Many of us undoubtedly face tension throughout our lives, it depends on how we deal with it to determine whether we will commit a crime or simply resort to working harder. The theory of deformations was developed by Robert K. Merton. My perception of strain theory is that it implies that social values ​​and norms drive people to commit crimes because of a discrepancy between their goals and their current achievements. Furthermore, the theory holds that acceptable goals include money and education and that the correct means to achieve them include hard work and honesty. However, people from different socio-economic groups have different chances of achieving these goals and those who are unable to achieve them are much more likely to experience strain. My way of interpreting the question is: "Is strain theory generally a good explanation of why individuals commit crime?" » I believe this tension is very compelling as to why individuals commit crime, but not directly because it is the coping strategies that lead to crime. This will be explained by stating 1. The tensions that most often indirectly lead to crime, 2. The factors that lead to the tension and 3. Coping strategies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay This shows a sequence that should imply that factors or circumstances lead to tensions, and that tensions lead to coping strategies that then lead to crime. In a way, the factors and tensions indirectly lead to crime. Coping strategies lead to crime, as opposed to stresses leading directly to crime. Individuals may experience tension when they are unable to achieve their goals through acceptable means. Among these goals are financial stability, material goods and improved social status. Society emphasizes that these and other goals should be achieved through honesty and hard work, but society has systems and laws that prevent people of lower socioeconomic status from achieving these goals. One of the most well-known systems is the school-to-prison pipeline, which refers to an almost direct path from the education system to the juvenile or adult criminal justice system. According to a study on discipline and socioeconomic status by Verdugo and Glen, those who receive reduced school lunch are more likely to be suspended from school. (Verdugo and Glenn 8). When a person is suspended, they may be labeled negatively. As a result, they may begin to express primary deviance due to labeling. This basically means they will start behaving in the negative way they are labeled. In summary, lower socioeconomic status means that it is more likely that individuals will be disciplined in school and develop negative behaviors that prevent them from achieving their goals, thus leading to tension. Additionally, society makes it extremely difficult to achieve social status through culturally acceptable means. Many researchers argue that people from lower socio-economic groups, particularly young people, tend to resort to gangs to obtain respect, money and social status through unacceptable means rather than finding their way out of gangs. positive way (Anderson 75). ElijahAnderson goes on to say that these individuals must “campaign” for respect in the streets. Gaining respect through these means leads individuals to be consistently involved in crime. Therefore, individuals who fail to achieve respect or social status through culturally acceptable means tend to resort to crime. As I mentioned before, there is evidence that harsh discipline and negative experiences in high school, among other things, lead to crime (Agnew 2005, 2006b). Additionally, tension leads to negative emotional reactions which, in turn, lead to crime; a way of escaping tension instead of coping through positive means. (Agnew and Brezina 104). These tensions are all very likely to lead to crime when people are unable to achieve their goals and are unwilling or unable to cope with them through positive means. Most likely lead to negative coping and crime when an individual sees the following factors; tension is unfair when the individual is under too much tension and when the individual has low social control. When people work hard and still fail to achieve their goal, they may view this as unfair and believe that achieving their goals through unacceptable means is tolerable. For example, a very qualified candidate, most often a minority, will apply for a job related to their skills or training. They are called for an interview which they attend, it may go well or badly, but a few days later they will most likely receive the news that they have been rejected by the company. Now, this happens frequently, and it can happen to anyone for any reason. However, discrimination still remains one of the most common reasons why people fail to find employment (Baron 425). In this case, unemployment due to discrimination is undoubtedly unfair, but society is structured that way. While some people may react by continuing their job search, others may instead react with frustration, which is much more likely to lead to tension. We see that discrimination is a factor that leads to unemployment which is a kind of tension. Additionally, when tension is high, the individual may resort to crime after realizing that they are unable to achieve their goals in various areas. opportunities or if there is a huge gap between their current state and their goals. It is commonly believed that people are generally more likely to commit crime when they fail to achieve financial stability. “Drug trafficking is more likely when unemployed people have stopped looking for work and when they are extremely unhappy with their financial situation” (Baron 420). In other words, people living in extreme poverty face great pressure and find themselves in a position where the gap between their goals and their current state is extreme. While I agree with this statement, it ignores the fact that money is not the only reason people engage in drug crimes, but it can also be respect in the street system, as I have already mentioned. They may resort to drug dealing not only to enrich themselves, but in case they are part of gangs, it may also be to seek respect. Additionally, low social control is another factor that leads to negative adaptation. To illustrate this, an individual may be rejected by their family or peers throughout their life and develop this feeling of poor socialization with others. In.