Strain Theory posits that societal pressures to achieve culturally defined goals can lead individuals to resort to crime when legitimate means are unavailable. Which theorist is most closely associated with Strain Theory?

Strain Theory posits that societal pressures to achieve culturally defined goals can lead individuals to resort to crime when legitimate means are unavailable. Which theorist is most closely associated with Strain Theory?

• A. Robert Merton
• B. Travis Hirschi
• C. Walter Reckless
• D. Edwin Lemert

Answer: (A)

Strain Theory explains crime as a response to the mismatch between culturally defined goals (like wealth or success) and the limited legitimate means available to achieve them. When those means are blocked, the resulting strain can push people toward illegitimate ways to reach those goals. This idea was developed by Robert Merton, who stressed that society values certain outcomes but that not everyone has equal access to the approved routes to get there. He also described five ways people adapt to this strain: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Conformists accept both goals and means; innovators pursue goals through illegitimate means; ritualists go through the motions of the means without pursuing the goals; retreatists withdraw from both; and rebels seek to replace the goals and means with new ones. This framework ties the pressure to achieve to the likelihood of crime when legitimate avenues are blocked, which is why the theorist most closely associated with Strain Theory is Robert Merton. The other theorists listed are linked to different theories—Hirschi to Social Bond Theory, Reckless to Containment Theory, and Lemert to Labeling Theory.

Strain Theory explains crime as a response to the mismatch between culturally defined goals (like wealth or success) and the limited legitimate means available to achieve them. When those means are blocked, the resulting strain can push people toward illegitimate ways to reach those goals. This idea was developed by Robert Merton, who stressed that society values certain outcomes but that not everyone has equal access to the approved routes to get there. He also described five ways people adapt to this strain: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Conformists accept both goals and means; innovators pursue goals through illegitimate means; ritualists go through the motions of the means without pursuing the goals; retreatists withdraw from both; and rebels seek to replace the goals and means with new ones. This framework ties the pressure to achieve to the likelihood of crime when legitimate avenues are blocked, which is why the theorist most closely associated with Strain Theory is Robert Merton. The other theorists listed are linked to different theories—Hirschi to Social Bond Theory, Reckless to Containment Theory, and Lemert to Labeling Theory.