Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) explains crime as a response to strainful experiences that generate negative emotions such as anger and frustration. It extends classical anomie and strain theories by broadening the range of sources of strain and by offering a more nuanced, psychologically informed explanation of how strain leads to crime. While Merton’s
Robert K. Merton’s Anomie Theory expands Émile Durkheim’s concept of anomie by linking deviant behavior to structural inequalities in access to culturally approved goals. First systematically developed in Social Structure and Anomie (1938/1949), the theory explains crime as a socially structured adaptation to blocked opportunities rather than individual pathology. Merton argues that when culturally valued
Theories of sanctioning are developments from labeling theories. In contrast to labeling or deterrence theories, sanctioning theories assume that punishment can have different effects in different contexts. Theories of sanctioning examine the effect of punishment. As a further development of labelling approaches, their main focus is on the re-integrating function of penalties. On the basis
Biological theories of crime explain criminal behavior by reference to genetic, neurological, and physiological factors. These approaches focus on individual predispositions and biological processes that may increase the likelihood of offending. In contrast to sociological theories that emphasize social structures and cultural norms, biological approaches highlight internal characteristics of the individual. Modern perspectives increasingly adopt
Anomie is one of the most influential concepts in classical sociology and a foundational theory for understanding the relationship between social structure and crime. Émile Durkheim’s concept of anomie describes a condition of social disintegration that emerges during periods of profound structural change, such as industrialization and the rise of the division of labour. In
Social disorganization theory assumes that crime rates are constant in areas with certain environmental conditions, such as high unemployment, population fluctuation or material decay. Such conditions prevent social organization and cohesion in the neighbourhood and thus informal social control of delinquency. Once crime is widespread, criminal norms and values that compete with normative values are