ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that strain theory has a central role to play in explanation of crime/delinquency, but that the theory has to be substantially revised to play this role. It draws on the literatures, as well as the recent revisions in strain theory, to present the outlines of a general strain theory of crime/delinquency. Strain, social control, and differential association theory are all sociological theories: They explain delinquency in terms of the individual’s social relationships. Three types of strain in this category have been listed: strain as the disjunction between aspirations and expectations/actual achievements, expectations and actual achievements, and just/fair outcomes and actual outcomes. The literature on stress and the recent psychological literature on aggression also focus on the actual or anticipated presentation of negative or noxious stimuli. The selection of delinquent versus non-delinquent coping strategies is not only dependent on the constraints to coping, but also on the adolescent’s disposition to engage in delinquent versus non-delinquent coping.
