well as the means of achieving them and decides to give life a different approach. Retreatism also rejects societal goals and means of attaining them while ritualism is where an individual gives up hope on societal goals, but still embraces the means of achieving them (Rios, 2007).

The choice of Merton’s Strain theory as the most appropriate for explaining crime is informed by its pragmatic approach and coverage. Strain theory further takes into consideration cognitive dissonance for every societal member in examining the tendency of

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Best theories explain crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Best theories explain crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1690999-best-theories-explain-crime
(Best Theories Explain Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
Best Theories Explain Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1690999-best-theories-explain-crime.
“Best Theories Explain Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1690999-best-theories-explain-crime.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Best theories explain crime

How Does Social Learning Theory of Criminologly Best Explains Terrorism

hellip; Within the fields of criminology and psychology, several theories have explained why people take part in terrorist activities.... Differential Association Differential association is "the process whereby one is exposed to normative definitions favorable or unfavorable to illegal or law-abiding behavior" (Akers, “Criminological theories”, 143-144).... [Author's Name] How Does Social Learning Theory of Criminology best Explains Terrorism?...
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Causes of Crimes

Causes of crime Name Institution Compared to other developing and developed nations, the US records the highest cases of homicide.... Through the 1990s, as nations became economically stable, they invested more revenue in battling crime.... The second class of homicide offenders involves individuals who commit the crime while undertaking another crime such as burglary (Duwe 2007).... The fourth category of homicide offenders covers individuals charged with the offence subsequent to a crime incident (Duwe 2007)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

The Nature of Gottfredson and Hirschis General Theory of Crime

Gottfredson and Hirsch wrote the general theory of crime in 1990; they argued that social control is the central concept in determining the individual's possibility of committing a crime.... They defined crime as an act of force or fraud undertaken in pursuit of self interest, low self control explains an individuals likelihood of committing a crime, on the other hand high self control will explain the likelihood of an individual conforming to set norms and values in the society. … Self control determines who is likely to commit a crime and also that self control is internalized early in life during socialization....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Criminal Justice: Rationalism and Determinism

There have been many attempts in studies about crimes and scholars have come up with many theories which try to explain theories of crime.... Most of these theories are rooted on the natural instinct that leads to commitment of crime or forces that compel individual to develop crime traits.... Other factors like skin conductiveness, level of brain activities, and others which affects functioning of nervous system may lead to a dysfunction of the nervous system leading to development of crime traits....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

Analysis of Documental Film The Released

The paper "Analysis of Documental Film The Released" describes that the documentary brings a new story to the surface helping the audience to sympathize with the prison population not depicting them as degenerates but just people who need psychological rehabilitation.... hellip; The documentary, on the other hand, tries to make the plight of mentally ill patients known and the fact that they do not belong in prisons but in hospitals that can actually cater to their special needs and help them to rehabilitate....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Criminological Theories

These theories cover the creation and the breaking of the law, criminal and unexpected behavior, as well as trends of criminal activity (Akers & Sellers 1). One criminological theory… hat applies to a teenager boy who cannot find acceptable ways to live the life he desires and thus chooses crime to satisfy his desires is the deterrence and rational choice theory.... This theory states that human beings are rational and so a crime is committed; as a result, of Before people commit crimes they have weighed the benefits and consequences of the act and since the teenage boy cannot find other better ways of satisfying his wants, so chooses burglary....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

How Does Social Learning Theory of Criminology Best Explain Terrorism

Individuals learn behavior through interactions with others… This paper ''How Does Social Learning Theory of Criminology Best explain Terrorism'' tells that individuals learn criminal behavior through exposure to favorable or unfavorable criminologists (Akers, "Social Learning and Social Structure''....   Differential Association Differential association is "the process whereby one is exposed to normative definitions favorable or unfavorable to illegal or law-abiding behavior" (Akers, "Criminological theories," 143-144)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Limited Value of Anomie Theory in Criminology

This approach can be as effective when it is engaged to explain the so-called white-collar crimes.... This paper will analyze the theory of anomie and point out that it does not have a very limited value to the study of criminology as it is able to explain the crimes which are committed by the disadvantaged as well as other citizens....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us