ABSTRACT
Anomie and strain theories are one of the three major sociological explanations of deviant and criminal behavior. Anomie and strain approaches to deviant behavior are different from other theoretical ideas in that they suggest that crime or deviance happens as a response to some form of anomic situation or strain. That strain could be financial (see Merton) or psychological (see Agnew). Anomie theorists suggest that malintegration and disorder are the necessary societal conditions to cause individuals to feel strain in their lives. However, individuals will not commit crime unless the social structure coupled with the lack of access to resources or economic goals is also blocked. What is unique about these anomie or strain approaches to deviance is the focus on societies as a whole – not just the individual. It is the society that places a particular emphasis on certain accomplishments or goals. It is, therefore, societal expectations that cause the anomic structure, or normlessness, that one feels when they do not reach those goals. Theorists in this area will point to societies, like the United States of America, as the unit of analysis compared to other societies with different crime rates, like Great Britain or Japan. This chapter traces the idea of anomie from its first intellectual development (Durkheim), to its application in American society (Merton), to its modern-day usage (Agnew).
