Agnew's Theory Research Articles

Social Concern Theory and Family Violence Among Latino Families.

This paper examines whether Agnew's Social Concern Theory can be applied to explain family violence perpetration among Latino families. Social concern theory maintains that people have biological inclinations to care for the welfare of others, desire close ties with certain individuals, follow certain moral intuitions, and conform to the behaviors of others. As such, this study tests whether an individual's social capital (care about the welfare of others), familismo (desire for close ties), code of the streets (moral intuitions), and obligation to obey the police (conformity to social norms) is associated with family violence among a Latino sample. Using data from the El Paso Neighborhood Survey Project, which surveyed a random sample of 1,059 adults living in El Paso County, Texas in 2014, findings indicate that three of out of four theoretical constructs in the final model were found to be significant. Higher levels of social capital and familismo were associated with lower odds of perpetrating family violence, while code of the streets increased family violence. Obligation to obey the police was non-significant. Agnew's theory modestly explained family violence among Latino families.

A Response to “Social Change, Life Strain, and Delinquency among Chinese Urban Adolescents”: Thoughts on the Broader Implication of China's Economic Success on the Production of Delinquency

The institutional changes that have resulted from China's rapid transformation from a closed communist society to a more open, market-driven society are both impressive and daunting. A hundred years from now, people will look back to try to understand and fully appreciate the impact of the major structural, societal level transformations, not only on China itself but on the larger community both in Asia and other parts in the world. Among the many positive developments that have occurred in the past 1 5 years, including increased foreign investment, economic opportunities, and individual wealth (among others), there has emerged a new set of challenges that many communities and families are experiencing. One such challenge is the recent and rapid rise of crime and delinquency over many parts of Chinese society. Rapid increases in crime and delinquency across China have the potential not only to destabilize families but also to influence levels of social cohesion as well as responses by the juvenile and criminal justices systems. Thus, it is important for social scientists (and others) to work toward better understanding how social, structural, economic, and cultural changes in China are fostering negative outcomes, such as crime and delinquency, and the authors of Social Change, Life Strain, and Delinquency among Chinese Urban Adolescents have done an admirable job in examining and applying Robert Agnews general strain theory (1992, 2001) to this task. Agnew's theory provides a highly effective model for understanding how the major macro- and microtransformations of Chinese society are impacting upon the production of delinquency across communities. It is particularly important to fully understand both the range and the depth of the nature of strain that Chinese families and institutions are experiencing. The authors of this paper correctly note that the impact of very salient sources of strain involving economic conditions, especially the role of poverty and increased competition, have placed significant pressure on Chinese families, which is magnified by an increasing cultural emphasis on success. Thus, the nature of economic strain that many Chinese families are experiencing is highly complex, involving not only the impact of diminished financial resources but also the cultural pressure to succeed - in a highly competitive society and in a cultural context whereby parents and extended families are tremendously invested in their children. This potent mix of pressures and strain has consequences for delinquency production. Thus, family functioning and the provision of familial support in modern China are being influenced by a host of economic pressures. The authors of this paper note the increasing role of the one-child policy on creating pressure on families to invest significantly in the success of their only child, but this cultural expectation is affected by the harsh reality of market forces in a highly competitive environment that incorporates the school systems and the employment markets. Part of the significance of this article rests with describing and applying the major transformations of Chinese society and their various consequences for delinquency generation, as well as in understanding the nature of macrolevel changes in Chinese society and their impact on microprocesses, which fostet strain and facilitate delinquency production. Chinese society is experiencing major changes and the authors have done a commendable job illustrating how Agnew's theory of general strain can be useful in understanding the unique strains currently operating in China, as well as take account of why and how some of the mediating processes may be operating. Moreover, the authors usefully describe and illustrate some of the conditioning influences that can magnify the impact of strain on delinquency as well as some of the traditional coping responses. In doing so, the authors have recognized that traditional forms of coping the strict moral code of Chinese society, the emphasis on collective well-being, and the importance of honor, particularly honor within one's family - have been eroded by the massive economic transformations. …

Exploring the Relationship between Strain and Some Neutralization Techniques

Classic strain theorists, such as Cohen (1955) and Cloward and Ohlin (1960), placed the emphasis on the relationship between strain and neutralization techniques. They argued that strains foster the adoption of beliefs favourable to crime. According to General Strain Theory(GST), stressful events are most likely to result in crime when a form of criminal reasoning already exists in the individual's mind. But few researchers have tested this idea. This study is one of the first to apply GST to a sample of 500 Italian subjects, in an attempt to merge two important theories: Agnew's theory and the neutralization theory. We aimed to test whether or not there is a combined effect between strain and some techniques of neutralization, especially with respect to two different criminal behaviours: major and minor crimes. The results provide partial support for the core idea of GST, namely of there being a relationship between strain, anger and crime.

Strain and Juvenile Delinquency: A Critical Review of Agnew's General Strain Theory

The past decades have seen a revived interest for criminological strain theories. Among these theories Agnew's general strain theory (a social psychological interpretation of juvenile delinquency) could be considered the most original and complete. It has a solid conceptual basis. Moreover, Agnew's theory has recalled the interest of researchers in the United States. A significant number of important surveys have been performed. However, until now there has not been a evaluation of the state of this theory. The purpose of this review is just a first critical evaluation of this theory and his empirical status. Some suggestions for future research are introduced.

A Latent Variable Analysis of General Strain Theory

Strain theory has returned to the forefront of criminological theory and research, due primarily to the general strain model developed by Robert Agnew. Agnew posits that a broad range of negative social relations comprises strain and that these straining mechanisms lead to delinquent behavior and other maladaptive functioning. Moreover, strain has its strongest effect on delinquency when certain coping strategies are attenuated or when delinquent peers reinforce perceptions of strain. Although several studies have now shown the utility of general strain theory as an explanation of delinquency, they have relied mainly on cross-sectional effects or two-wave panel designs using methods that fail to consider measurement error or autocorrelated errors. In this study we extend these analyses by estimating a latent variable structural equation model that examines the effects of strain—operationalized as negative life events—on conventional attachment and delinquency over a 3-year period. Furthermore, we directly assess Agnew's “coping strategies” hypotheses by stratifying the models by self-efficacy, self-esteem, and peer delinquency. The results indicate that significant longitudinal effects of strain on delinquency emerge during year 3 but that these effects are not conditioned by self-efficacy or self-esteem. Changes in strain also affect changes in delinquency, but only among those who report no delinquent peers. We do find, however, that over the initial 2 years strain has a negative effect on delinquency among those high in self-efficacy, self-esteem, or delinquent peers. The findings are discussed in terms of Agnew's theory.

The Conditional Effects of Stress on Delinquency and Drug Use: A Strain Theory Assessment of Sex Differences

Agnew's reconceptualization of individual-level strain theory has suggested several ways in which stress among adolescents affects delinquent behavior. However, the general stress literature from which much of Agnew's theory is drawn indicates that sex conditions the effects of stress on various outcomes among adolescents. The present article elaborates Agnew's general strain model by assessing the sex-specific effects of stressful life events on delinquency and drug use, using two waves of data from 11- to 17-year-old adolescents who participated in the High Risk Youth Study (N = 803). The results of a structural equation model indicate that there are few important sex differences; stressful life events have a similar, short-term impact on delinquency and drug use among females and males. Furthermore, the authors find that changes in life events are associated with greater delinquency and drug use.