Explanation
General Strain Theory (GST) was developed by the American criminologist Robert Agnew in the early 1990s as an extension of earlier strain and anomie theories. While classical strain theories primarily focused on economic goals and blocked opportunities, Agnew broadened the concept of strain to include a wider range of stressful life experiences and emotional pressures.
According to GST, individuals may experience strain when:
- they fail to achieve positively valued goals,
- positive stimuli are removed (e.g., loss of relationships or status),
- or negative stimuli are presented (e.g., abuse, humiliation, conflict, victimization).
These experiences can generate negative emotions such as anger, frustration, resentment, fear, or humiliation. Crime and deviant behavior may emerge when individuals lack legitimate coping strategies or perceive criminal behavior as a way to reduce strain, seek revenge, or regain control.
Compared to earlier strain theories, GST places much greater emphasis on emotions, subjective experiences, and individual coping processes. The theory therefore connects sociological explanations of crime with psychological and emotional dimensions of behavior.
General Strain Theory has been widely applied to:
- juvenile delinquency,
- violent offending,
- school violence and bullying,
- substance abuse,
- gender differences in crime,
- and the relationship between victimization and offending.
GST remains one of the most influential contemporary developments of strain theory and modern criminology more broadly.
Theoretical Reference
General Strain Theory expands earlier approaches such as anomie and Merton’s strain theory by emphasizing emotions, stress, and subjective experiences of strain. It is closely associated with Robert Agnew and contemporary theories linking social structure, emotions, and deviance.